Meet the Researcher September 2021

Monday 27 September 2021

Getting to grips with hand injuries - Justin Wormald

Hand and wrist injuries, also known as ‘hand trauma’, account for 1-in-5 A&E attendances and affect five million people in the UK every year. Hand trauma can be very severe, including cuts to major nerves and blood vessels, broken bones or even amputation of a finger or hand. This has a big impact on people’s lives, as hand and wrist are important in daily life and for earning a living. About 250,000 people need surgery for their injury. The risk of infection after surgery is unknown but may be as high as 1-in-5. Infection after hand surgery causes major problems, including more antibiotics, more operations and re-admission to hospital. In the worst cases, infection leads to complete loss of use of the hand - surgeons have even had to amputate infected hands to save the person’s life. Specially coated stitches, known as ‘antimicrobial stitches’ could reduce infection risk by killing bacteria after surgery. Preventing infection would improve recovery and return to normal life.

I am a DPhil candidate in Musculoskeletal Sciences.  My research focuses on understanding and preventing surgical site infection following surgery for hand and wrist injuries. 

What makes surgery to children's feet and legs successful - Eileen Morrow