Soft Tissue Injuries of the Hand

Author: Balaji Dorani / Editors: John P Sloan, Kathryn Louise Mahony / Reviewer: Eugene Henry, Rafeeq Ahmed Sulaiman / Code: A6 / Published: 02/10/2023

Soft-tissue hand injuries are a common presentation in UK emergency departments (EDs). The vast majority of such injuries have been traditionally managed by ED specialists, with only about 10-15% of patients referred to specialist centres.

This session presents a logical approach to the assessment, diagnosis and management of soft-tissue hand injuries in the ED, including suggested indications for early hand specialist referrals.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe functional hand anatomy
• Recognise occult tendon, ligament and nerve injuries of the hand
• Discuss the evaluation and management of fingertip and nail bed injuries
• Devise treatment plans for common soft-tissue hand injuries
• Distinguish soft-tissue hand injuries that need early specialist intervention

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