Clinical Study on Hand Injuries in Farming and Fishing Villages

Cho, Se Hyun

Abstract

The role of hand in human body can never be overemphasized. There is increasing tendancy in the incidence of hand injuries according to the development of mechanics and traffics. The study on hand injuries in farming and fishing villages, however, has not attracted much attention. Clinical survey and study on hand injuries around Chinju city were performed with the help of local orthopedic surgeons and the following results could be obtained. 1. The third decade occupied 40.5% which was the most common age among total 121 cases. Injured males outnumbered females predominantly by 90.1% vs 9.9%. 2. The hand injuries happened most commonly in April, May, September and October which are busy seasons for farmers. 3. The hand injury was most commonly attributed to machine injury. 4. 53.7% and 13.3% of total patients were brought to the hospitals within six hours and after one day respectively. 5. The initial morbid status examined at hospital showed soft tissue crushing and open fracture in 31.4% and amputation in 29.7%. 6. 30.6% of total 209 injured sites were index finger, which was the most vulnerable to every different type of injury. Single digit injury was the most common. 7. The index finger was also most vulnerable to amputation(27.8% out of 54 amputation cases) and the more distal part was more vulnerable to amputation. 8. The method of treatment was affected in part by the social and econimic status of the patients. The most common method was amputstion and primary closure(21.0%). 9. In order to prevent hand injuries in farming and fishing villages, preventive policy should be established by improvement of working environments, machines and education of their proper usage.