[Hand injuries caused by circular saw].

The investigation was carried out on 1199 patients treated for hand injuries in the II Department of Surgery of the Jagiellonian University between years 1987-2000. There were 225 patients injured while working with circular saw. These injuries were much more severe than others (p < 0.001) and patients with these injuries were more often (p < 0.001) admitted to the clinic. The length of total treatment was considerably longer (p < 0.001) and final results--worse than in other patients (p < 0.001)--permanent hand disability was almost three times larger. Disability pension was given to these patients much more frequently than to others (p < 0.001). The main reason of these injuries seems to be the common use of home-made circular saws without any protection devices and non-conformity to fundamental rules of work security. Patients with extensive multitissular hand injuries should be treated in specialistic centers of hand surgery, where the final results can be improved and the total costs of treatment considerably reduced.