According to information published by the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (Hanoi) on September 21, 2026, the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Interdisciplinary Surgery performed emergency surgery on a 59-year-old man (from Nghe An, working as a motorbike taxi driver in Hanoi) who suffered a severe accident.
At around 12:00 PM on September 12, 2026, the patient's hand unfortunately became trapped between the floor and the elevator system.
At the time of admission, the fingers were not completely severed. A portion of skin and tissue on the back of the hand still held the fingers to the hand. However, the fingers were pale and had lost blood supply.
Photo: National Hospital for Tropical Diseases
MSc. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Linh said that the condition of fingers still being attached may cause non-specialists to underestimate the severity of the injury. In reality, when blood vessels are severed, crushed, or completely blocked, the distal portion of the injured finger still lacks blood supply and is at risk of necrosis.
With crush injuries, strong compressive force can cause extensive tissue crushing, damage vessel walls, and form blood clots, obstructing blood flow to the fingers.
During surgery, doctors noted that the blood vessels supplying the fingers were severely damaged: some areas were crushed, blocked, and some segments were completely severed. The team removed segments of vessels that were no longer viable for repair, then repaired the blood vessels and damaged structures to re-establish circulation.
The surgery lasted approximately 7 hours. In the first days after surgery, the preserved fingers maintained stable circulation and continued to be closely monitored.
PhD. Dr. Duong Manh Chien - Head of the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Interdisciplinary Surgery recommended that people working with saws, cutting machines, presses, cargo elevators, and mechanical equipment must strictly comply with safety procedures, use appropriate protective equipment, and absolutely never be negligent when operating machinery.
When an injury occurs causing fingers to be severed, nearly severed, crushed, or still attached but becoming pale white, cold and purple, with loss of sensation, the patient needs first aid and should be quickly transferred to a medical facility capable of reconstructive surgery and microsurgery if necessary.
