Fingertip Injuries: Does Administration of Antibiotics Give Benefits? A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: Adequate debridement and defect closure is an important treatment in fingertip injuries in addition to administration of antibiotic. However, administration of anitibiotics remains controversial whether it necessary for fingertip injuries that have been treated with adequate debridement and defect closure. The goal of study is to assess the differences of infection rate between subgroups with administration of antibiotics and without antibiotic in FTI treated by debridement and simple defect closure.

Methods: The study design was a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Data collection was carried out at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta and Tangerang Regency Hospital, Banten, in July 2022-February 2023. The target population of this study were adult patients with Fingertip injuries that treated by debridement and simple defect closures with antibiotics administration and without antibiotic. Infection was assessed at day-7, 14, and 21 follow-up.

Results: There were 31 FTI subjects with 41 fingers affected. The number of male subjects was 27 people and female subjects 4 people. The most affected finger was the little finger (12 fingers, 30.8%), with most type of Allen classification was type IV (18 fingers, 43.90%), most procedure performed was primary suture (24 fingers, 58.54%). 15 subjects randomized to antibiotic group and 16 subjects to no-antibiotic group. There was 1 subject of antibiotic group and 1 subject of no-antibiotic group has infection. There are no significant differences between two groups.

Conclusion: There were no significant differences of infection rate between antibiotics administration and without antibiotic in FTI cases that treated by debridement and simple defect closures.