Community Healthcare System: In Good Hands

Coats-Robert-MDComedian Jimmy Fallon has been making headlines recently, but for no laughing matter. The Tonight Show host recently suffered a severe injury to his ring finger that nearly resulted in amputation. Fallon’s injury – called a ring avulsion – causes damage to the skin, vessels and nerves in the finger, often dislodging the finger completely from the hand.

Luckily for Fallon, he immediately sought medical attention and after six hours of microsurgery and a 10-day stay in a New York hospital ICU, doctors were able to save his finger.

Ring avulsion injuries are more common than one might think, said Robert Coats, MD, orthopedic surgeon at St. Mary Medical Center.

“An avulsion is caused by forceful pull on the finger, commonly occurring when a ring gets caught,” he said. “Depending on the severity of the injury, repair is possible; however, amputation is a typical outcome in these cases, especially if there is irreparable damage to the soft tissues.”

“A prompt evaluation of the soft tissues will result in a better outcome,” he said. “Quicker treatment results in reduced risk of infection and loss of functionality of the hand.”

In a ring avulsion repair, it is important to identify and remove the damaged tissue using graft material if the loss of tissue is significant, said Coats.

“The graft material may consist of tendons, nerves, veins or arteries from another part of the body or from a donor,” he said. (In Fallon’s case, surgeons took a vein from his foot to repair his finger.)

“A wider damaged area can lead to more healing time and result in a loss of function in the finger,” he said.

Besides ring avulsions, there are four other common hand injuries: lacerations and cuts, crush injuries, explosions and burns that can have traumatic results, according to Coats. These injuries make up roughly a quarter of hand cases he treats.

Lacerations and cuts commonly occur from knives slipping during food preparation situations.

Fingers can be caught in doors or folding chairs, “crushing” the digit. Explosion injuries are most often seen around the 4th of July when the use of fireworks increases. Burns can also result from fireworks or more common sources, such as cooking grease and deep fryers, and even frostbite.

“To avoid the most serious injury, never do intense work while wearing a ring,” he said, emphasizing those who work with heavy machinery should especially remove all jewelry while at work.

If trauma occurs, Coats stresses the importance of seeking immediate medical attention either at an urgent care facility or the emergency room.

For more information on orthopedic surgeons, including Coats, or the full array of orthopedic services at St. Mary Medical Center, call 219-836-3477 or visit www.comhs.org/stmary.