Vol. 1, Issue 11, Part K (2015)

Abstract
Background: Hand is one of the most important units of our body that carries out the actions that our brain demands and hence losing a hand function is next to losing a life. The purpose of this study is to characterise the severity of each injury, assess the hand function lost, and reconstructive options and rehabilitation at our institute. Materials & Methods: A retrospective study of patients of blast injuries to the handadmitted to our department was made and analysed from December 2012 through December 2014. The injuries were characterised as mild, moderate or severe with the help of X-rays, clinical presentations, and operative procedures performed. The treatment of these patients during hospital stay was noted, follow up and return of hand function documented. Results: Sixty-eight patients were evaluated and treated inpatient with blast injuries hand. They were all male (100%), all patients (100%) had their dominant hand involved, with an average age of 27 years. 17 patients had mild injuries, 26 had moderate and 25 had severe injuries. Firecrackers were the most common explosives. All patients were treated surgically (with or without bone fixation). Mean admission time in hospital was 12 days. All patients were followed up for a period of one year and hand functions were assessed. 26 patients regained their hand functions completely while others and 6 patients with amputations had a functional deficit. Conclusion: Blast injury hand can have devastating consequences from loss of hand function to amputations and each unit of hand must be addressed carefully to preserve these.