[Injuries caused by accidents with chain saws].

Accident reports and medical statements (a total of 719) concerning chain-saw injuries were evaluated. Chain-saw wounds can be found in all parts of the body, especially the thighs and fingers. The typical chain-saw wound is a multiple superficial laceration, soft tissue wounds are usually heavily bruised and jagged , and bone lesions are rare and superficial. Among 188 finger injuries, only 15 slight bone lesions were seen. The frequency of all injuries decreases as one progresses from the thumb to the little finger and from the finger tip to the finger. The more proximal the isolated finger injury, the more frequently is it diagonal or even longitudinal. Incomplete or complete finger amputations were not observed.