Girl's esophagus bitten by pet dog

On the afternoon of March 10, Viet Duc Hospital continued to inform that an 11-year-old girl, residing in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province, was brought to the emergency room with a serious injury to her neck that required surgery due to a bite from her family dog. This dog has been raised by the family for 12 years and is considered a member of the family.

According to the family, the child was playing with the dog when he was suddenly bitten in the neck. Because the animal had been raised for a long time and had been vaccinated against rabies, the family was complacent and did not take the child to the hospital immediately but continued to let the child live normally at home.

Doctor examines child patient after surgery.

It was not until mealtime, when the baby was chewing and swallowing, that the family discovered saliva and food flowing from the wound in the neck. This is a warning sign of deep damage to the esophagus - a dangerous condition that can lead to severe infection, even life-threatening. At this time, the baby was taken to the emergency room.

Dr. Vu Duc Thinh, Department of Digestive Surgery, Viet Duc Hospital said: Doctors ordered a CT scan to assess the entire injury. Fortunately, the trachea was not affected, but endoscopy showed that the esophagus had two holes. If not treated promptly, the child could suffer dangerous complications such as mediastinitis (infection of the area between the two lungs), sepsis, or prolonged esophageal fistula.

Faced with this situation, the hospital performed emergency surgery. Doctors opened the wound, controlled the damage, and performed a gastrostomy to feed the baby through a tube, giving the esophagus time to recover.

Although the dog had been vaccinated against rabies, doctors could not completely rule out the risk of rabies infection. Therefore, the dog was consulted with epidemiologists and immediately injected with three doses of antitoxin serum, one dose of rabies vaccine, continued monitoring and completed the full regimen to ensure safety.

At the same time, the doctor still asked the family to lock up and monitor the dog for 10-14 days, because if the animal develops rabies during this time, the child is at very high risk of infection.

Currently, after surgery and intensive treatment, the girl is out of danger and is continuing to be monitored and cared for.

Doctors recommend that when bitten by a dog or any animal, the patient should wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, then disinfect with alcohol or antiseptic solution.

Even if the bite does not bleed much, bacteria or viruses from the animal's saliva can still penetrate and cause a deep infection. Therefore, people should go to a medical facility immediately, especially if the bite is in a dangerous area such as the head, face, neck, arms, or legs. Rabies vaccination and in-depth examination are needed if there are signs of infection.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/doi-song/be-gai-bi-cho-nha-nuoi-can-thung-thuc-quan-i764686/