The woman had her scalp peeled off after a sudden accident

29/03/2023 15:26

When admitting to Viet Duc University Hospital 8 months ago, the woman was in a bald state because her scalp, ears and upper eyelids were stripped. The entire peeled skin was preserved and brought to the hospital.

On February 14, Viet Duc University Hospital informed about a case of spectacular recovery after 8 months. When visiting the hospital for re-examination, the doctors are also happy about the new look of patient.

Dr. Vu Trung Truc, PhD, Deputy Head of Aesthetic – Maxillofacial – Plastic Surgery Department (Viet Duc University Hospital) said, he is still haunted by the image of patient when she was brought to the hospital 8 months ago.

Accordingly, at noon on April 9, 2022, Ms. L.T.N. (36 years old, Lao ethnic in Tam Duong, Lai Chau) was taken to Viet Duc University Hospital after having an accident where her hair got caught by paper making machine.

The accident left her completely stripped from scalp, ears and upper eyelids. After providing first aid at a local hospital, the patient was transferred to Viet Duc University Hospital at noon on the same day.

At the time of admission, the patient was conscious but panicking, the pulse was rapid, the blood pressure was low, her head area was covered with many layers of thick bandages but still bleeding heavily due to the large peeling area. “Fortunately, the completely stripped scalp, ears and upper eyelids were properly refrigerated and brought to the hospital,” said Dr. Truc.

Immediately, the doctors performed a microsurgery to re-implant the severed scalp. In addition to the large scalp peeling along with the ears and eyelids, the wound also extends through the cheeks down to the chin area on both sides, which prolongs the surgery time. The restoration of blood vessels is also difficult because the blood vessels in the temples on both sides are crushed.

“We had to restore blood vessels under the microscope. After the surgery lasted for nearly 10 hours, the doctors had to repair the small blood vessels on both sides of the temples. The smallest blood vessels were paired is the subcutaneous vascular branch in the eyebrow area with a size of only about 0.5 mm, smaller than both the tip of the toothpick and the 11/0 microsurgery suture”, Dr. Truc informed.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Hong Ha, MD, PhD, Head of Aesthetic – Maxillofacial – Plastic Surgery Department said that the hospital has successfully performed a severed scalp re-implementation. However, this is one of the most extensive and complex cases of scalp peeling ever, even compared to the world achievement.

“The patient’s scalp is completely stripped from the eyelids on both sides to the nape and down to both ears. With these injuries, first aid is very important such as resuscitation, good hemostasis, proper preservation and timely transferring the patient to a facility capable of surgery as soon as possible will help increase the possibility of surgery success,” Assoc. Prof. Ha said.

After 8 months of having a terrible accident, the transplanted scalp, ears, eyelids, and temples have survived well. The patient returns to a normal life. Re-examination at Viet Duc University Hospital, the patient has her hair for shoulder lenght.

“I will never forget the terrible feeling of being in an accident. I will not have long hair. I also hope other workers comply with work safety to avoid unfortunate accidents like me,” Ms.N. said.