Speaking to Dan Tri reporter on the morning of May 30, Dr. Do Nguyen Tin, Head of the Cardiovascular Intervention Unit, Children's Hospital 1, said that he and his colleagues had just received an emotional message from Ms. KWS (41 years old, Singaporean nationality) and her husband.
This is the patient in a special fetal intervention that took place in Ho Chi Minh City recently.
Heartfelt thanks from the mother who "cried 3 times"
The original text of the "letter" (roughly translated into Vietnamese) is as follows:
“Doctor, we are truly grateful for everyone’s dedication, efforts and unwavering support throughout this journey. Even though the baby’s condition was very serious and unfavorable, the doctors never gave up on us.
This experience will stay in our hearts forever. Words cannot express our gratitude to the amazing medical team in Vietnam. Thank you so much!”
A Singaporean couple sent a thank you letter to the doctor who saved their child (Photo: Doctor).
According to Dr. Tin, after receiving the above lines, he felt very happy because of the trust of patients in him and his colleagues at Children's Hospital 1 and Tu Du Hospital.
But to get the initial sweet fruit, the team of doctors and nurses had a difficult journey, with nerve-wracking moments and emotional changes of the patient.
Because this is the most difficult case among the 9 fetal heart interventions performed so far, when there are many unfavorable factors related to gestational age, heart anatomy and fetal position.
Doctor Tin recalled that during the first intervention on May 22, he and his team of more than 20 people from Obstetrics, Cardiology, Ultrasound, Anesthesia and Resuscitation were on duty and put in a lot of determination. But for more than 2 hours, despite trying everything, the doctors could not change the position of the fetus to intervene.
It seems that at this time, the fetus "just wants to lie still, not wanting anyone to approach". To avoid affecting the health of mother and baby, the team temporarily stopped the intervention, under the close direction of Associate Professor Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
Because of the failure once, in the second intervention on May 28, the pressure on Dr. Tin and his colleagues increased.
“We explained to the patient and her family that if this time was not successful, we would stop and transfer the patient back to the hospital in Singapore. The second intervention is always more worrying than the first because we cannot know the results, and it is not certain that it will be better. But fortunately, everything went smoothly.
The main thing is that the patient is determined to do it, accepts all the risks, and the baby cannot wait any longer.
I remember before the procedure, the patient just bowed her head and cried because she was worried. When the first intervention failed, she cried too. And when the intervention was successful, she cried again, but they were probably tears of happiness,” Dr. Do Nguyen Tin recalled the patient’s three tears.
Lucky and special number 9
Specialist Doctor 2 Tao Tuan Kiet, Head of the Department of Anesthesia and Resuscitation, Tu Du Hospital, said that after 9 fetal heart catheterization interventions, he and his colleagues have gradually matured in the aspect of anesthesia.
Specifically, the anesthetist's job is not simply to keep the mother still and create a quiet operating room, but this procedure requires maintaining the mother's hemodynamic stability, to help ensure good hemodynamics for the baby.
“Our task is to adjust the anesthesia method, choosing the most stable one, so that the fetal intervention team can have the most peace. In this case, if we do not intervene immediately, the fetal heart in the womb will have hypoplasia, and perhaps the baby will die next week,” Dr. Kiet shared.
Doctors during fetal heart catheterization intervention for a Singaporean pregnant woman (Photo: Hospital).
Specialist 2 Doctor Tran Ngoc Hai, Director of Tu Du Hospital, commented that the recent case was fetal heart catheterization number 9 - a "lucky number 9" and special.
Because among the successful cases, this is the case with the longest operation time, twice as long as the previous case, and the procedure was performed twice. Next, this is the first foreign patient, a Singaporean, to come to Vietnam to perform fetal heart catheterization.
This is also the smallest fetus (25 weeks and 6 days), with the smallest and most complex heart.
“I witnessed the entire crew of more than 20 people burst into tears with emotion. I also felt the emotion of the patient’s husband, when he hugged us, thanked us and cried.
The greatest success in medicine is keeping the promise to the patient. We were determined to do it and had to do it to save the baby's life," said Dr. Tran Ngoc Hai.
Director of Tu Du Hospital encouraged and congratulated the mother (Photo: BV).
According to Dr. Do Nguyen Tin, the success of this case is a bright spot in the field of fetal medicine in the country. He hopes that the fetal heart catheterization technique can be expanded and routinely performed in all medical facilities from the South to the North, bringing more hope for life to children and happiness to families.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the fact that a leading Singaporean hospital proactively referred patients to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment is not only a belief in its professional capacity, but also a recognition by the ASEAN region for the high level of technology in the field of fetal medicine in Vietnam.
This success is the result of a thorough investment process and close coordination between two end-line hospitals in the Southern region.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health recognized and commended the team of experts, technicians, and nurses of Tu Du Hospital and Children's Hospital 1 for their tireless efforts to master advanced fetal intervention techniques, saving the lives of tiny creatures in the womb.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/ba-lan-khoc-cua-san-phu-singapore-sang-tphcm-cuu-con-va-so-9-may-man-20250530120601861.htm
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