From a feeling of numbness and cold in both feet, the 48-year-old man applied hot compresses at home. After that, the feet showed skin lesions, swelling, inflammation and widespread necrosis, forcing doctors to repeatedly cut and remove both feet using microsurgery techniques.
Patient L.V. K. (48 years old), previously healthy, showed numbness, coldness and discomfort in both feet. Thinking it was necessary to warm his feet, the patient applied heat at home. After that, both feet swelled, the skin was damaged with fever. Despite treatment and surgical removal at a medical facility for about 10 days, the necrotic condition continued to progress, so he was transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
Here, doctors from the Department of Plastic Surgery, Aesthetics and Interdisciplinary Surgery continued to remove repeatedly to control infection. After treatment, both feet had wide and deep soft tissue defects, about half the area of the sole of the foot, concentrated in the load-bearing area; one foot lost 3 toes, some locations revealed tendons and underlying structure.
Doctors determined that it is not possible to only perform a regular skin graft because the sole of the foot must bear continuous force and friction when standing and walking. If the soft tissue is not regenerated enough, patients are at risk of seriously affecting the function of the foot, even having to have limbs amputated.
Two microsurgery teams were arranged to reconstruct both feet simultaneously with free tissue patches. The surgery lasted about 5.5-6 hours. After 14 days, the two microsurgery patches lived well, and the surgical wound healed favorably. The patient began to be instructed to practice putting their feet on the ground, bearing pressure step by step to restore walking ability.
MSc.BS Nguyen Ngoc Linh, Department of Plastic Surgery, Aesthetics and Interdisciplinary, recommends that people should not arbitrarily soak, apply or heat their feet when they are numb and cold, especially in people with diabetes or peripheral neurological diseases. When feeling is reduced, patients may not recognize the temperature is too hot, leading to burns, infections and necrosis.
When the feet appear abnormally numb, swollen, hot, red, blistered, skin discoloration, pain, discharge or suspected necrosis, it is necessary to go to a medical facility for examination and early treatment.
