Abstract
Background: Early recovery after hand extensor tendon repair encompasses surgical-site condition, pain, and patient-reported well-being.
Objective: To describe clinical characteristics, early postoperative care outcomes, and quality of recovery following hand extensor tendon repair.
Materials and Methods: This prospective descriptive study included 35 patients undergoing hand extensor tendon repair at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital between October 2025 and April 2026. Surgical-site status and pain were assessed on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 3, and 5; Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scores were assessed on PODs 3 and 5. Paired scores were compared in 32 patients; three were discharged before POD 5. Exploratory associations with POD 5 recovery categories were examined using exact tests.
Results: Mean age was 37.74 ± 12.61 years; 65.7% were male. Forty-two extensor tendons were injured, most commonly in zone IV (28.6%). Dry surgical sites were recorded in 22.9% of patients assessed on POD 1 and 81.3% on POD 5. Among 32 patients assessed on POD 5, 53.1% reported no or mild pain and one (3.1%) had a superficial surgical-site infection. Paired mean QoR-15 scores increased from 112.69 ± 12.89 to 127.81 ± 12.05; the mean increase was 15.13 points (95% CI, 14.32 - 15.93; p < 0.001). On POD 5, 71.9% had good or excellent recovery and 28.1% had moderate recovery. Smoking history, comorbidity, surgical-site exudate or infection, and incomplete early mobilization were associated with moderate recovery (all p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Early inpatient observations showed favorable surgical-site and pain patterns, with improved paired QoR-15 scores. These findings do not establish long-term tendon healing or individual intervention effectiveness. Associations were exploratory and do not establish independent risk factors.
| Published | 2026-11-15 | |
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| Issue | Vol. 16 No. S-3 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2026.S-3.1 | |
| Keywords | Extensor tendons, hand injuries, postoperative care, quality of recovery, QoR-15 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
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