Accidentally crushing her hand in meat grinder, a woman was hospitalized for emergency care

01/07/2021 07:45

On June 17^th, 2021, Viet Duc University Hospital (VDUH) received a patient N.T.H, 47 years old (Phu Xuyen, Hanoi) with wounds on her left hand: the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th fingers were crushed and the dorsal skin was lost.

 

The patient’s family said that her job is to make and sale lean pork pie for a living. On the morning of June 17^th , while she was making lean pork pie, she was unfortunately careless and accidentally put her hand into a running grinder. Ms. H was quickly taken to VDUH at 6 a.m, alert on arrival with her left hand still stuck in the grinder and not able to be removed. The doctors quickly examined and performed first aid for the patient: ensured the patient stay motionless on a stretcher, put an IV for pain relievers and fluids.

 

 

After running standard tests, the patient was rushed to the operating room. Dr. Cao Dinh Bang, MS, Surgical Department of Upper extremities and Sport Medicine, VDUH said: The surgeons removed the meat grinder, examined and diagnosed the left hand with crushing injuries of the 2^nd to 5^th fingers, complex bone fracture up to the metacarpal bones, tendons were ruptured and crushed, dorsal skin was lost up to the wrist. There were a lot of ground pork with a fishy smell inside the wound; the thumb displayed warmth, pink color. There is no indication to preserve the fingers except the thumb. Surgeons cleaned the wounds many times, debrided non-viable tissues, shortened the metacarpal bones, preserved the thumb finger, sutured skin to cover the bone. The surgery took 1 hour. Post-op, the patient was stable and monitored at the Surgery Department of Upper Extremity and Sports Medicine.