Saving the crushed face of a man who fell into the elevator shaft

While working, a 65-year-old man accidentally stepped into the freight elevator shaft while the elevator was still moving, causing severe damage to his jaw and face.

Man recovering after surgery - Photo: BVCC

On November 11, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital informed that it had just received patient NMT (65 years old, Hanoi ) in a state of trauma, with complex injuries to the maxillofacial area after a rare work accident.

While working, he accidentally stepped into the freight elevator shaft and hit his face directly on the metal wall on the elevator roof while the elevator continued moving.

The patient was admitted to the hospital with a complex facial wound running from the lip to the left temple, along with a fracture of the lower jaw and upper jaw on the left cheekbone, "splitting" the left half of the face to one side like an open book.

More worryingly, along with that wound is the severed damage to important components of the face such as the root of the VII cranial nerve, the parotid duct, and the nasolacrimal duct, which will cause serious consequences to the patient's function and quality of life if not treated promptly.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha, Head of the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Viet Duc Hospital, directly directed an emergency consultation with the coordination of many specialties, performing emergency surgery that night to control bleeding, preserve function and prevent long-term complications for the patient.

Doctor To Tuan Linh - Department of maxillofacial, plastic and aesthetic surgery - member of the surgical team said - in the surgery that lasted many hours, the team combined the upper and lower jaw bones with a specialized maxillofacial screw system, cut and treated complex maxillofacial wounds to restore the anatomical structure of the facial components.

In particular, microsurgery was performed to suture the VII nerve right at the nerve root near the point of exiting the mastoid bone as well as reconnect the parotid salivary gland duct and the left nasolacrimal duct, helping to preserve facial muscle movement, limit the risk of facial paralysis after trauma, as well as prevent complications caused by obstruction and leakage of saliva and tears after surgery.

The surgery was safe, blood loss was controlled, and no complications were recorded during surgery.

After surgery, the patient is awake, hemodynamically stable, important structures such as the VII nerve, lacrimal gland and salivary gland are preserved, opening up the opportunity for comprehensive recovery of both motor function and aesthetics for the patient after surgery.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Hong Ha, maxillofacial injuries not only cause damage to health but also severely affect the appearance and quality of life of the patient.

Even in the world's most advanced medical centers, it is rare for doctors to be able to microsurgically suture all three tiny structures like toothpicks: facial nerve, salivary duct, and tear duct in emergency conditions of multiple trauma. This case once again affirms the professional capacity and smooth coordination of many specialties at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital in treating complex maxillofacial injuries and wounds.

At the same time, it shows the increasingly important role of microsurgery in preserving nerves, blood vessels and ducts in the maxillofacial region, contributing to improving the quality of treatment as well as improving the quality of life for patients.

WILLOW

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cuu-guong-mat-bi-dap-nat-cho-nguoi-dan-ong-buoc-hut-xuong-ho-thang-may-20251111114856937.htm