About 10 days before admission, the patient appeared in the right shoulder joint and went to a private clinic to inject drugs directly into the joint. However, symptoms do not improve but also increased pain. After that, the patient turned to acupuncture treatment but the condition continued to deteriorate, the fever appeared, swollen the entire shoulder spread to the right arm.
The patient was admitted to a local medical facility with a diagnosis of soft-vehicle abscess suspected to be caused by infection. Even after taking antibiotics, the condition did not improve; blood pressure dropped and had to maintain vasopressors to keep blood pressure. Due to the critical condition, the patient was transferred to the Emergency Department, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
At the time of hospitalization, the patient was completely dependent on vasopressors to maintain blood pressure - a sign of life-threatening severe septic shock. When blood pressure drops sharply, blood cannot supply enough to nourish organs such as the liver, kidneys, and heart, leading to a very high risk of multiple organ failure.
Clinical examination recorded the entire shoulder and right arm area as swollen, painful. ultrasound and CT scan showed inflammation spreading under the skin of the arm area, accompanied by inflammation of the shoulder joint. No infection was found in another location, confirming that the injection location was the only access road causing septic shock.
Tests showed severe inflammation throughout the body: hypercystitis (16,000/mm3, mainly 85% neutral white blood cells), CRP index of up to 113 mg/L - 23 times higher than normal. The patient was actively treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, internal resuscitation and intensive care. After a few days, blood pressure is stable, the dose of transport medicine gradually decreases; fever and swelling improve significantly, inflammation indicators decrease significantly.
MSc. Dr. Truong Tu The Bao - Emergency Department - said: This is a typical example of the serious consequences of joint vaccination at facilities that do not ensure sterility. Injected needles are a direct access sugar that if not guaranteed to be sterile, bacteria can enter the soft tissue, causing inflammation, sepsis and death if not treated promptly. For the elderly and those with weak immune systems, the risk of severe infections is even higher. This patient's case is clear evidence of the life-threatening risk from a seemingly simple procedure.
Dr. Bao recommends: People should go to a hospital or a licensed medical facility when they need vaccination, fluids or acupuncture. After vaccination, if you experience unusual signs such as increased pain, fever, swelling or low blood pressure... you should go to a specialized medical facility as soon as possible for timely treatment, avoiding unfortunate consequences. This is also a warning about the risk of serious infections from medical procedures that do not ensure sterility.
