Semi-occlusive Dressing as Non-operative Treatment vs. Operative Treatment for Fingertip Amputations: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction. Treatment of fingertip amputations have demonstrated good outcomes with both surgical and nonsurgical management.Objective. The objective of this study was to compare non-operative treatment with semi-occlusive dressing with any surgical treatment for fingertip amputations in adult fingers, Allen types I-III in a retrospective cohort review.Methods. A retrospective chart review was done on adult patients with fingertip amputations Allen types I-IIIfrom January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Patients included in the studies were distributed into two treatment groups: non-operative and operative groups. Outcomes to be measured were time to full healing, range of motion, nail deformities, Tinel’s sign, and discoloration of the reconstructed fingertip.Results. A total of 38 patients with 40 digits were included (19 patients with 20 digits for each treatment group).The results showed a larger defect for the operative group (3 cm2 vs 2.1 cm2), with shorter time to healing (1.4months vs 2.2 months). There were more complications in the operative group like the Tinel’s sign, nail deformity and discoloration, as well as joint contractures. Range of motion was better for patients treated non-operatively.Conclusion. Treatment with semi-occlusive dressing showed similar results in terms of wound healing but takes a longer time and less complications compared to operative treatment.