Hand surgery can provide relief to patients who have deformities or injuries to their hands, wrists or fingers. Hand surgery can be completed by a general surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon or a plastic surgeon. Complications, although rare, can occur during or after surgery. Hand surgery complications generally are not life threatening and can be treated with medical care.
Infection
According to statistics published on August 2010 by Infection Control Today, 5 percent of all surgeries result in an infection each year. For an infection to be caused by surgery, the infection must develop within 30 days from the surgery. Most surgical site infections develop within five to 10 days from the surgery. Signs and symptoms include a fever, fast heart beat, increased discharge from the wound, increased swelling, redness and warmth. A patient having hand surgery may be susceptible to an infection if the wound is not clean and if there are foreign objects in the wound.
Nerve Damage
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, there are two types of nerves: sensory and motor. Sensory nerves are responsible for sending messages to the brain to signal pain, temperature and pressure. Motor nerves are responsible for making a muscle move. When nerves are injured from surgery, it takes months for the nerves to heal. If the patient is still experiencing nerve damage, surgery may be needed to repair the damaged nerves.
Tourniquet Palsy
During hand surgery, a tourniquet may be applied with controlled pressure to the arm of the injured hand. When the tourniquet has been in place for an extended time during surgery or there is uncontrolled pressure, the patient can develop paralysis and loss of feeling in the hand. According to the Electronic Textbooks of Hand Surgery, this occurs in about one in 5,000 cases. Tourniquet palsy is most likely to occur in patients with blood clotting disorders, neuropathy or malnourishment.
