Man thankful to surgeons for his dexterity after losing thumb in dog bite
By Jenyne Donaldson
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BALTIMORE (WBAL) — A Maryland man who lost his thumb in a dog bite and never thought he’d get his dexterity back is recovering thanks to doctors in Baltimore.
Doctors say dog bites in particular make lost limbs and fingers harder to reattach, but a Maryland man is thankful for quick thinking and having the world’s largest hand center nearby.
Juan Guzman accidentally sat on his dog’s tail in a chair, and the normally sweet dog went crazy, biting his hand. Guzman’s friend, Maria Dela Rosa, said the scene was gruesome.
“Oh my God, it was horrible. The thumb was on the floor,” she said.
Blood was everywhere, but she sprung into action by separating them, calling 911, finding the finger and putting it on ice.
“He wouldn’t let go. I had to get inside his mouth and open his mouth really hard. That’s when I got the dog off him,” Dela Rosa said.
Dr. Ryan Katz, a surgeon at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital’s Curtis Hand Center reattached Guzman’s thumb — something Guzman thought was impossible.
“When a part is ripped off as a result of an animal bite, it will often rip the tendon out or rip the nerve out. So, those parts might not be amenable to repair,” Katz said.
“To be honest, I never thought it was going to be possible,” Guzman said through a translator. “At the moment, we thought the thumb was going to be gone forever, but we got it back.”
Doctors recommend for people who are bitten by a dog to stop the bleeding first by using a clean towel to apply pressure. Second, clean the wound with soap and water. Third, cover the wound with a clean, dry dressing. Fourth, find the finger, wrap it in a wet towel and put it on ice. Katz said to avoid using a tourniquet unless absolutely necessary.
“A tourniquet should not be applied and left on for hours and hours on end — that’s going to cause a problem,” Katz said.
Katz said to ensure you’re up to date on your tetanus shot and make sure the animal is checked for rabies.
At least three people have recently had thumbs reattached from dog bites at Curtis Hand Center, and Guzman is able to feel and move his finger just three months later.
With a few months of some rehab, Guzman is looking forward to getting back to work and back to normal.
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