gms | German Medical Science

Objectives/Interrogation: Due to the special anatomy of the hand, hand infections present as heterogeneous and complex clinical illness. An early and professional treatment is essential to avoid complications. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of the presentation time of patients with hand infections to hand surgeons on hospital stay and the frequency of necessary operations.

Methods: Retrospectively, 379 Patients with hand infections, who were treated in our clinic were evaluated for a time of presentation to hand surgeon, time of trauma, length of stay, and frequency of necessary operations.

Results and Conclusions: On average, more than one-day delayed surgical presentation led to a longer hospital stay of 1.22 days (KHVD) (95% CI: 1.20-1.25, p <0.001). Also, the odds of being operated every day increased by 13.59% (95% CI 4.01% -25.43%, p <0.001). KHVD also increased by a factor of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.03-1.15, p <0.001) with delayed antibiotic challenge. However, the time of antibiotics did not correlate with the decision to undergo surgery (yes / no) (p = 0.11).

The present retrospective study shows that a late presentation of patients with hand infections leads to a longer inpatient length of stay as well as to a higher number of necessary surgeries. An early surgical presentation of hand infections to an experienced hand surgeon is important to avoid complicated patient pathways that add costs to the healthcare system.