A 7-year-old boy nearly lost his hand after accidentally turning on a cinnamon grater.

A 7-year-old boy in Lao Cai province recently underwent emergency surgery at the National Children's Hospital to save his left hand after a serious accident when a homemade cinnamon peeling machine caught his hand while it was in operation.

According to family members, the family has been involved in cinnamon production for many years. Previously, the bark peeling process was done manually, but recently they switched to using machines with high-speed rotating roller systems to increase labor productivity.

The accident happened when the adults weren't paying attention and the child started the machine on their own. Their left hand was immediately caught in the rotating roller system. In pain and panic, the child still managed to turn the machine off before being discovered by family members.

The child is being treated and assessed for post-operative injuries by doctors and nurses. (Photo: Provided by the hospital)

Approximately six hours after the accident, the child was transferred to the National Children's Hospital after receiving first aid locally. Doctors assessed that the child had suffered severe injuries to the forearm and hand, with many structures crushed, posing a serious risk to mobility.

After controlling the bleeding and conducting a multidisciplinary consultation, the Orthopedics team, along with the anesthesiologist, decided to perform emergency surgery that night to preserve as much hand function as possible for the child.

Dr. Nguyen Vu Hoang, a specialist at the National Children's Hospital, who directly participated in the surgery, said that this was one of the complex trauma cases with many tendons, blood vessels, and nerves severely torn and crushed.

“ There were severely damaged tendons, so we had to choose to restore only the most important structures to preserve the basic motor function of the hand. In addition to reconnecting tendons, blood vessels, and nerves, the team also reconstructed the tendon support system so that the fingers could move along the correct axis later,” said Dr. Hoang.

The surgery lasted over 3 hours. In addition to reconnecting blood vessels and tendons, the doctors also had to cover the soft tissues and rearrange the anatomical structures of the child's hand.

After the surgery, the baby's hand regained its warm, pink color, and circulation in the fingers improved well. Just a few hours after the operation, the patient was able to gently move their fingers as instructed by the doctor. After two weeks of treatment, the baby was discharged but still needed to continue rehabilitation for a long time to improve mobility.

Based on this case, doctors recommend that manufacturers create barriers to prevent children from accessing machinery areas, especially homemade equipment. Machines should have safety nets or covers, power switches, and emergency shut-off mechanisms to minimize risks.

In the event of limb amputation, people should quickly disconnect the power, stop the bleeding properly, and take the victim to a specialized medical facility as soon as possible. The severed limb should be wrapped in clean gauze, placed in a sealed bag, and properly refrigerated to increase the chances of successful reattachment.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/be-trai-7-tuoi-suyt-mat-ban-tay-do-tu-bat-may-bao-que-ar1019358.html