8-year-old boy in Hanoi almost lost his ear after being bitten by a dog

GĐXH - The child was brought to the hospital with a nearly completely severed right earlobe, severed external ear cartilage and ear cartilage, and many other injuries on the body due to a dog bite.

On February 4, information from Hanoi Children's Hospital said that doctors at this unit had just received and successfully treated a child whose ear was nearly severed due to a dog bite.

Accordingly, the patient is an 8-year-old boy (in Hanoi) who was brought to the hospital by his family in a critical condition. Multiple soft tissue injuries on the right ear, scalp, right forearm and skin abrasions in many places due to dog bites.

Through examination, doctors found a near-complete rupture of the right earlobe, severed cartilage of the external auditory canal and auricular cartilage, with a 2.5 cm skin bridge at the earlobe; many deep tooth bites and many deep lacerations to the subcutaneous layer on the head and right arm, the longest laceration about 5 cm.

The patient's right earlobe was almost completely severed due to a dog bite. Photo: CC Hospital.

According to the family, the child went to his grandmother's house and was bitten by the family dog. Immediately after the accident, the child was taken to Chuong My Hospital for first aid, bandaged the wound and temporarily stopped the bleeding, contacted and coordinated and immediately transferred to Hanoi Children's Hospital.

According to Dr. Hung Anh, Department of General Surgery, Hanoi Children's Hospital, upon receiving the case, the medical team quickly completed testing and performed emergency surgery for the child.

Surgery has two main goals: Maximum cleaning, removal of damaged tissue to avoid infection and maximum preservation of the auricle, ensuring the shape of the ear and the structure of the ear canal.

During the surgery, the doctors found that the child's earlobe was severely damaged, with a lot of soft tissue crushed, the entire cartilage and blood vessel structure from the ear canal to below the earlobe were completely severed, the skin bridge at the earlobe did not have enough blood drainage, and the skin flap on the periphery was purple and bleeding profusely.

The child underwent surgery to remove the crushed part, suture the cartilage of the external auditory canal and the auricular cartilage, and reconnect the auricular vein using microsurgical techniques. After surgery, the shape of the ear was satisfactory, the auricle was warm pink, normal color, not purple. Other wound sites were irrigated many times, debrided, and excess skin was sutured.

Doctors successfully preserved the child's ear using microsurgery. Photo: BVCC.

The child is now fully conscious, and his general condition and surgical wound are stable. The child is being given antibiotics, has his surgical wound bandage changed, and has been vaccinated against rabies and tetanus.

According to doctors at Hanoi Children's Hospital, for this child, doctors performed microsurgery to treat the near-auricular avulsion injury. This is a highly difficult surgery, requiring delicate and specific equipment and instruments such as microsurgery glasses, microsurgery instruments, and microsurgery threads to connect and graft small structures such as blood vessels and nerves.

This method is the solution for many complex injuries such as amputated parts, limbs, extensive injuries requiring reconstruction with microsurgical flaps, vascular and nerve injuries in trauma... This is a powerful tool that helps surgeons have many options and the best treatment plan for patients.

Warning of dangerous accidents when bitten by a dog

According to doctors, animal bites are common accidents, especially with children due to their curiosity and inability to recognize the dangerous signs of animals.

When bitten by an animal, it can cause serious consequences such as: damage to blood vessels, nerves, infection of the bite wound and especially serious consequences such as rabies or damage to parts such as: genitals, ears, nose, limbs... In addition, it also greatly affects the child's psychology, so family members need to have plans to prevent accidents for young children.

Therefore, when a child is bitten or licked by an animal, parents or caregivers should note:

- Wash the wound with clean water and soap for 15 minutes.

- Disinfect the wound with alcohol or betadine.

- Gentle hemostatic bandage.

- Take your child to a medical facility for examination and vaccination.

- Monitor animal bites for 15 days.

Note: Do not stitch the wound yourself to avoid making the child's condition worse.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/be-trai-8-tuoi-o-ha-noi-suyt-mat-tai-do-bi-cho-nha-can-172250204154052176.htm