Foreign bodies in the hand.

A prospective study was carried out on 164 consecutive cases presenting at the Accident Department with foreign bodies in the hand. The distal segment of the digits was the commonest site. The late, symptomatic presentation of patients, together with the development of symptoms in patients managed conservatively indicate that foreign bodies should be removed. General anaesthesia is rarely required, but an effective "block" with a tourniquet is necessary, as infiltration anaesthesia has a high failure rate, and secondary exploration a high complication rate. Glass fragments are almost always visible on plain x-rays.