Habiba M., 7

Habiba is a 7-year-old girl living with her parents and five siblings in a modest household. Her father is a small-scale farmer and her mother a housewife, and the family struggles financially, with some of the children unable to attend school regularly. Despite these challenges, Habiba is eager to continue her education and build a better future. Two years ago, she sustained burns to her left hand, which were treated at home. After healing, she developed deformity of the little and middle fingers due to scarring, leaving her unable to properly use the affected hand. This has affected her daily activities and schooling, as she experiences difficulty participating and is sometimes teased by her peers. On examination, she was found to have severe flexor contractures of the affected fingers due to scar formation. She has been diagnosed with post-burn flexor contracture of the left hand and requires corrective treatment, for which her family is seeking support.

Habiba sustained contact burns over two years earlier when she touched a hot object leading to deep injuries to her left little and middle finger. Due to financial contraint she was treated at home and it healed with deformities of those fingers. It renders the fingers unusable and hence leaving her crippled in that hand. The deformity hinders her from freely using the hand and she shy away from social gatherings due to stigma from her peers as a result of the deformities. The family heard about Helpster through a beneficiary and came seeking for help. Examination revealed severe flexor contracture of left little and middle fingers but with supple joints. She was then admitted, investigations to ascertain her fitness for surgery such as FBC, EUCr, serum albumin were done and she had contracture release done. She spent 14 days on admission receiving physiotherapy and wound care. She did very well, wound healed and is doing well with range of motion exercises of the joints as the scar matures. She is to continue with that as she come for follow up to ensure seemless healing.

The child has a hand contracture affecting finger movement and function, for which corrective surgery and rehabilitation have been recommended. She is currently stable and suitable for definitive treatment. With surgical release and physiotherapy, improvement in hand function is expected. The overall prognosis is favorable.