Stay safe out there this Fourth of July! 🇺🇸 🚨 Unfortunately, I have seen many severe life-changing firework-related hand injuries over the course of my 20 years of doing orthopedic surgery. Especially around this time of year when people are celebrating the Fourth of July, I always caution the following: 🧨 Never hold a lit firework because you never know when it might go off unexpectedly. 😷 For an X-ray like the one shown in the video (an x-ray which has widely circulated online for years), surgery could take anywhere from 5 to 15 hours, depending on how many digit replantations were attempted. In this particular example, the long, ring, and small fingers had segmental injuries, which would make them extremely difficult to salvage in any capacity. 💥 Fireworks don’t just damage the bones: they can also destroy tendons, nerves, blood vessels, skin, and muscle. Even if the hand can be saved, restoring meaningful function often requires multiple surgeries and months (if not ...