The 21-year-old patient, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, was taken to the Emergency Department of Ba Ria General Hospital about 30 minutes after the accident occurred. Although the severed limb was not properly preserved according to medical recommendations, the short transportation time created favorable conditions for emergency and treatment.
Immediately after receiving the patient, doctors quickly assessed the injury, performed necessary tests and activated the emergency surgery procedure to reconnect the severed limb.
During the surgery, the team noticed blood vessel damage in the severed position that could not be directly connected. Doctors used a segment of vein taken from the patient's leg to graft blood vessels and restore circulation for the hand. This is a specialized microsurgery technique, requiring very high accuracy.
After more than 6 hours of continuous surgery, the team of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Ba Ria General Hospital in coordination with the Department of Anesthesia and Resuscitation of the hospital performed bone fusion, tendon, nerve, artery and venous stitching under the surgical microscope. After completion, blood circulation to the hand was restored.
The patient is being monitored and actively treated at the hospital. The hands and wrists after surgery show signs of good blood circulation.
Doctors said that cases of severed limbs still have the opportunity to be successfully reattached if the patient is taken to a medical facility with microsurgery capabilities in a short time and the severed limb is properly preserved. The time from the accident to surgery is an important factor determining the treatment outcome.
Doctors recommend that when a limb is severed, it is necessary to quickly bandage and stop bleeding, wrap the limb part with a gauze or clean towel, put it in a sealed nylon bag and place it in an ice container. Do not let the limb part come into direct contact with ice or soak in ice. Patients need to be taken to a medical facility with microsurgery capabilities as soon as possible to increase the chance of limb preservation and functional recovery.
