VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City’s Cho Ray Hospital last week successfully reconstructed the face of a woman who lost a cheek and nostril in a bomb explosion in a 12-hour operation.

Ms. Phu after the operation.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chau Phu, 27, of Cai Be District of the southern province of Tien Giang was taken to the hospital with injuries on her head, face and right arm.

The accident occurred  when Mr. Le Van Minh, 52, was sawing a bomb. Minh died on the spot while Phu, who was cooking in a nearby kitchen, was seriously injured.

The face was damaged by shrapnel. One nostril, cheek, and upper lip were totally shattered, and the skin on the right side of the face was gone.

Doctors said if the wounds had been a little deeper, the patient would have lost her jawbone and probably would have died.

The surgery was conducted by a group of doctors and nurses from various wards, led by D. Tran Van Duong, specializing in microsurgery.

As soon as she performed first aid, doctors cleaned the wounds, rearranged the positions and tried to preserve as much of possible of the soft facial tissues.

Doctors used the patient’s rib cartilage to create the nose, skin from an arm skin create the nasal mucosa and the face (nose, cheeks) and forehead.

The surgery was so successful that it ensured the function of breathing and smell of the nose. The facial area after transplantation also had a transplanted nerve.

"The free skin is the new progress of a plastic surgery technique. Previously, we just pulled the skin near the damaged area to cover. Now, doctors can get skin in other locations on the body for transplantation patients. Doctors can even connect the nerve. After surgery, the patient's transplanted skin will feel like it did before the accident," said Dr. Le Hanh, chairman of the HCM City Plastic Surgery Association.

The patient is now in stable condition. Dr. Le Hanh said the patient would have to undergo many more orthopedic surgeries to have a complete, balanced and natural face. She will be kept track by doctors for at least three months.

Seeing her face after the surgery, Phu said: "Although my face cannot be the same my family can now recognize me."

Phu and her husband were waste collectors. They have two children and are very poor. Most of the fund for the surgery was covered by the hospital.

Thu Ly