Caution: Tiny Little Fingers

Still fresh in memories are those moments when those tiny little fingers clasped mine and didn’t let it go, for a while. When trying to pull off, the swaddled beauty hardens the hold! Not even a month old, but she holds it tightly again and again.

This would have happened to every parent reading this. Are they trying to say something to us ? Give it a second thought ! They might be trying to get an assurance to safeguard those teeny fingers, till they mature enough to protect on their own ?! Still wondering what am I talking about ?!

I just wanted to shed some light on the most common childhood accident – Finger injuries. Those innocent babies and playful kids are ignorant of the hazards behind door/window/cupboard/object folds.

This mostly happens when 2 or more kids play in and out of a room. One closes the door and the other one shouts. Assuming this to be an usual conflict, when mom enters to compromise, on seeing the scene, pity parental heart skips a beat. I am word-strapped to explain this fingers-trapped tragedy.

In another scenario, much unknowingly, parents become the offenders. Such critsit is much worse as the guilt feeling would ruin them. To a parent, it pains a lot when baby cries in pain. To the same parent, it kills, when the reason is ‘thyself’. Slight carelessness might lead to heart-throbbing moments..

Scenarios to keep an eye on:

• If you have kids at home, avoid the habit of closing doors quickly/hurriedly.
• When kids are around, always check the folds before closing the doors.
• When more than one kid is playing, put a folded blanket on the door, so that the door gaps(on both sides) do not close fully.
• Be more cautious when closing car doors. Ensure kids head/hands/legs are not near.
• In car, when opening or closing windows, instruct kids to keep their head/hands away. Car glasses are so sharp than you think.
• Not only doors, even a folding stool/chair or similar objects can be harmful.
• Educate kids about the fold gap hazards.

If finger-cut happened, what next?:

• Any deep cut needs a Doctor’s inspection for sure. But for babies, even minor cuts or swellings needed a consultation as we cannot predict babies’ finger movements or internal damages.
• If it bleeds, wash the wound, wrap the bleeding part with a clean cloth and hold it firm until you reach the hospital. Try to keep the hand raised to slow down bleeding.
• If whole or part of the finger is separated from the body, take the separated part and put it in a clean plastic bag or a ziplock bag. Keep this bag in a bag of ice. If the ice is too cold and dry, add some water to the ice. Finger-containing bag have to be inside ice pack, so that the cells do not die. Caution: Do not put ice directly into the bag with finger. Ice should not directly touch the finger as it might damage the cells/tissues.
• If you act smart and hospitalize asap, the same finger can be successfully re-attached. If the finger is severed or amputated partially or wholly, avoid taking to nearby clinics or small hospitals as that would waste the precious time. If you are insured or could afford, opt for any Multispecialty Hospital where both Paediatric and Plastic Surgeons are available. If not, take to Government Medical College Hospitals where both these departments will be available to assist.

I got advice from my brother Dr.S.P.Maharajan M.D.(Gen. Med.) D.M.(Nephro) regarding the medical advice conveyed in this post.

I personally heard 3 major finger-cut accidents in the past 2 years. Out of 3, 2 were successfully re-attached. When I heard about the 3rd accident where the separated finger not handed-over in good condition, lead to a plastic surgery fixing a nail-less, rigid thumb finger in the right hand. This drove me to write this post.

This post is not to threaten you. But to enlighten you. Share this post to other parents to protect more tiny little fingers !!