Experience of nail bed injuries at a tertiary hand trauma unit: a 12-month review and cost analysis

The aim of this study was to analyse the management of nail bed injuries from a clinical and economic perspective. We carried out a retrospective analysis of nail bed injuries treated operatively at a tertiary Plastic Surgery Hand Trauma Unit during 2016. The National Schedule of Reference Costs (2015–2016) was used to estimate the costs of treating 630 patients. The most common mechanism was a crush injury in a door (33%). Fifty-five per cent of patients had an associated tuft fracture. The minimum cost per annum for patients treated for nail bed injuries in our unit was calculated to be £511,560 (€573,362; US$666,664). Many nail bed injuries are preventable and because they present a very high financial burden on the National Health Service, targeted prevention strategies should be considered. Level of evidence: IV