6-year-old Kyrgyz boy mauled by dogs returns home after surgery in Korea

A 6-year-old Kyrgyz boy who lost about 80 percent of his scalp after being mauled by three large dogs has returned home after receiving reconstructive surgery in South Korea, Asan Medical Center said Wednesday.

The boy, identified by his first name Umar, was on his way home in April when he lost his balance and fell into a neighbor’s yard, where three large dogs attacked him. The attack tore away much of his scalp, leaving his skull exposed. He also suffered a skull fracture.

A police officer on patrol found Umar, who was taken to a nearby hospital. Doctors there, however, could do little more than give him antibiotics.

His family considered seeking treatment in Turkey, but the estimated cost of $100,000 was far more than they could afford.

Help came on April 27, when an Asan Medical Center team visited Kyrgyzstan to train local medical staff. Local doctors asked the team for help, and arrangements were made to bring Umar to Korea for treatment. The hospital and the Asan Foundation covered all his medical expenses.

Umar arrived in Korea on July 9. Given his young age, surgeons combined skin grafts with tissue expansion, transplanting skin from his thigh and gradually stretching the remaining scalp to cover the injured area.

Specialists in dermatology, pediatric infectious diseases and radiology also helped care for him.

On Sept. 29, Choi Jong-woo, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the hospital, and his team removed the tissue expanders from beneath Umar’s scalp and used the stretched tissue to cover his exposed skull, completing the reconstruction.

Umar continued to recover at the hospital before returning home on Oct. 15.

The trip to Korea was Umar’s first plane ride, who dreams of becoming a pilot, according to the hospital.