Vinmec Phu Quoc saves 82-year-old overseas Vietnamese woman from "death" after 10 minutes of cardiac arrest

Breathlessly fighting for patient's life from the hands of death

In mid-June 2026, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Nga (82 years old), a Vietnamese-American living in Vung Bau, Phu Quoc, encountered a drowning incident while swimming in the sea. When discovered by people and brought ashore, she fell into a coma, stopped circulating and stopped breathing.

After 10 minutes of chest compression and artificial respiration resuscitation (CPR), her heart beat again. The female patient was immediately transferred by ambulance 115 straight to Vinmec Phu Quoc General Hospital in critical condition.

At the time of receiving the female patient, MSc.BSNT Mai Xuan Dat - Head of the Emergency Resuscitation Department of Vinmec Phu Quoc assessed that this was one of the particularly difficult cases because the patient was old, and had prolonged extrahospital cardiac arrest, and the risk of irreversible brain damage was very high.

For cases of circulatory arrest due to drowning, every minute that passes, the patient's ability to survive and recover nerves decreases. Our biggest challenge is to both ensure heart and lung function and minimize brain damage due to prolonged lack of oxygen," said Dr. Dat.

At the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), doctors simultaneously implemented many modern resuscitation measures, including: breathing control with invasive ventilation, blood circulation maintenance with vasopressors, antibiotic treatment to control inhaled pneumonia, and close monitoring of cardiovascular complication risks.

In particular, the team applied command hypothermia technique - a method used to protect brain cells after cardiac arrest. This technique helps reduce brain metabolic needs, limit nerve damage due to lack of oxygen, and increase brain function recovery.

At the same time, the ICU team had to continuously adjust the ventilation strategy to protect the lungs because the patient developed severe acute respiratory failure syndrome with solidified damage spreading to both lungs after inhaling seawater.

Reliable emergency and resuscitation address for people and tourists on Ngoc Island

The tireless efforts of the doctors and nurses have been rewarded. After 7 days of intensive treatment, the patient's condition improved significantly. Respiratory function gradually recovered, the patient was successfully discharged from the ventilator, switched to high-flow oxygen support and then breathed normal oxygen. The Vietnamese-American woman was completely awake, had good contact and no signs of neurological damage or sequelae after a prolonged cardiac arrest incident were recorded.

Lung lesions are effectively controlled, blood pressure is stable, no longer dependence on vasopressors. SpO2 index is maintained at 97%, patients eat and live normally and are eligible for safe discharge.

I always think if this incident happened in a place without emergency and resuscitation conditions like Vinmec Phu Quoc, maybe I wouldn't be sitting here anymore. I am grateful to Vinmec for being in Phu Quoc and giving me a second chance to live," Ms. Nga emotionally shared.

Doctors said that in the group of elderly patients with extrahospitalary circulatory arrest due to drowning, the mortality rate and risk of severe neurological sequelae are often very high. The patient's complete recovery in cognition, movement and quality of life is the result of effective coordination between proper first aid at the scene and a specialized resuscitation system at the hospital.

The case is clear evidence of the decisive role of the continuous emergency chain, from initial first aid to intensive resuscitation treatment. If not given timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation right at the beach, the brain may have suffered irreversible damage before the patient is taken to the hospital. Conversely, if there is a lack of modern resuscitation techniques such as respiratory control, circulatory support and command hypothermia, the patient's complete recovery ability will be very low.

As a medical facility with full emergency and intensive resuscitation capabilities in Ngoc Island, Vinmec Phu Quoc helps patients access modern treatment techniques right in "golden time", instead of having to be transferred to the mainland. This is a particularly important factor for cases of circulatory arrest, stroke or serious multiple injuries, when every minute of delay affects the patient's chances of survival and recovery.

This success not only brings life opportunities for an elderly patient but also affirms the value of investing in specialized emergency capacity right in Phu Quoc, helping patients receive timely treatment on the island in vital moments.