On the morning of September 21, news from Can Tho Central General Hospital said that doctors from many specialties of the hospital had just successfully resuscitated a male patient with two iron bars piercing through his thigh.
Patient L.H. K. (born in 1986, Can Tho City) was transferred to the previous level to the Hospital on September 18.
According to information from the family, the patient had previously driven a motorbike and unfortunately fell into the construction site area. Local people supported cutting the iron bars, taking the patient to the nearest medical facility for emergency treatment, and then continued to be transferred to Can Tho Central General Hospital.
At the Emergency Department, before the complicated injury situation, doctors activated the intra-hospital red alert procedure, resuscitation, blood transfusion, pain relief,... General Surgery, Orthopedic Trauma, Thoracic Surgery - Vascular Surgery, Hematology and Anesthesia and Resuscitation departments were mobilized for surgery.
20 minutes after being admitted to the hospital, the patient was taken straight to the operating room.
In the operating room, according to the procedure, the General Surgery team led by BS.CKII. Huynh Duong Huu Hanh, BS.CKI Do Minh Nhut and doctors conducted abdominal examination and removed the iron bar. The results recorded digestive fluid in the abdominal cavity, foreign object causing perforation of the small intestine and large rupture of the connective membrane.
After assessing the condition, doctors switched to open surgery. Checking all intestines, the team discovered the location of the small intestine perforation; proceeded to cut the damaged small intestine segment, reconnect and restore digestive tract circulation, wash the abdominal cavity and place drainage.
The Orthopedic Trauma Team, led by BS.CKII. Nguyen Huu Thuyet - Head of the Department of Spinal Surgery and Trauma, together with doctors, continued to treat thigh injuries and remove foreign objects.
In the right thigh, the patient had a penetrating wound on the outer side of 1/3 of the middle thigh, about 4x4 cm in size, with a rough edge. Doctors handled the injury, cleaned and bandaged it tightly. Surgeons proceeded to cut and remove the crushed, necrotic muscle, wash the wound and place drainage.
After about 1 hour and 20 minutes, the surgery was successfully completed. The patient was transferred to external resuscitation to continue monitoring and treatment.
According to BS.CK2 Nguyen Khac Nam - Deputy Head of General Surgery Department of Can Tho Central General Hospital, the case of a patient whose body was pierced by 2 iron bars after a traffic accident being admitted and treated successfully is a special situation, in which the patient also has damage to the abdominal cavity, small intestine and many soft tissue structures in the thigh area.
The case also shows the role of initial treatment from the front line (Nga Bay Regional General Hospital), the internal red alert procedure and the multi-specialized coordination in handling complex transvasive injuries.
