Subungual Hematoma (Bleeding Under Nail) (cont.)

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Medical Author:

Christina L Kukula, DO

Coauthor:

Scott D Fell, DO, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

Steven C Gabaeff, MD, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jeter (Jay) Pritchard Taylor III, MD

Multimedia

Media file 1:A thumb after it was hit with a large hammer. Notice that the dark discoloration beneath the nail takes up more than 75% of the area. This is blood. This hematoma required drainage to relieve the pressure.

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Media file 2:The battery-operated cautery unit and its tip when it is activated. Notice the red hot area used to burn the hole in the nail.

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Media file 3:The process of burning a hole in the nail to relieve the hematoma. Notice the blood draining from the hole after the hole was formed with the cautery unit's hot tip. The finger has been numbed prior to this procedure.

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Media file 4:The same thumb after it has been drained. Notice the hole in the nail and the blood draining from the hole. The large dark area beneath the nail (the hematoma) is practically gone.

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Media file 5:An example of a nail with a subungual hematoma that occupies less than 25% of the nail area. This hematoma did not require drainage.

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Media file 6:The same subungual hematoma 3 and one-half weeks after the original injury.

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Media file 7:A paperclip opened for use in draining a subungual hematoma. The open end would be heated to allow it to make a hole in the nail.