Doctors Reattach Boy’s Arm After Dryer Accident
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A 4-year-old whose arm was severed by an industrial laundry dryer was listed in fair condition Monday at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles after undergoing more than 12 hours of surgery during which doctors reattached the limb.
Malik Singletary’s arm was twisted off when he reached into a spinning dryer at a Hollywood coin laundry at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, authorities said.
Three surgical teams worked through the night to restore torn muscles, nerves and skin, stretched and ruptured blood vessels and broken bones, said hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge.
“You’ve got to get it on quickly or the arm will become nonviable,” said orthopedic surgeon David Skaggs, who participated in the procedure. “If the arm is allowed to decompose, it could kill the child.”
Skaggs said that it could take up to a year to determine whether circulation and nerve function in the arm have been properly restored.
“The best thing he has going for him is age,” he said.
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