Abu Dhabi: Emirati girl’s finger saved after marble countertop falls on her hand – News

Oxygen therapy saved the tissues of her three middle fingers from irreparable damage

nandinisika

A 13-year-old girl’s finger has been saved from amputation after an Abu Dhabi hospital struggled to save her finger.

The girl was suffering severe trauma and pain when a marble counter top fell on the palm of her hand when she was taken to the Burjeel Darak Center in Burjeel Medical City.

She suffered multiple fractures in three of her middle fingers and damaged blood vessels.

In this type of injury, if the patient is not treated quickly, there is a risk of gangrene and even amputation, as the fingers begin to turn blue when blood circulation ceases.

Dr Mohab Ahmed Shafei, a specialist in hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Burjeel Medical City, said: “Finger injuries, multiple fractures in three middle fingers, severe vascular damage.”

The girl, whose identity has not been identified at the request of the family, had to undergo emergency surgery to fix a fracture and have a finger transplanted.

Doctors then introduced hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which helped the tissues receive three times more oxygen, improving blood flow to the fingers.

“We started hyperbaric oxygen immediately. She had 10 operations to save her finger. We repaired the fracture and tied the nails. Without treatment, gangrene and pigmented amputation could have occurred,” he said.

“We felt the need to use hyperbaric oxygen therapy as it triples the ability of the skin and body to absorb oxygen. The therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. She had to undergo 10 sessions to help restore blood flow to her fingers and oxygen,” Dr. Sha Fei said.

In this case, the plastic surgeon also helped treat one of her fingers because it needed treatment to promote healthy tissue growth, doctors said.

In a statement shared with the Khaleej Times, the girl’s family said: “The injury occurred when the marble table top fell on our daughter’s hand causing fractures and tissue fractures. Partly we felt her future could be greatly affected by the loss of three fingers. Hyperbaric oxygen revived tissue that would have otherwise (doctors told us) necrosis (death of body tissue).

“My advice to parents is to take care of their children and keep them out of the danger zone. I also strongly recommend acting fast as time is of the essence in this situation and every minute makes a huge difference.”