The patient is T.D, (54 years old, residing in Gia Lai), a fisherman on fishing boat BD 97884. The patient was admitted to treatment at Nam Yet island clinic at 7:00 AM on December 31, 2025. Previously, the patient suddenly appeared dizzy, weak limbs, fell to the floor of the boat not due to injury. After that, the disease progressed rapidly with symptoms of difficulty speaking, swallowing, and incontinence in urination.
Immediately after receiving the information, Military Hospital 175 closely coordinated with Nam Yet Island Clinic to conduct 3 remote consultations, guiding monitoring and active treatment for the patient. On the night of December 31, 2025 and early morning of January 1, 2026, the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly: Sensitivity decreased, Glasgow index remained 9 points, complete paralysis of the right half of the body, arrhythmia, requiring maintenance of vasopressors.
The patient was diagnosed with progressing cerebral edema due to a widespread left hemisphere brain infarction, not excluding large cerebral hemorrhage, accompanied by slow heart rate disorder, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, pneumonia. Doctors assessed that the prognosis was very severe, with a high risk of death if not intervened in time. Nam Yet island clinic was instructed to protect airways, actively prevent cerebral edema, treat antibiotics and closely monitor cardiovascular and neurological indicators for the patient.
Faced with the critical situation, Military Hospital 175 decided to request superiors to transport patients for emergency treatment by air, despite many potential risks during transportation. Following orders from the Ministry of National Defense, helicopters of Southern Helicopter Company/Brigade 18 and the Air Emergency Team of Military Hospital 175 set off to fly to Nam Yet Island.
Captain, Doctor Nguyen Van Nghia, Head of the air ambulance team, Military Hospital 175, said: "The air ambulance transportation process always poses many risks, especially for patients with very severe prognosis like this case. The patient suffered severe brain damage, accompanied by arrhythmia and respiratory failure, so the crew had to prepare a skin pacemaker and respiratory control equipment before departure.
In the context of narrow helicopter space, shaking, loud noise and long flights at sea, the Emergency Team has closely coordinated with the Flight Team to maintain low flight altitudes to minimize the impact on the patient's condition, while closely monitoring and maintaining stable survival indicators throughout the transportation process.
Immediately after returning to the mainland, the patient was taken to the Emergency Department of Military Hospital 175 for diagnosis and intensive treatment.
