The perils of dressings: a cautionary tale of ischaemia

Abstract

A cohort of patients presented to Queen Victoria Hospital, UK, with iatrogenic toe ischaemia following application of a different, newly available post-procedure dressing with different properties to those usually used. This resulted in ischaemia with extensive skin and soft tissue damage, requiring debridement surgery and, in some cases, skin grafting. We aim to highlight the risk of morbidity from dressing application to the digits. This is a key learning skill for anyone who may either perform dressings or evaluate dressings on digits in the community and across multiple specialties in hospital. This article follows a thorough root cause analysis and addresses other possible causes of an acutely painful erythematous toe post-Zadek's procedure.