Thanh Hoa: Successfully treated patient with steel drill piercing through nasal cavity

On August 5, Thanh Hoa General Hospital announced that it had just successfully performed emergency surgery on a case of a particularly serious and rare work accident.

The patient, Le Van T. (27 years old, residing in Vinh Loc commune, Thanh Hoa province) was transferred to Thanh Hoa General Hospital in critical condition, with a long metal foreign object deeply embedded in his nasal cavity.

The results of the computed tomography (CT) scan and 3D imaging showed that the foreign object was a metal drill about 7-8cm long, curved like a fishhook, piercing from the right nostril completely through the nasal septum, the curved hook tip deeply embedded in the left nostril.

The lower nasal turbinates were severely torn, and the entire septum was severely punctured. Given the complex injuries, the patient was scheduled for emergency surgery immediately that night.

Dr. Nguyen Van Hoa, Head of the Head and Neck Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head of the surgical team, said: This is a rare surgery, in which the biggest challenge is the curved shape of the drill bit like a fishhook. If the operation is not performed correctly, the foreign object can cause a wider tear, damage the surrounding structures and cause massive bleeding that is difficult to control.

Fortunately for the patient, the drill did not go up, because just a few millimeters of deviation could have caused damage to the eyeball or dangerous structures in the skull base.

With the support of a modern endoscopy system, the surgical team performed each operation with utmost care. After 40 minutes, the doctors removed the drill bit from the patient’s nasal cavity, the wound was cleaned, and the bleeding was stopped thoroughly.

The torn mucosal areas, especially the nasal turbinates, were meticulously sutured. At the same time, doctors used specialized biological hemostatic materials placed in the nasal cavity to support wound healing and prevent complications.

According to the patient's family, while operating a rock drill, Mr. T. suddenly had the drill bit pop out and hit him in the nose with great force. The accident caused the patient to fall into a state of pain, panic, and heavy bleeding.

Mr. T. tried to pull the foreign object out but failed and caused more bleeding. After receiving first aid at a lower-level medical facility, the patient was transferred to the Emergency Center - Thanh Hoa Provincial General Hospital.

After more than 1 week of intensive treatment, the patient recovered well, vital signs were stable and he was eligible for discharge./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thanh-hoa-cap-cuu-thanh-cong-benh-nhan-bi-mui-khoan-thep-dam-xuyen-hoc-mui-post1053903.vnp