Yoni (pseudonym), a 15-year-old boy from the center of the country, was taken to the Safra Children’s Hospital at the beginning of the week suffering from a serious injury due to a detonator exploding in his hand. After receiving initial treatment by teams prior to emergency medicine, the boy was admitted to the children’s surgery department at the hospital. Dr. Matan Sharaf, an expert in plastic surgery and hand surgery at the Sheba Medical Center, explains that the index finger on his right hand was amputated, and he also suffered a fracture in the thumb and heavy damage to the tissue around it. According to him, due to the force of the explosion, the finger was damaged in a way that did not allow its connection back to the boy’s palm.According to him, already at the beginning of the week, Yoni underwent surgery to remove the damaged tissue. “As a result of the explosion, heavy damage was caused to the muscles of the thumb, which became torn and mangled, as well as to the soft tissues around it. In such a situation, necrosis and infection may form in the area, since it does not receive a blood supply. Therefore, in surgery we removed the muscle tissue with the necrosis in the hand. In addition, we fixed the thumb fracture and closed it the open wound in the amputation area.” The doctor also added that in order to prevent pain after the amputation, the doctors also treated the exposed nerves in the area. In the coming days, Yoni is expected to undergo another operation on his hand, to locate additional muscle tissue where necrosis exists.
A common and dangerous phenomenon
According to Dr. Sharaf, this is not the first time he has come across such cases. “Unfortunately, injuries of this type are very common. We encounter them not only during Purim, but throughout the year. It is very unfortunate because this is irreversible damage. This young boy lost a finger on his dominant hand, and the function of the thumb was also significantly damaged.” He further notes that Yoni will have to undergo additional intensive treatments for rehabilitation, including occupational therapy and physical therapy. Moreover, he notes that the boy will likely suffer in the future from difficulty in performing simple actions Like holding a pencil or a fork. “Its function will never be the same again,” he says.
According to data from the organization before children’s safety, in the last 5 years, 206 children who were injured by dangerous toys came to the emergency room. The data also shows that 73% of the cases occurred due to the use of a detonator, explosive or firecracker. 25% were from using toy guns. 47% are children aged 10-14 only.
