Your answer:
Ignore the contamination, suture the wound and send the patient
home.
Three months later, you are contacted by the patient. Even though he works on a daily basis with radioactive materials, he states that he is uncomfortable knowing that he is walking around with contamination in his hand. He complains that his wife and friends who know about the incident keep their distance. There have been no biological changes in the area and an examination with a Geiger counter reveals that the contamination remains at 3000 CPM in the same region. A total body count reveals that the material remains localized in the hand and has not spread.
After further discussion, you realize that the lifestyle of the patient has been significantly disrupted because of the remaining contamination. The patient insists on further surgical exploration of the area and removal of as much contaminated material as possible.
Following surgical exploration and removal of some of the hypothenar musculature, the area is free of contamination. There is a minor loss of function of the left hand, but not enough to affect job performance. The patient is satisfied with the result.