Summarize the following:
No matter what kind of damage or wound you have on your finger, change your dressings once a day. Change them sooner, however, if they become soiled before 24 hours have passed. When you take off the bandage each day, clean your finger with a sterile solution and rebandage it in the same manner you had it before. If you have stitches, ask your doctor before cleaning them. Follow any instructions he or she gives you on how to care for the stitches. You will likely have to keep them dry and should not clean them with any solution. Whenever you remove the bandages, look for signs of infection in the wound on your finger. Notice if there is any pus, drainage, redness, or heat, especially migrating up from your hand or arm. Also take note if you begin to run a fever, as complications can develop, including infections such as cellulitis, a felon, or other hand infections. After you have had your finger injury for a few weeks, follow up with your doctor. If he or she treated the injury with stitches or hematoma evacuation, your doctor may schedule this. However, always follow up with your doctor when you go through any intense injury such as this. Make sure you contact the doctor if you have additional symptoms, think you may be getting an infection, you get dirt or grime into the wound and can't get it out, you experience any additional or excessive pain, or your wound starts to bleed uncontrollably. You should also contact your doctor if you experience any symptoms of nerve damage, including: a lack of sensation, numbness, or the development of a ball-like scar called a "neuroma" that is often painful and causes an electrical sensation when touched.
Change the bandages. Look for signs of infection. Follow up with your doctor.