On the New Year holiday of 2026, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital received emergency care for a young patient (15 years old, Thai Nguyen) in a state of particularly serious multiple injuries due to a firecracker accident.
When admitted to the hospital, the patient suffered crushed forearms on both sides, burns to the face and legs, and the walls in front of the chest, threatening life and leaving severe sequelae for the patient.
Immediately upon admission, doctors at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital urgently assessed the injury, activated the multi-specialty emergency process, mobilized resuscitation teams, orthopedic trauma, burns and eye to handle it simultaneously.
Resuscitation, pain control, infection prevention and maximum functional preservation are urgently deployed in the race for life for patients.
Another case is patient N.H.T (31 years old, Hung Yen) who was transferred from the lower level to the upper level in a complex multi-traumatic condition: open traumatic brain injury, hematoma of the hard membrane, severe facial fracture with broken jawbone, cheekbone, broken nose, and damage to both eyes.
Immediately upon admission, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital activated a red alert, simultaneously mobilizing 3 specialized surgical teams including the brain, jaw and eyes for emergency treatment.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Quang Thuy - Director of the Center for Anesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care, Head of Intensive Care Unit 2, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital - said: "Anemies caused by firecrackers often cause very serious injuries and progress quickly. Many patients are hospitalized in a state of shock, respiratory failure, severe blood loss, requiring resuscitation and immediate anesthesia. Surgery is not only aimed at saving patients but also a race to limit sequelae. In fact, despite being saved, many cases still have lifelong sequelae.
Another case is patient T.V.P (61 years old, Hung Yen) admitted to the hospital in a state of trauma - complex facial jaw injury, eye injury, burns to the entire skin of the neck and face.
Under the direction of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha - Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics and the emergency team, they quickly performed bone-combined surgery and plastic surgery to treat the maxillofacial injury to preserve function and restore aesthetics for the patient. Thanks to being transferred to and treated for emergency treatment promptly, after a period of surgery and intensive treatment, the patient is currently awake and mental health is gradually stabilizing.
Dr. Nguyen Hoang Quan - Department of Cervical Surgery and Sports Medicine, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital - said: "Currently, many instructions for self-making firecrackers with easy-to-buy materials are still spreading on social networks, posing a particularly serious risk of accidents.
In fact, it is recorded that the number of firecracker accidents tends to increase significantly in the period leading up to Tet. Especially during this year's New Year holiday, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital has received nearly ten emergency cases due to firecrackers, with days receiving many cases in the same night.
It is noteworthy that in reality, when receiving emergency care, there are cases where patients or their families untruthfully declared the cause of the accident, claiming it was due to a mini gas cylinder explosion.
However, through examination and assessment of the extent of the injury, doctors at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital determined that the injury was not commensurate with a common occupational accident, the wound still had a lot of dust and strange objects characteristic of firecrackers.
Experts believe that the concealment of the cause stems from psychological concerns about violating the law, but this may affect the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiological statistics of accidents.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luu Quang Thuy and experts from Viet Duc Friendship Hospital recommend that people, especially teenagers and parents, absolutely do not manufacture, trade, store or use firecrackers that not only pose a potential risk of particularly serious accidents, threatening life, but are also illegal acts, which may be administratively sanctioned or prosecuted for criminal liability according to current regulations.
For their own health, the safety of the community and a truly peaceful spring, everyone should say no to firecrackers.
