On August 5, Children's Hospital 2 said that the hospital had previously received patient L.N.H (male, 12 years old, Tay Ninh) who was admitted to the hospital with a loss of almost the thumb and index finger of his left hand due to a household accident. The cause was determined to be that the child used a knife to cut the grass to cut the cassava, but unfortunately the knife cut off his arm.
After examination, the doctor noted serious damage: the thumb and index finger were almost completely broken, with only a thin layer of skin remaining. If not operated on promptly, the baby is at risk of losing both fingers, especially the thumb, which accounts for up to 50% of the hand's motor function.
Immediately, the micro-surgical team performed emergency surgery under a microscope. After more than 6 hours of meticulously sewing the microcontinues, nerves and fixing bones, the doctors saved both fingers of the child. It is expected that in the next stage, the baby will continue to connect tendons to complete motor function.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga - Deputy Head of the burn Department - Prevention Department, Children's Hospital 2 Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest advantage of this case is that the wound is sharp and not too crushed, so the possibility of recovery is high. However, the challenge is that injuries are often close to the joint of the thumb - if not handled well, it will lead to stiffness and limited movement later.
Under a 10 to 13 times hypercopy, we discovered scattered damage in the vascular and nerve systems around the wound. The blood vessels have a very small diameter, only about 0.3 - 0.4 mm, requiring very meticulous surgery. Because there is a damaged artery branch, we have to find an alternative route to ensure that blood is good for the fingers, said Dr. Nga.
In this case, the doctor recommends: for wounds that are close to the edge but still have skin, the family should quickly fix the wound with a clean tarpaulin, keep the pose still and take the patient to a medical facility with the ability to have micro-surgery as soon as possible. Proper and timely treatment is a decisive factor in the ability to retain limbs and restore long-term motor function.
