On 23/1, Doctor Nguyen Quang Vinh, from the Department of Upper Limb Surgery and Microsurgery at Military Hospital 108, announced that the on-call team performed emergency debridement and foreign object removal for the patient. Despite their efforts, doctors could only preserve two of the five fingers due to the complex nature of the injury. In addition to the severely damaged hand and wrist, the boy also sustained a soft tissue injury to his left thigh.

Doctors consult on the firecracker injury case. Photo: Mai Hang

The patient faces a long treatment journey involving multiple major surgeries. In the coming months, doctors will use a skin flap to cover the necrotic area, and a toe-to-thumb transfer is anticipated several months later to replace the lost thumb. The long-term prognosis indicates the boy will permanently lose at least three fingers, and the hand's gripping function will be severely limited.

Accidents involving homemade firecrackers significantly increase during the three months leading up to the Tet holiday, with victims primarily being teenagers who learn how to make them from online videos. Recently, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital also admitted 6 cases of severe multi-trauma, with most victims suffering permanent disability, hand amputation, or eye damage despite doctors' best efforts to save them.

Doctor Vinh noted that injuries caused by explosive devices are often very severe, and restoring finger function is extremely challenging. He expressed regret that these accidents are entirely preventable, yet a few minutes of curiosity can lead not only to the loss of limb function but also pose a direct threat to life.

Experts recommend that families closely supervise their children and absolutely prevent them from accessing explosive materials. If an accident unfortunately occurs, family members should apply minimal bandaging, splint the injury, and quickly transport the victim to the nearest medical facility, avoiding any delay that could miss the "golden hour" for emergency treatment.

Le Nga