On January 20, Dong Hoi Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital (Quang Tri province) said that it had just successfully performed emergency surgery for a male patient who was shot with a nail through the abdominal wall and punctured the small intestine while working.
Patient N.D.T (born in 1993, residing in Ninh Chau commune, Quang Tri province) was admitted to the hospital in a state of severe abdominal pain after being hit in the abdomen by a nail gun while working. Immediately upon admission, doctors conducted a clinical examination and abdominal CT scan.
The results showed that the foreign object was a nail that pierced through the left abdominal wall and stuck directly into the small intestine, posing a risk of abdominal infection and severe complications if not treated promptly.
Faced with the emergency situation, doctors of the General Surgery Department quickly prescribed emergency laparoscopic surgery. The team proceeded to remove the foreign object, suture the small intestine perforation and restore the abdominal wall. After surgery, the patient was awake, vital signs were stable and are being monitored post-operatively.
Doctor Phan Le Khanh, who directly performed the surgery, said that this was a lucky case because the patient was brought to the hospital early. The abdomen was still quite clean, no food or digestive juices were recorded spilling out. The examination process also did not detect colitis or large blood vessels, so the surgery took place smoothly.
Doctors recommend that workers be especially careful when using tools and machines with a high risk of injury such as nail guns; strictly comply with safety procedures and fully equip themselves with protective gear.
When a penetrating injury occurs in the abdomen, even if the wound is small, the victim needs to be taken to a medical facility early for assessment and timely intervention.
