For the first time in Vietnam, a finger severed after 25 hours was successfully reattached.

(Dan Tri) - While on duty on an ocean-going ship, a sailor had an accident that resulted in the severed index finger of his right hand. After a 25-hour journey, the patient and the severed finger were taken to Viet Duc Hospital.

Previously, on October 22, a 38-year-old male patient was taken to Viet Duc Hospital for emergency treatment, with his right index finger severed.

He said that while on duty on an ocean-going vessel traveling through the central coast of Vietnam, storm No. 12 hit, causing the vessel to rock violently at the time the patient was repairing equipment. The sudden impact caused his right index finger to be severed.

The patient's finger was severed for 25 hours (Photo: Doctor provided).

The crew quickly performed first aid and preserved the severed limb in a thermos, brought him ashore and took him to the nearest medical facility in the Central region. The journey to bring the patient ashore was very difficult due to big waves and strong winds.

After receiving emergency treatment from medical staff, the patient wanted to reattach the severed limb, so he decided to take the earliest flight from Da Nang to Hanoi . When arriving at Viet Duc Hospital, the total time of ischemia of the severed finger was up to 25 hours.

At Viet Duc Hospital, doctors assessed that the severed limb had been properly treated and preserved, the finger joints were still soft, and the tissue structure was well preserved. After a multidisciplinary consultation, doctors decided to perform microsurgery to reattach the patient's finger.

Dr. Vu Trung Truc - Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Viet Duc Hospital, said that this is a difficult microsurgery, because if just one blood vessel connection is not open, the blood flow cannot nourish the fingertip and the limb will become necrotic.

Especially in the case of record ischemia lasting 25 hours, from the amount of blood perfusion to the temperature of the finger, controlling the risk of vasospasm and monitoring the postoperative peripheral circulation to ensure the finger is fully revived.

According to Dr. Truc, in this case, in addition to the limb being properly preserved, the finger joint was not stiff thanks to being preserved at the right temperature, fortunately the finger structure has the ability to withstand anemia better than the limb with more muscles. Therefore, the finger was anemic for 25 hours but could still be reattached.

During surgery, 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.

Dr. Vu Trung Truc - Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery examines the patient after surgery (Photo: Provided by the Hospital).

Doctors note that accidents involving severed fingers, hands or other body parts can happen at any time. 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. The golden time to reattach a severed limb is 6-8 hours and the limb needs to be properly preserved.

Accordingly, when a limb is severed, it is important to note:

- Do not 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 and cooled water.

- Wrap the limb with clean gauze/towel, put it in a plastic 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-controlled environment and transport it as quickly as possible.

- Take the victim to the nearest medical facility for treatment and further instructions.

- Do not arbitrarily handle, do not use medicine or disinfectant chemicals on the severed limb.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/lan-dau-tien-tai-viet-nam-ngon-tay-dut-roi-25-gio-duoc-noi-thanh-cong-20251209083526116.htm