5-hour surgery to reattach a man's severed arm

A 54-year-old man suffered a work accident that severed 1/3 of his right arm. At the 108 Military Central Hospital, after 5 hours of surgery, doctors successfully reattached the patient's arm.

The male patient's arm before and after being successfully reattached - Photo: BVCC

On November 17, 108 Military Central Hospital announced that it had successfully reattached a hand to a male patient whose hand had been severed after a work accident.

Immediately after the accident, the patient received first aid and was urgently transferred to the 108 Military Central Hospital during the "golden time", about 3 hours after the injury.

As soon as the patient was admitted, the doctor quickly completed the tests and coordinated with the anesthesia team to push the patient into the operating room.

Here, the surgical team quickly cleaned the wound, fixed the bone, and sutured the blood vessels and torn tendons.

After nearly 5 hours of intense surgery, the severed arm was successfully reattached. After surgery, the patient was closely monitored, had his bandages changed, and was given intensive care. The patient is now in good health and can be discharged in the next few days.

According to Dr. Le Quoc Cuong - Department of Upper Limb Trauma and Microsurgery, 108 Central Military Hospital, this is a difficult case, due to the injury caused by a wood peeling machine, causing the wound to be severely crushed.

In addition, the associated burn injury is also a factor that makes the case more complicated. In the operating room, the goal is to restore blood supply to the severed limb as quickly as possible to save the patient's arm.

Dr. Ngo Thai Hung, Deputy Head of the Department of Upper Limb Trauma and Microsurgery at the hospital, recommends that in cases of accidents causing limb amputation, first aid and proper preservation play a decisive role in the ability to reattach the limb.

The severed limb should be washed with cooled boiled water or saline solution, wrapped in a clean towel/gauze, put in a sealed plastic bag and placed in a thermos of ice.

Be careful not to let the limb come into direct contact with ice and do not use soap or chemicals to wash it. The golden time to reattach the limb is within 6 hours if properly preserved. The longer the time, the lower the chance of success, along with many possible risks.

"In cases of severed limbs, the most important factor is to act as quickly as possible, to restore blood supply to the severed limb in the shortest possible time.

Every operation and every decision in the operating room must be carefully calculated, implemented decisively and require smooth coordination among the members of the surgical team," Dr. Hung shared.

WILLOW

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/5-tieng-phau-thuat-noi-lai-canh-tay-dut-roi-cho-nguoi-dan-ong-20251117152024697.htm