The American journal of emergency medicine
-
Case Reports
Bilateral hypothenar hammer syndrome: an unusual and preventable cause of digital ischemia.
Unilateral ischemia of hand digits is usually caused by thoracic outlet obstruction, arterial emboli from a cardiac source, or atherosclerosis. The case of a metal press worker with unilateral ischemia due to hypothenar hammer syndrome, a condition caused by the repetitive use of the hypothenar eminence as a hammer with resultant damage to the ulnar artery, is described. ⋯ This patient had used both hands repeatedly to pound the edges of large steel plates and presented with nondominant-hand ischemia, but was found to have the syndrome bilaterally by angiography. The distinctive features of this syndrome, a preventable and treatable cause of digital ischemia, are emphasized.