Quantitative microbiology: its application to hand injuries.

Quantitative microbiologic analysis of civilian hand injuries has been accomplished in thirty-four patients. Most traumatic soft tissue injuries exhibited an insignificant level of contamination. The number of bacteria recovered from most of those wounds was comparable to that encountered in clean elective surgical hand cases. We now view most civilian hand wounds as clean wounds carrying a very low risk of infection. Our patients with traumatic hand injuries are considered candidates for immediate reconstruction, which includes vascular, bony, or neural repair as well as immediate implantation of Silastic rods in preparation for subsequent tendon grafting.