Bitten by a shark and crushed his leg while scuba diving in Hai Phong

Mr. VVD (32 years old, living in Co To district, Quang Ninh) had an accident while fishing in the waters of Bach Long Vi (Hai Phong). The patient said that he was attacked by a shark on his right leg while scuba diving, was given first aid by functional forces and transferred to Quang Ninh Provincial General Hospital.

Patient D. admitted to the hospital in a state of rapid pulse, pale skin and mucous membranes, the right leg wound was about 20cm long, exposing broken bones and muscles. After giving first aid infusion, pain relief and immobilization, the patient was taken for x-ray, vascular doppler ultrasound to assess the damage.

The doctors assessed that the patient had a complete cut of the posterior and lateral muscles of the lower leg, exposed the broken fibula head, the dorsal pulse could not be caught, and the ankle movement was lost. This is a complicated lesion with a poor prognosis, requiring immediate emergency surgery to save the patient’s leg.

The emergency surgery team was performed under the cooperation of doctors of Orthopedic Trauma and Anesthesia Department. The surgeon performed a debridement of the crushed organs, managed to stop bleeding by anastomosis of the anterior tibial artery, the common peroneal nerve, continued to suture the broken muscle blocks and immobilized the leg.

At the same time, medical staff transfused more than 2 units of blood to actively resuscitate the patient. After nearly 2 hours of surgery, the patient woke up immediately after surgery, the pulse and blood pressure were stable and was transferred to the postoperative care.

Directly performing emergency surgery for Mr. D., Dr. Luong Toan Thang, Head of Orthopedic Department, Quang Ninh Provincial General Hospital, said: “This is a rare accident. A patient who was attacked by a shark was admitted to the hospital with severe and complicated open lesions in the right leg. The wound was severely crushed, many blood vessels, tendons, and nerves were severed, the fibula head was exposed, and the dorsal pulse was not captured. Without emergency surgery and timely treatment, there is a risk of limb necrosis or infection, which is life-threatening.”

After the surgery, the right leg has caught the pulse, the pink is warm again, the patient’s health is progressing positively.

“Because the patient receives good first aid from the lower-level medical center, it limits severe injury and the risk of infection, and increases the patient’s ability to recover later on,” the doctor said.

Ngoc Trang