Pattern of hand injuries seen in the accident and emergency unit of an urban orthopedic hospital

Background: The development of hand surgery in our subregion is still very much in its infancy. At the national level, very little documentation exists on the patterns of hand injuries. This study was aimed at determining the patterns of hand injuries seen in an urban orthopedic hospital in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study of 101 cases of hand injuries presenting between April 2009 and April 2010 in the accident and emergency unit was carried out. Results: There were 86 (85.1%) and 15 (14.9%) males and females, respectively. The mean age of the patients was 25.69 ± 14.04 years. Out of all the patients, 55.4% were presented within 6 h of injury. Traumatic amputations and fractures were the commonest types of injury. There was no significant difference between left and right hand involvement in injuries. The triad of occupational injuries, injuries from road accidents, and domestic accidents was the most common. Traditional bone setters played very little role in the prehospital management of injuries. Conclusion: Occupational hand injuries are most common among young working males. Early presentation of the patients and low involvement of traditional bone setters reflect the severity of hand injuries to victims.