Pattern of hand injuries in children and adolescents in a teaching hospital in Abha, Saudi Arabia

Over a seven-year period, 136 children and adolescents with hand injuries were prospectively studied at the Accident and Emergency Department of Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to determine the pattern of hand injury. The male:female ratio was 1.7:1.0, both left and right hands were relatively equally injured. The age group ranged from two months to 16 years (average 5.3 years). The finger most commonly injured was the middle finger (24.6%) followed by the index finger (18.7%). The most common type of hand injury was crush injuries caused by doors at home (52.2%), heavy objects (6.6%) and injuries caused by grinding machines (6.6%). Since youngsters are often unaware of the dangers in their environment it is necessary to redesign the doors of our homes with safety devices to prevent injuries. Application of hydraulic automatic door closures is a simple but useful way of ensuring smooth and safe closing of doors in homes.