RT Book, Section
A1 Reichman, Eric F.
SR Print(0)
ID 57716462
T1 Chapter 152. Zipper Injury Management
T2 Emergency Medicine Procedures, 2e
YR 2013
FD 2013
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-161352-1
LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57716462
RD 2024/09/08
AB Zipper  injuries  frequently  occur  to  the  foreskin,  the  skin  of  the  penis,  and  the  scrotum.  Zipper  injuries  result  in  skin  and  soft  tissue  entrapment  when  the  zipper  is  opened  or  closed.  It  primarily  occurs  in  uncircumcised  young  boys,  intoxicated  adults,  the  mentally  handicapped,  males  not  wearing  underwear,  and  elderly  men  suffering  from  movement  or  cognitive  disorders.  The  most  common  type  of  zipper  entrapment  compresses  the  skin  between  the  sliding  piece  (fastener  mechanism)  and  the  teeth  of  the  zipper.  Another  type  of  entrapment  involves  the  skin  between  the  teeth  of  the  zipper  after  the  sliding  piece  has  moved  beyond  the  area.1,2  Multiple  methods  to  extract  the  entrapped  skin  have  been  reported.1–15  These  methods  range  from  manipulation  to  tooth-by-tooth  extraction  to  circumcision.  Treatment  should  be  guided  by  the  type  of  entrapment.1  Removal  of  the  zipper  can  be  performed  quickly  using  basic  tools  to  extract  the  entrapped  tissue  and  thus  prevent  or  limit  secondary  injury.