Viet Duc Friendship Hospital received and urgently resuscitated a rare case of traumatic brain injury in an 11-year-old child with a foreign object, a knife, deeply stuck in the top of the left head.
According to family members, the accident happened when the two brothers were playing at home. In a moment of carelessness, the older brother holding a knife accidentally caused serious injuries to the child. When admitted to the hospital, the patient was still conscious, his hemodynamic indicators were temporarily stable but a paralysis of his right arm appeared.
Immediately after receiving the patient, doctors determined that this was a particularly dangerous emergency surgical case. The emergency procedure was immediately activated, including stabilizing vital functions, performing tests and imaging diagnosis in the shortest time to quickly bring the patient into the operating room.
According to experts, with open traumatic brain injury, the "golden time" for treatment is decisive. Early intervention within the first 6 hours helps reduce the risk of intracranial infection - complications that can directly threaten the life and brain function of the patient. At the same time, timely surgery also contributes to limiting secondary damage and maximizing brain parenchyma preservation.
Dr. Bui Huy Manh - Deputy Head of Neurosurgery Department - said that the surgery was implemented with the coordination of many specialties. In which, the anesthesia and resuscitation team ensured safety throughout the surgery process, and neurosurgeons directly treated the lesions and removed the foreign object from the skull.
Because the wound location has a high risk of bleeding, we have prepared blood and bleed control plans to ensure the safest surgery for the patient," Dr. Bui Huy Manh shared.
The surgery was performed urgently but with utmost caution with the highest goal of maintaining the safety of life and preserving nerve function for the patient. After surgery, the patient continued to be monitored at specialized units, and at the same time coordinated functional rehabilitation treatment to improve mobility and restore nerve function.
In addition, pediatric specialists also participate in close monitoring to promptly handle if complications appear after surgery, helping pediatric patients have the opportunity to recover comprehensively.
Experts recommend that when experiencing injuries with foreign objects stuck in the head area, people should absolutely not arbitrarily remove foreign objects from their bodies. What needs to be done is to maintain the status quo, quickly take the victim to a specialized medical facility for proper and timely treatment.
Doctors also remind parents to strengthen supervision and remind children not to play with knives, scissors and sharp objects to prevent unfortunate accidents that may occur.
