That does not look good at all.

What was the outcome of the visit?

NeedleD, check your PM's

Good questions Crip. I'd also like to hear the thought process behind the no dressing changes.

not looking too good indeed...may be something as simple as a congested hematoma...leech therapy may be of benefit. Any odor is a bad thing, no dressing changes was not a good idea at all.
If he isn't careful, he is gonna lose what little he has left there.
Thanks for the updates....
Eagle

x

new doctors orders
 

After another trip to the hospital, the wound still smells. The doc has changed the orders from "Do not change the dressing till you come back in two weeks." to change q24 and wash with hydrogen peroxide.

thanks for all the advice on this. Other than being able to tell good or bad I dont have any experience with this type of injury. What do you think that the pt should ask or tell the doc the next time he sees him?

Thanks

Needle D

1.)Why the hell he ordered the bandage not be changed for two weeks. Dirty bandages are a breeding ground for all types of bad ju-ju. I have had quite a few sutures and I have always changed mine daily.

2.)Why no leach therapy?

3.)Why the two week wait between visits? Seems to me with that serious an injury the first few visits would have been closer.

Was the patient on any oral Abx? If so what were they?

Hope your friend gets better, but that thumb dont look good.

My sister-in-law lost her little finger, they reattached, then amputated after a few weeks. Her finger looked better than the pics of this one.

x

Sorry it took so long to get this information. The surgery was done by an Orthopedic surgeon (Im not quite sure why) and he has been on keflex since the injury. When he went to he hospital all they did was switch him to IV instead of PO.

More pics comming soon

new pics of the thumb

pic

here

Well, that looks much better than it did on the last update.

I am still curious as to why he was told not to change the bandages for 2 weeks...

x

I couldnt understand why ortho either. To his knoledge there is only one doc that has worked on him. Although we dont know who went in to the OR.
Any ideas on why he was told two weeks? I have heard of a guy named Coupland who did alot of work on the afgan border after the war with the soviets who was leaving amputations for 5 days with no dressing change. He was said to have good results with it. Infact SOMTB is teaching it as a care plan.