Finger injuries from infant mittens; a continuing but preventable hazard

Characteristics of Fingertip Injuries in Children in Singapore

Fingertip injuries are common in children, with varying degrees of severity. However, there is limited epidemiological information in the literature. An understanding of the characteristics of these injuries can be used as a basis to prevent such injuries. Epidemiological data was gathered through a retrospective review of all fingertip injuries affecting children, that presented to our department. There were 202 children with 234 injured fingertips in a period of 36 months. Most children were boys and most children injured their left hand. The mode age affected was 2 years. Accidental crush injuries in doors was the most common cause of fingertip injuries in children. An unexpectedly high number of children have fingertip injuries, with many requiring surgical treatment. Safety awareness and prevention of door crush injuries could reduce a large number of fingertip injuries in young children.

Injury by mittens in neonates: a report of an unusual presentation of this easily overlooked problem and literature review

Injuries caused by mittens applied to infants' hands had been reported since the 1960s. Despite the attention brought forward, reports of injuries continued to appear. We report a case of an unusual presentation of upper limb injuries related to mittens, where the injuries involve the entire hand. The injuries fortunately recovered within 2 weeks without subsequent tissue loss.

Sensory recovery after reconstruction of defects of long fingertips using the pedicled V flap

The pedicled V-flap technique was used to repair varying degrees of injury to the fingertip in 29 patients. The technique is described, together with the results of static two-point discrimination tests 1 month and 3 months after surgery. The sensation in the flaps reached near-normal levels after 3 months in all patients. Although statistically significant, the difference in the results at 1 month and 3 months postoperatively was minimal.