On September 9, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases informed that 3 days before being hospitalized, G.V.D (4 years old, residing in Tuyen Quang) had stumbled a domestic cat's tail while playing. The cat immediately turned back and bit the muce of the left foot, causing the child to bleed with 4 wounds. Instead of taking the child to a medical facility for proper treatment, the grandmother took herbal medicine that was unknown to affect the wound. bitten wounds are not antibacterial, increasing the risk of infection.
2 days later, the child started to have a high fever, the toothpick was swollen, painful, and there was a dark black area that killed him. The family rushed to take the child to a hospital near their home, but his condition was so serious that he was urgently transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
At the Department of Pediatrics, doctors admitted the child with respiratory failure, swollen feet, many necroses and leaves that were still stuck from herbal medicine. The swollen area has spread to the calves, appearing many large blisters. The child was diagnosed with severe sepsis, liver failure, kidney failure, severe blood clotting disorder and inflammation of diffuse cellulose.
Doctor Bui Dinh Dung, Department of Pediatrics, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said: Pediatric patients must use high doses of antibiotics,ics for tetanus vaccination and rabies serum. After controlling the infection and stabilizing the blood clotting disorder, the child will be transferred to the Orthopedic Trauma Department for dialysis and cleansing of the necrotizing wound.
After 5 days of treatment, the child had progressed and vital signs gradually stabilized. However, this is a serious warning about self-treating wounds with herbal medicine.
Dr. Dang Thi Thuy - Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases - said: Applying leaves to open wounds is extremely dangerous. Patients may experience complications from swelling, soft tissue necrosis to sepsis, multiple organ failure, and even death.
"When there are open wounds, people need to go to a specialized medical facility immediately for proper treatment. Delay or self-treatment with folk remedies of unknown origin can waste "golden time" in emergency care, causing serious consequences and difficulty in recovery," Dr. Dang Thi Thuy warned.
