Paint-Gun Injuries of the Hand

Abstract

Fourteen patients were treated for injuries caused by paint injected into the hand and fingers under high pressure. A study of the results comparing the location, the time interval from injury to operation, and the functional recovery indicates that this type of injury causes a severe chemical inflammation and that it requires immediate decompression and removal of as much of the paint as possible. If treatment is early and adequate, the results are satisfactory, and there is little or no late fibrosis to complicate recovery. Primary treatment should not include local or digital block anesthesia, but should be done as a major surgical procedure under general anesthesia with incisions adequate to decompress the involved parts.