Doctors reattach toddler’s nearly severed hand following cup-sealing machine accident
Recently, doctors at the Việt Nam–Germany Friendship Hospital successfully performed emergency surgery to reattach the nearly severed hand of a 22-month-old toddler.
The injury occurred when the child’s wrist became trapped in a plastic cup-lid sealing machine.
The hand was almost completely detached, connected only by a thin strip of skin.
Child suffered traumatic and thermal injuries
According to Vietnam News, initial examination showed the child’s fingertips turning bluish and collapsed, indicating a complete loss of blood supply.
The machine’s combination of mechanical crushing and high temperatures had caused the infant both traumatic and thermal injuries.
Due to the child’s tender age, a complete assessment of the injury could not be performed on-site.
Source: Vietnam News
Instead, a specialised multidisciplinary team, covering anaesthesia, intensive care, reconstructive microsurgery, and orthopaedic trauma, was quickly mobilised at the hospital.
As soon as clinical tests confirmed the child was clear for surgery, they were brought directly to the operating room.
Under general anaesthesia, surgeons removed the wound dressings to properly examine it and initiate emergency treatment.
Doctors encountered three major challenges during surgery
Dr Vũ Trung Trực, Deputy Head of the Department of Maxillofacial, Plastic, and Aesthetic Surgery, noted three major complications in this case, news outlet Lao Dong reported.
Although the hand was not entirely severed from the arm, it had suffered a total circulatory amputation as all the blood vessels supplying it were destroyed.
As a result, the limb could not undergo the standard iced-storage preservation used for clean amputations.
Instead, it was subjected to extended “warm ischemia” at room temperature, a factor that accelerated tissue decay and severely compromised the odds of a successful re-implantation.
Source: Lao Dong News
The medical team faced further complications because the injury involved both crushing trauma and thermal burns.
This meant the surrounding tissues were severely destroyed, making the identification and re-implantation of blood vessels an extraordinary challenge.
Furthermore, because the patient was under two years old, the blood vessels in their wrist were only 0.7 to 0.8 millimetres across.
This makes them roughly the size of vessels found in an adult’s finger, demanding immense concentration and specialised super-microsurgical techniques.
Operation became successful after more than 5 hours
After more than five hours of surgery, doctors managed to repair the severed nerves and re-establish circulation through the blood vessels.
Source: Vietnam News
Six days later, the child’s hand had turned a healthy pink, felt warm to the touch, and showed robust blood flow.
The toddler was also able to make slight movements with their fingers.
Keep household appliances away from young children
Following the incident, medical professionals issued an urgent safety reminder to parents.
They advised them to keep household appliances and machinery, such as grinders, pressers, and rice cookers, away from young children.
They noted that parents should be extra vigilant during hectic periods like moving house or major holidays, when routine disruptions might expose children to hidden dangers.
In the event of a traumatic amputation, doctors emphasise the need for immediate first aid to stop bleeding and swift transport to a specialised surgical facility to leverage the “golden window” for saving the limb.
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Featured image adapted from Vietnam News and Lao Dong News.
