Playing in front of the house, a 5-year-old boy was bitten by a German Shepherd, causing severe facial disfigurement.

(Dan Tri) - Bitten by a neighbor's German Shepherd while playing in front of his house, a 5-year-old boy was taken to a tertiary hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for emergency treatment with a torn and deformed face.

That is the case of a boy named LHH (5 years old). The patient was transferred to Children's Hospital 1 (HCMC) with torn forehead, eyebrow and upper eyelid.

Taking medical history, previously while playing in front of the house, the child was attacked by a neighbor's German Shepherd and bitten directly on the face, causing severe injury, heavy bleeding and high risk of infection.

At the Emergency Department, the patient's airway was controlled, pain was relieved, wounds were cleaned, and tetanus and rabies prophylaxis was performed according to regulations.

Immediately after the initial assessment, BSCK2 Ho Van Phung, acting Head of the Department of Dentistry, activated the interdisciplinary emergency coordination model (ELIP 3), simultaneously mobilizing three specialties: Ophthalmology, Dentistry, and Ear, Nose, and Throat.

Doctors from three specialties worked together to analyze the tear direction, predict complications in the face and eye socket, and arrange the order of intervention to avoid missing deep injuries and to preserve maximum living tissue to limit future scarring for the patient.

Doctors in the surgical team for the pediatric patient (Photo: Hospital).

During more than two hours of surgery, the team performed excision and reconstruction of multiple layers of tissue in the forehead - eyebrow - upper eyelid area, restoring the eyelid margin and eyelid edge to the correct anatomy to ensure eye opening and closing function and protect the lacrimal system.

The technique of hidden sutures following the skin fold and re-establishing the eyebrow axis was used, which significantly improved the aesthetic factor. After surgery, the patient continued to be monitored for vision, wound care, infection control and therapy. After 2 weeks of treatment, the child was discharged in a stable condition, with a recovered face.

“With facial and eyelid injuries in children, every minute is precious. The damage not only comes from whether or not it heals, but also affects vision, eye protection function, facial aesthetics, and the child's psychology when they grow up.

“Interdisciplinary coordination from the beginning helps us to make a comprehensive assessment and perform surgery within the golden hour, the key factor for good results,” Dr. Ho Van Phung shared.

After surgery and intensive treatment, the boy's wound healed well (Photo: Hospital).

Doctors warn that dog bite injuries in young children are often severe because the patient’s height is equal to the dog’s head. With injuries that tear multiple layers of tissue, there is a risk of bad scarring, infection, and vision loss.

Therefore, Children's Hospital 1 recommends that people need to manage pets responsibly, muzzle and use leashes for dogs with high protective instincts. Dogs must be fully vaccinated against rabies, regularly dewormed and absolutely do not let children play alone with dogs, even familiar dogs.

When bitten by a dog, wash the wound for at least 15 minutes with soap and water, cover with a clean gauze and go to the hospital immediately; do not apply tobacco or dye yourself, do not stitch yourself at home.

While playing after lunch, a 6-year-old boy named THN (living in Dong Thap province) accidentally swallowed a heart-shaped magnet. Upon discovering the incident, his family quickly took him to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Through examination and X-ray, the doctor noted that in the child's stomach there was a foreign object, a magnet with a long edge of about 20mm, so the child was immediately transferred to the Endoscopy department.

The medical team performed endoscopy under anesthesia and used specialized tools to safely remove the foreign object, a magnet, from the baby's body.

The heart-shaped magnet was removed from the patient's body by the doctor (Photo: Hospital).

Dr. Nguyen Trong Tuong, Deputy Head of the Endoscopy Department, warned that if left for a long time, foreign objects can move down to the intestines, causing blockages and even serious damage to the digestive tract. Therefore, parents need to be especially careful not to let children play with small or dangerous objects such as coins, button batteries, magnets, toothpicks, etc.

If you suspect your child has swallowed a foreign object, take him or her to the hospital immediately for endoscopy and timely treatment.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/choi-truoc-nha-be-trai-5-tuoi-bi-cho-bec-gie-can-bien-dang-mat-nang-ne-20250930132259611.htm