The two-and-a-half-year-old girl Xiang Weiyi, the last survivor in east China’s train crash, will probably not lose her legs after doctors’ untiring efforts.
Chen Xinglong, the toddler’s doctor at the No. 2 Hospital Attached to the Wenzhou Medical College, Tuesday morning said in a press conference that “the hospital doesn’t intend to perform an amputation on her currently, and her physical condition is improving every day.”
The train crash happened late Saturday when train D301 rear-ended train D3115 near Wenzhou in Jiangsu Province, leaving at least 39 people dead and 192 others injured. Xiang was found alive 21 hours after the accident but lost both of her parents.
A specialized medical team carried out surgery on Xiang’s leg Sunday night to improve the blood flow, reducing the risk of muscle necrosis and renal failure.
Zhu Jinping, chief of Wenzhou City’s Health Bureau, said many patients had head, arm or leg injuries. Some had sustained injuries to their internal organs, while others suffered rib fractures and internal bleeding.
On Sunday, Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, on behalf of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, visited some of the injured at three hospitals in Wenzhou.
Zhang urged local authorities to mobilize all available resources to aid the injured and set up a medical team and a medical treatment plan for each of them.
“Every effort should be made to save the life of the injured, reduce the death toll and disability, and provide counseling and aid for the relatives of the dead,” said Zhang.
According to the Ministry of Health, 13 state-level top medical experts from Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing had been sent to Wenzhou Sunday afternoon. The experts are specialized in neurosurgery, traumatology, general surgery and medical rehabilitation.
Wang Qian, deputy chief of the No. 3 People’s Hospital in Wenzhou City, said each of the injured is monitored and cared by a four-doctor-formed medical group.
“The medical group will be responsible for the injured until they recover,” said Wang.
According to Wang, Chinese American Cao Liheng is currently in stable condition after surgery. However, Cao is still in intensive care.
A total of 38 injured passengers were sent to the No. 2 People’s Hospital in Wenzhou. As of Tuesday morning, five injured were still in intensive care.
Geovanna Pan, a Chinese Italian in the No. 2 People’s Hospital, was taken off the respirator Monday morning and started to breathe spontaneously. A nurse, bottle in hand, is helping Pan to drink soymilk. Pan currently can only take in liquid foods.
Off-duty doctors and nurses rushed back on duty to offer their services on hearing the accident.
Sun Jun, deputy chief of the No. 2 People’s Hospital in Wenzhou, said that the hospital sent cell phone messages to all staff Saturday night and more than 300 medical workers immediately rushed to the hospital.
Aside from the care provided by the medical workers, relatives of the injured and the dead found themselves surrounded and touched by the support of volunteers.
“It is miserable to suffer from leg fracture, but I was touched by those taxi drivers who gave free rides, and those lined up citizens who donated blood at night,” said Li Zhenmin from Tianjin, with his right leg in a fixed device and scratches over his body.
As of Tuesday evening, 118 injured were still receiving medical treatment in hospitals of Wenzhou, local health authorities said Tuesday.
Eleven hospitals in Wenzhou have received 192 injured passengers and the death toll remained 39 on Tuesday evening.
Xinhua