Delay hospital visits due to fear of covid-19, 14-year-old patient was complicated severe knee deformity

02/08/2021 08:46

At the end of June 2021, Viet Duc Universiy Hospital (VDUH) received patient N.S.H (14 years old) from Thanh Hoa, who came to the hospital with a crooked right leg. Through the medical history, 2 years ago, the patient had a femur fracture causing by fall down, and was operated at a local hospital, but after surgery, the bone was not healed and had to be re-operated twice, the last time at VDUH 8 months ago. After surgery, due to long-term castration, the patient’s leg became increasingly crooked, muscle atrophy and ankylosis made him difficult in walking, only able to move indoors around with crutches.

 

Dr. Ngo Ba Toan MD. PhD., Deputy chief of Department of General Trauma surgery – VDUH shared: Injuries in the developing cartilage area of children can cause development disorders in the length and bone axis, when the leg axis is crooked, it is necessary to seek the doctor for an immediate treatment plan to avoid complicated complications such as: limb deformities, ankylosis, and muscle atrophy. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the patient was afraid to go to the hospital, so the time for re-examination was delayed, making treatment more difficult.

 

Additionally, the patient underwent many surgeries at a young age, causing the joints to become fibrous, damaged local soft tissues as well as vessels, leading to slow wound healing, increased risk of infection and the appearance of complications symptoms such as limb deformity, joint stiffness, muscle atrophy, etc. Before surgery, the patient had a deformed right leg, over 40^o of lateral curvature of the knee joint, the maximum limit of flexion movement of only 70^o, and atrophy of the muscles of the thigh and lower leg compared to the other leg, all activities with the right leg cause pain, the treatment of straightening the leg axis will be very difficult, but orthopedic surgery is the best solution for the patient. The osteosynthesis must be very careful so that rehabilitation exercises can be carried out soon after surgery..

 

 

 

According to Dr. Ngo Ba Toan the operation went smoothly as expected, the patient’s femur was chiseled, wedge-shaped, bone grafted and fixed with a titanium locking screw brace with support of the C-arm scanner during surgery. After surgery, the patient’s leg axis was straightened, and he was discharged on day 4 after surgery and continued to exercise with the instruction of specialist.

 

Dr. Ngo Ba Toan added that, this is a difficult surgery, and it’s unfortunate that the patient’s leg is severely deformed due to the delay in re-examination. The reason for the delay is due to the Covid epidemic and the family’s reticence, however, patients and their families can also contact the hospital and especially their doctor for having helpful advices, to avoid unexpected complications.

 

Department of Social Works