Traumatic acute lymphangitis in the upper extremity

Introduction: Lymphangitis is an inflammatory condition associated with a damage of the lymph wall, emerging due to various etiologies, such as bacterial or fungal infections, photodermatitis, malignities and bug bites. In this brief report, we aimed to emphasize the importance of this diagnosis in acute settings of hand surgery. Materials and Methods: Findings of upper extremity lymphangitis were typically identified in 7 patients who were presented to our emergency hand surgery clinic from September 2011 to December 2012. All of the patients had a preceding hand trauma. Results: All of the patients received empirical antibiotic treatment following routine sampling of blood and wound tissue cultures. Treatment was modified by an infectious disease specialist according to the etiology and identified microbiological agent. There was a dramatic improvement in all patients after 48 hours of antibiotic treatment. Conclusion: In emergency hand surgery practice, usually surgeons concentrate on the area of trauma and focus on proper tissue repair. However, it should be kept in mind that traumatic injuries where tissue integrity is lost lay the grounds for a bacterial lymphangitis. In such cases, it is utmost important to immediately initiate the empirical antibiotic treatment.