An 8-year-old boy almost lost his right ear after being bitten by his family dog.

Hanoi Children's Hospital has just admitted an 8-year-old boy who was bitten by a dog with multiple injuries on his body. The patient was admitted with multiple soft tissue injuries on his right ear, scalp, right forearm, and skin abrasions in many places due to dog bites.

A child had microsurgery to reattach his ear after being bitten by a dog. (Photo: HN).

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

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

According to Dr. Hung Anh, Department of General Surgery, Hanoi Children's Hospital, 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 ear shape met the requirements, the auricle was warm pink, normal color, not purple. Other wound locations were repeatedly irrigated, cleaned, and sutured with excess skin.

This is a highly difficult surgery, requiring sophisticated and specific equipment and tools such as microscopes, microsurgical instruments, and microsurgical threads to connect and graft small structures such as blood vessels and nerves. This method is the solution for many complex injuries such as severed parts and limbs, extensive injuries requiring reconstruction with microsurgical flaps, and injuries to blood vessels and nerves in trauma...

During the post-operative period, the child was fully conscious, and his general condition and surgical wound were stable. The child was given antibiotics, had his wound bandages changed, and was vaccinated against rabies and tetanus. With initial treatment success, the child can develop fully with healthy ears.

Dr. Hung Anh said: Accidents caused by animal bites are common, especially with children when they are curious and do not recognize the dangerous signs of animals. It can cause serious consequences such as: damage to blood vessels, nerves, infection of the bite wound and especially serious 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.

"When a child is unfortunately bitten or licked by an animal, parents or caregivers should take the following steps: Wash the wound with clean water and soap for 15 minutes; Disinfect the wound with alcohol or betadine; Gently bandage the bleeding; and take the child to a medical facility for examination and vaccination. At the same time, monitor the animal bite for 15 days, and be careful not to stitch the wound yourself," Dr. Anh advised.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/mot-be-trai-8-tuoi-suyt-mat-vanh-tai-phai-do-bi-cho-nha-can-192250204144428797.htm