Rehabilitation after replantation of a non-work-related finger amputation without vascular anastosmosis – case report

Abstract

Work in agriculture carries the risk of trauma as a result of mechanization (farm equipment and machinery), location of cultivated areas, and multi-functionality. In agriculture, the hands were the most affected parts of the body which sustained injury. Successful suturing of a finger initially disqualified from replantation is rare. The case is presented of a 55-year-old patient who had a non-work-related finger amputation. In a surgical centre not belonging to the reference ones in plastic surgery in Poland, a doctor with six months of surgical experience performed the replantation without vascular reconstruction (the amputated distal part of the finger served as a biological dressing). Despite the lack of vascular reconstruction and unfavourable prognosis, the amputated fragment of the finger maintained a partial blood supply. Subsequent flap surgery in the plastic surgery department, and rehabilitation of the patient due to finger contracture, led to functional recovery of the finger.