Does a tuft fracture need surgery?
Avulsion of the nail plate and injury to the nail bed is often associated with tuft fractures. It is necessary to reduce the nail plate under the eponychium, and if this cannot be performed, the plate can be removed.
How do you treat a tuft fracture?
A splint is often put on a finger to treat a tuft fracture. The function of the splint is to protect the finger, decreasing pain and allowing use of the finger. The splint can also help speed healing. Typically, tuft fractures heal quite well over a period of several weeks.
What is a tuft fracture?
A tuft fracture in general can be described as a stable type of fracture, as the break is at the edge of the bone beyond where the tendons insert. Tuft fractures are often caused by a crush injury, e.g. hammering the fingertips, dropping a heavy weight on it or getting it caught in a car door. Tuft Fracture.
How long do tuft fractures take to heal?
Most tuft fractures are successfully treated without any hospital input and will heal within four to eight weeks.
What is an open tuft fracture?
A tuft fracture is frequently an open fracture due to its common association with injury to the surrounding soft tissues or nail bed. Even without surrounding soft tissue injury, the fracture is considered open in the presence of a nail bed injury.
What is an open fracture?
Open fracture (compound fracture): The bone pokes through the skin and can be seen. Or a deep wound exposes the bone through the skin. Closed fracture (simple fracture). The bone is broken, but the skin is intact.
Do tuft fractures require antibiotics?
For open-tuft fractures with clean wounds, prophylactic antibiotic coverage is not indicated. Early aggressive local wound care has been found to be the best prevention against infection in open fingertip fractures.
What is a phalangeal fracture?
Pathology. Phalanx fractures can be intra or extra-articular and can occur at the base, neck, shaft or head of the phalanx. They often result from direct trauma to the finger (e.g. during ball sports). Crush injuries to the distal phalanx are also common and can result in nail trauma and open fractures.
What is a tuft fracture of the distal phalanx?
Often a distal phalanx fracture is a “tuft” fracture, which means that a small fragment or fragments of bone are chipped off the edge of the distal phalanx. These bone injuries do not require wiring or pinning, as they will heal by themselves.
How serious is an open fracture?
Open fractures pose an immediate risk of infection. In general, the greater the damage is to bone and soft tissues, the greater the risk of infection. A bone infection can be difficult to treat. The patient may require long-term antibiotics and multiple surgical procedures.
What is a comminuted open fracture?
One kind is a comminuted fracture. This injury happens when your bone breaks into three or more pieces. Fractures can be open or closed. If your skin breaks open from the wound, doctors call it a comminuted open or compound fracture. If your skin doesn’t break, you have a comminuted closed or simple fracture.
How do doctors treat an open fracture?
Treatment. Almost all open fractures are treated in the operating room. It is important to go to surgery as soon as possible so that your open wound can be cleaned out to help prevent infection. Depending on your specific injury, you will be given either regional or general anesthesia during this procedure.
What are complications of phalangeal fractures?
Complications. Phalangeal fractures, as with all fractures, are subject to the risks of delayed union, malunion, and nonunion. These can be the result of inadequate immobilization and patient…
What are the types of phalangeal fractures?
Categorized into three types, subcondylar phalangeal fractures fall into one of the following: type 1 (displaced), type 2 (displaced with some bone to bone contact), or type 3 (displaced with no bone to bone contact). This variation presents with the option to perform a closed or open reduction.
What is a tuft fracture of a finger?
4 Answers. A tuft fracture of the finger is when a part of the bone is crushed. It is usually caused by something hitting part of the finger at a strong impact, such as the head of a hammer. It is known as an open fracture because it is towards the top of the finger and is surrounded by soft tissue as well as the nail bed.