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Suggest Treatment For Infection On Index Finger

Posted on Tue, 22 Apr 2014

Question: i have an infection on my left index finger without a cut. It first appeared as a small bruise on 3/21/14, and I thought that I accidently busted a small vessel, which had happened many times if I hold a heavy object in a wrong way. I happened to be seeing my internist that day for a cough, and he said it was a finger infection and prescribed Amox TR-K CLV 875-125mg. The next day, the bruise went away, so I did not start the medication. This past Friday 4/4/14, a large bruise on the same finger suddenly appeared in the morning with pain and tingling of the tip of the finger. The bruise is on the shaft of the finger on the palm side and the side adjacent to the middle finger. I started taking the antibiotics as prescribed on Friday. The bruised areas spread to the bottom of the tip section and a little bit to the palm this morning, and tingling of the tip remained. My question: (1) Should I go to the ER to get IV antibiotics or should I wait and continue to take the medication which is prescribed 2x/day for 10 days? (2) How did I get the infection when there was no cuts? (3) Bruised finger had happened to me many times in the past but it usually went away in a day or two, why is this time different? (4) How serious is this?

Answered by Dr. Mukesh Chugh (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Digital sheath infeftion needs IV antibiotics Detailed Answer: Hi Thanks for posting your query After going through your suffering it seems you have developed digital sheath Infection what was initially at the tip of finger. My advice is- Go to the ER. And they may advice you for blood test like complete blood count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) to assess the severity of infection. If the pus has formed they may advice you for Incision and drainage otherwise they may put you on IV antibiotics like augmentin along with trpsin/chymotrypsin and would wait for 24 hour if the pain and swelling get reduced well and good otherwise may require Incision and drainage. This type of infection occurs because of haematogenous route that is via blood.So, if you have infection anywhere in the body it may spread to other parts, especially when one's immunity is down. I hope you are not diabetic? Or having any other disease which may compromise immunity. In this infection (digital sheath infection) prognosis is excellent with IV antibiotics and by Incision and drainage (If required). Hope this information suffices. Take care and I shall be glad to answer any further query. Regards Dr.chugh (http://bit.ly/drmchugh) Orthopaedic surgeon

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj

Follow up: Dr. Mukesh Chugh (34 minutes later)

Thank you for your response, and I will go to ER today. My infection started from the shaft of the finger not the tip, does that make any difference regarding to the possible diagnosis? Which specialist should I see for my immune function, and could that be tested? I do feel that my immune system is compromised recently as my recovery rate is very slow.

Answered by Dr. Mukesh Chugh (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: For Immunity evaluation visit physician Detailed Answer: Hi It’s good to see you. After going through the whole discussion it does not matter much and provisional diagnosis remains the same. Regarding immunity function you may contact physician and usually they assess the immunity based on the following laboratory tests to evaluate immune disorders like antibody deficiencies, cellular (T-cell) defects, and neutrophil disorders and complement deficiencies. Take care and wish you early recovery. Regards Dr.chugh

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj