Doctors at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital have successfully treated a 17-year-old male patient in Hanoi who suffered a serious heart injury caused by a penetrating metal foreign object.

Up to now, after 3 days of surgery, the male patient has regained consciousness, continues to receive intensive care, antibiotic treatment to prevent infection and early physical therapy instructions to restore respiratory function.

Previously, on April 26, a 17-year-old male patient in Hanoi was hospitalized for emergency treatment due to a serious heart injury caused by a penetrating metal foreign object.

Upon admission, the patient was conscious, with a temporarily stable pulse and blood pressure. However, a quick examination revealed a critical situation: a sharp, homemade trident-shaped metal object had been stabbed straight from behind the left shoulder, penetrating deep into the chest.

In particular, this foreign object is still stuck in the body, beating with each heartbeat of the patient, potentially threatening life at any time.

X-ray and CT scans showed that the foreign object not only penetrated the back of the left shoulder but also penetrated the tissue of the upper lobe of the left lung, penetrated the left ventricular wall of the heart, causing pericardial effusion - an extremely serious injury.

Doctor Nguyen Van Dan - Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital said: Immediately after diagnosing a heart injury caused by a metal foreign body, the patient was taken to the emergency operating room.

During surgery, doctors opened the chest and found about 150 grams of blood clots in the pericardial cavity caused by a foreign object causing a wound in the left ventricular lateral wall.

When the pleura was opened for examination, it was discovered that the foreign object had penetrated the left lung parenchyma, causing hemothorax. The patient's total blood loss was estimated at 500-600ml - a dangerous amount for a young body.

Doctors performed sutures to stop the bleeding in the heart and lung wounds.

However, the surgery was difficult because the wound was deep and low in the left wall of the heart, forcing the heart to be repositioned during surgery.

This causes the patient's blood pressure and pulse to fluctuate constantly. The surgery requires extremely smooth coordination, precision and caution from the entire team.

After the surgery, the patient is now conscious, has been extubated and transferred to the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery for further monitoring. The patient maintains stable blood pressure, does not require cardiac or vasopressor medications – the first positive signs after a life-and-death battle.

The patient continued to receive intensive care, antibiotic treatment to prevent infection, and early physical therapy instructions to restore respiratory function.

According to experts, heart injuries caused by sharp objects are not uncommon in Vietnam, however, cases of homemade foreign objects penetrating the shoulder, lungs and heart like this patient are very dangerous. Timely detection and treatment contributed to saving the patient's life at the last minute./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ha-noi-cuu-song-nam-thanh-nien-17-tuoi-bi-dam-thau-tim-post1035882.vnp