Sailor's finger revived after 25 hours of being severed

After 25 hours of rushing from offshore to the shore of Da Nang and flying to Hanoi to reattach his severed finger, the 38-year-old sailor received timely microsurgery from doctors at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. This is the first time in Vietnam that microsurgery has successfully saved a sailor's severed finger after 25 hours.

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

While on duty on an ocean-going vessel traveling through the central sea of ​​Vietnam, Mr. D., 38 years old, an ocean-going vessel sailor, had a serious accident. Storm No. 12 made landfall, causing the vessel to rock violently at the time Mr. D. was repairing equipment. The sudden impact caused his right index finger to be severed.

Fortunately, the crew on board quickly performed first aid and preserved the severed limb in a thermos, brought him ashore and brought him to the nearest medical facility in the central region. At this time, the storm was very strong, bringing Mr. D. ashore was really difficult and required great support 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 in the early morning of October 22 to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. The total time of anemia was up to 25 hours.

At Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, experts evaluated the severed limb and noted: the severed limb had received first aid and proper preservation, the finger joints were still soft, and the tissue structure was well preserved.

The hospital immediately held a multidisciplinary consultation including cosmetic plastic surgery, anesthesia and resuscitation, and orthopedic trauma to come up with an 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 multidisciplinary coordination: microsurgery, anesthesia and resuscitation, orthopedic trauma, etc.

X-ray image of Mr. D's severed right index finger being located and fixed with a specialized needle.

Two surgical teams were deployed in parallel, one team cleaned and prepared the severed finger, the other team prepared the stump. The finger bone was positioned and fixed with a specialized needle to create a stable axis, the tendon and ligament system was restored.

In particular, 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 is a technique that requires the highest level of sophistication, because if just one blood vessel connection is not open, blood cannot nourish the fingertip and the limb will become necrotic.

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.

Dr. Vu Trung Truc, Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, examined the patient after surgery.

Dr. Vu Trung Truc, Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, who directly performed the surgery, shared that this is an extremely special case. In cases of limb reattachment, prolonged ischemia is often a huge obstacle. Before surgery, the patient and the severed body part need to be evaluated by a team of experienced multidisciplinary doctors.

"In this case, thanks to the proper preservation of the severed limb at the scene, the finger joint did not stiffen due to being preserved at the right temperature. Another factor is that the finger structure (including: bones, skin, nerves, blood vessels) has the ability to withstand anemia better than the limb with more muscles, so the finger was anemic for 25 hours but could still be reattached.

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," said Dr. Truc.

After surgery, the wound has healed, the finger is pink and completely alive, the patient can have the stitches removed and the fixing needle removed. The patient is undergoing rehabilitation exercises to regain the mobility and feeling of the finger.

Accidents of severed fingers, hands or body parts can happen at any time, from work accidents, household accidents to accidents at sea like the case of Mr. H.

Therefore, experts recommend that people need to equip themselves with proper first aid knowledge, because this is the deciding factor in the ability to save a limb.

Accordingly, the most important thing is not to wash or soak the severed limb in any solution. In case the severed limb is in a dirty environment with many foreign objects, it can be washed under clean running water, preferably purified drinking water or boiled water that has been cooled.

The surgery was successful with the finger reattached after 25 hours.

Wrap the limb in clean gauze/towel, put it in a nylon bag and tie it tightly (avoid direct contact with ice); place the bag containing the limb in another bag containing ice; keep the limb in a clean, temperature-stable environment and transport it as quickly as possible.

The victim must be taken to the nearest medical facility for treatment and further instructions. In particular, do not self-treat or use drugs or disinfectants on the severed limb.

Being equipped with first aid knowledge, calmly handling and preserving the situation 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.

THIEN LAMB

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hoi-sinh-cho-ngon-tay-mot-thuy-thu-sau-25-gio-bi-dut-roi-post928917.html