A boy in Hanoi was bitten on the arm and head by a dog, almost losing his ear

On February 3, Hanoi Children's Hospital received an 8-year-old child who was bitten by a dog and had to be hospitalized. The patient was hospitalized with multiple soft tissue injuries on his right ear, scalp, right forearm, and skin abrasions in many places due to dog bites.

Examination revealed a near-complete rupture of the right earlobe, a rupture of the external auditory canal cartilage and auricular cartilage, a 2.5 cm skin bridge at the earlobe, many deep tooth bites and many deep lacerations of the skin to the subcutaneous layer on the head and right arm, the longest laceration was about 5 cm.

According to the family, the child went to play at his grandmother's house and was bitten by the family's dog. Immediately after the accident, the child was taken to Chuong My Hospital. The child received first aid, had his wound bandaged and the bleeding temporarily stopped. The family contacted and coordinated with the hospital and immediately transferred him to Hanoi Children's Hospital.

Doctor Hung Anh - Department of General Surgery, Hanoi Children's Hospital - said: Upon receiving the case, the medical team quickly completed the tests and performed emergency surgery for the child.

The doctor found the earlobe severely damaged, with a lot of soft tissue crushed, the entire cartilage and blood vessel structure from the ear canal to below the earlobe were completely damaged and severed. The skin bridge at the earlobe did not have enough blood drainage, showing that the peripheral skin flap was purple and bleeding profusely.

The child underwent surgery to remove the crushed part, suture the cartilage of the external auditory canal and the auricular cartilage, and reconnect the auricular vein using microsurgical techniques. After surgery, the ear shape met the requirements, the auricle was warm pink, normal color, not purple. Other wound sites were repeatedly irrigated, debrided, and sutured with excess skin.

After surgery, the child was fully conscious, and his general condition and surgical wound were stable. The child was given antibiotics, had his wound bandages changed, and was vaccinated against rabies and tetanus.

Doctors also warn that animal bites are common accidents, especially with children when they are curious and do not recognize the dangerous signs of animals; they can cause serious consequences such as: Damage to blood vessels, nerves, infection of the bite wound and especially serious consequences such as rabies or damage to body parts such as: genitals, ears, nose, limbs...

It also greatly affects children's psychology, so families need to have plans to prevent accidents for young children.