Digital amputation due to traumatic injury, or as a surgical elective resulting from conditions such as cancer, vascular disease or sepsis, is not uncommon in North America. It may not be scientific but just look at the numerous celebrity figures missing entire or part digits. Among the best known – the late Matthew Perry lost the tip of his middle finger to a car door as a child. Actor Daryl Hannah lost most of her left index finger in a childhood accident and often wears a prosthetic for movie roles (though not in Kill Bill where her missing digit is clearly visible in some scenes). The iconic TV painting instructor Bob Ross lost part of his index finger in a carpentry accident. And Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia lost most of his right middle finger in a childhood wood-chopping accident.
Despite all these high profile missing fingers, there is not a lot of official patient demographic information available about the loss of fingers and fingertips across North America.
In 2024, the National Institute of Health in the US released a report that analyzed finger amputation between 2010 and 2019. Among the findings:
“Finger amputations accounted for an estimated 234,304 emergency department visits from 2010 to 2019. Most of the patients were male (79%) and identified as white (46.2%). The most commonly implicated products overall were power saws and related power tools, followed by doors and then lawn mowers”.
When non-ER related amputations and incidence within the Canadian population are factored in, you can extrapolate an incidence rate of approximately 40,000 amputations every year in North America [https://www.lifeartprosthetics.com/hand-injuries].
Although re-attachment of digits amputated accidentally is sometimes possible, it is usually not an option. So most of these patients must learn to live with their new reality without follow up treatment or medical support. And that can be challenging.
One solution: Access to lifelike custom finger prosthetics that replicate the wearer’s skin tone, restore function and offer protection. Prosthetic fingers or fingertips can be worn or removed as required, giving the wearer options in terms of comfort, appearance and usage. And that can help them navigate professional and social life on their own terms.
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