Viet Duc Friendship Hospital successfully performed microsurgery to reattach a finger after 25 hours

While on duty on an ocean-going vessel, sailor D was involved in a serious accident. Storm No. 12 hit, causing the vessel to rock violently while D was repairing equipment. The impact severed his finger...

Typhoon No. 12 struck, causing the ship to rock violently while Mr. D was repairing equipment. The sudden impact severed his right index finger. Fortunately, the crew quickly administered first aid and preserved the severed limb in a thermal container, bringing him ashore and to the nearest medical facility in Central Vietnam. At that time, the strong winds made bringing Mr. D ashore extremely difficult and required significant assistance from the national search and rescue agency.

In the emergency situation, after receiving first aid from medical staff, Mr. D wanted to have his severed limb reattached, so he and his family decided to take the earliest flight from Da Nang to Hanoi early the next morning to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. The total time of anemia was up to 25 hours.

The surgical team performed microsurgery to reattach the patient's finger using a microscope.

Two surgical teams are working in parallel, determined to 'save' the sailor's severed finger.

At Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, experts evaluated the severed limb and noted: the severed limb had been properly treated and preserved, the finger joints were still soft, and the tissue structure was well preserved.

The hospital immediately convened a multidisciplinary consultation involving plastic surgery, anesthesiology and resuscitation, and orthopedic trauma to develop the optimal treatment strategy and decided to perform microsurgery to reattach the patient's finger.

In the operating room, the emergency surgical team was deployed with the coordination of many specialties: microsurgery, anesthesia, resuscitation, orthopedics... Two surgical teams were deployed in parallel, one team cleaned and prepared the severed finger, the other team prepared the stump.

The finger bone is positioned and fixed with a specialized needle to create a stable axis, the tendon and ligament system is restored. In particular, the nerves and tiny blood vessels of only about 0.8 - 1mm are restored with high precision under a surgical microscope with special tools to ensure the restoration of blood circulation to the severed part.

This technique requires the highest level of precision, because if even one blood vessel connection is blocked, blood flow to the fingertip will be cut off, and the limb will necrose.

In the case of record ischemia lasting 25 hours, from the amount of blood perfusion to the temperature of the finger, control of the risk of vasospasm and monitoring of postoperative peripheral circulation to ensure complete recovery of the finger.

The surgery was successful, with the finger reattached after 25 hours. (Photo: Provided by the hospital)

There are many special things about limb reattachment...

Dr. Vu Trung Truc, Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, who directly performed the surgery, shared that this was an extremely special case.

In limb reattachment, prolonged ischemia is often a major obstacle. Before surgery, the patient and the severed body part must be evaluated by an experienced multidisciplinary team.

"In this case, thanks to proper preservation of the severed limb at the scene, the finger joint did not stiffen due to being stored at the appropriate temperature. Another factor is that the finger structure (including bone, skin, nerves, and blood vessels) is more resistant to ischemia than other limbs with more muscle, so the finger could still be reattached even after 25 hours of ischemia."

At the same time, the team of experienced doctors and good coordination between specialties are also the strengths of the hospital. These are the major factors that determine the success of the surgery" - Dr. Vu Trung Truc said.

After surgery, the wound healed, the finger was pink and fully functional, and the patient was able to have the stitches removed and the fixing pins taken out. The patient is currently undergoing rehabilitation to regain mobility and sensation in the finger.

Accidents that cause severed fingers, hands or other body parts can happen at any time, from work accidents, household accidents to accidents at sea like the case of patient D.

Dr. Vu Trung Truc, Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, examines a patient after surgery. Photo: Hospital provided.

Therefore, experts advise people to equip themselves with proper first aid knowledge, as this is a crucial factor in saving a limb:

Do not wash or soak the severed limb in any solution. If the severed part is in a dirty environment with many foreign objects, it can be rinsed under clean running water, preferably purified drinking water or boiled and cooled water.
Wrap the affected limb with clean gauze/cloth, place it in a plastic bag, and seal it tightly (avoid direct contact with ice).
Place the bag containing the limb into another bag containing ice.
Keep the limb in a clean, temperature-controlled environment and transport it as quickly as possible.
Take the injured person to the nearest medical facility for treatment and further guidance.
Do not attempt to treat the severed limb yourself, and do not use any medications or disinfectants on it.

Experts from Viet Duc Hospital also emphasized: Proper first aid increases the chance of saving a severed limb. Being equipped with first aid knowledge, calmly handling and preserving it right at the scene significantly increases the success rate of surgery, helps restore function and aesthetics, and reduces the risk of disability for accident victims.

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Source: https://baolaocai.vn/benh-vien-huu-nghi-viet-duc-thuc-hien-vi-phau-noi-lai-ngon-tay-thanh-cong-after-25-hours-post888571.html