Khanh Hoa General Hospital: Strengthening high technology in pediatric surgery

Along with promoting investment in modern equipment and specialized training, in recent times, Khanh Hoa General Hospital has received and mastered many advanced techniques from higher levels, especially in the field of pediatric surgery. The above success not only opens up life opportunities for many children with congenital diseases, but also marks the development of the province's health sector.

Improving treatment capacity

After 1 day of birth (October 10, 2025) at Khanh Hoa General Hospital, Ms. Vo Thi Kieu M.'s child (Suoi Hiep commune) was discovered to have congenital esophageal atresia, unable to breastfeed, and severe respiratory failure. The hospital's doctors quickly consulted and determined that early surgery was needed to save the baby. However, due to poor health, the patient was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for mechanical ventilation and intravenous nutrition, and was also comprehensively screened. The screening results showed that the child had congenital esophageal atresia; the lower end of the esophagus connected to the trachea, causing severe pneumonia and mild heart failure. After two days of intensive treatment, a team of doctors and nurses from many different departments, with the support of Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Nam - a pediatric surgeon (USA), successfully performed surgery to remove the esophageal catheter into the trachea for the child; at the same time, reconnected the two ends of the esophagus at the atrophied part. After receiving special care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 3 days after surgery, the baby recovered well and breastfed on his own. “When he was born, all the milk he took in came back out. When my husband and I learned that he had to undergo surgery to save his life, we were very scared. Now, when I hold and breastfeed my baby after surgery, I am very happy. Thank you to the medical team who treated my baby,” Ms. M. said emotionally.

The medical team and surgeons saved the life of a 4-day-old baby with esophageal atresia under the guidance of Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Nam.

Also during the transfer from Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Nam, the hospital's medical team successfully performed laparoscopic surgery to remove a common bile duct cyst for baby HQN (20 months old, Cam Lam commune). This is a rare congenital malformation with an incidence rate of 1/1,000 children. In this disease, part or all of the child's bile duct is abnormally dilated. If not operated on early, it can cause serious complications for the child, such as pancreatitis, biliary tract infection, and even lead to cancer if the disease persists. Ms. Nguyen Thi H. - baby N.'s mother said: "Before being hospitalized, the baby had symptoms of jaundice, abdominal pain, and yellow stools and urine. When admitted to the hospital, the baby was diagnosed with a congenital common bile duct cyst. After being consulted, I agreed to operate on the baby. After surgery, the baby recovered quickly, ate and walked normally" - Ms. H. shared.

Dr. Nguyen Minh Duc - Department of General Surgery, Khanh Hoa General Hospital - who participated in the above two surgeries said: "For newborns and young children, each surgery is a race against time, requiring concentration, experience and absolute coordination of the entire team. In newborns, the organs and blood vessels are very small, so the surgery must be meticulous and precise to avoid damaging neighboring organs."

In addition to esophageal atresia surgery and choledochal cyst removal, recently, the team of doctors from the General Surgery Department, Khanh Hoa General Hospital has also successfully performed many other complicated pediatric surgeries, such as: anal reconstruction, laparoscopic splenectomy, cryptorchidism, urethral reconstruction, congenital aneurysm...

Promote high-tech applications

The above results are thanks to the cooperation and systematic training strategy between Khanh Hoa General Hospital and leading experts at home and abroad; especially with Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Nam - Keck School of Medicine (Southern California, USA), Head of the Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery - Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Through many direct support, guidance, and technical transfer from him, the hospital's medical team has successfully performed many difficult surgeries for children with complex congenital malformations, opening up the chance of life for many children who were once considered "incurable".

The baby's health is stable after surgery.

According to specialist II Nguyen Thanh Ton - Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa General Hospital, pediatric surgery is a difficult specialty, requiring deep knowledge and solid skills. In recent times, in addition to receiving techniques from higher levels, from domestic and foreign experts, the hospital has also received special attention from the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Health in investing in modern medical equipment, sending doctors to train in specialties, including pediatric surgery. Previously, complicated cases in children such as: esophageal atresia, choledochal cyst, anal malformations... had to be transferred to higher levels for treatment, causing costs for families, but now the hospital has been able to do so. In particular, the rate of endoscopic surgery for pediatric patients reached 60 - 70%/number of surgeries; the rate of referral in the past 5 years has decreased by more than 50%. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Ton affirmed: “In the development orientation, the hospital will continue to send doctors for specialized training at Children's Hospital 1, Children's Hospital 2, Children's Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City; at the same time, continue to invite domestic and foreign experts to train and transfer techniques on-site. The hospital aims to improve the capacity to perform endoscopic surgery for newborns a few days old and help children in the province to access modern services right in the locality. This also aims to contribute to the goal of building Khanh Hoa General Hospital to become a regional hospital in the South Central Coast region."

With the successful implementation of difficult techniques in pediatric surgery, Khanh Hoa General Hospital not only brings life to many children with complex congenital diseases, but also affirms the growing medical capacity of the locality.

C.DAN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/y-te-suc-khoe/202510/benh-vien-da-khoa-khanh-hoa-tang-cuong-ky-thuat-cao-nganh-ngoai-nhi-7e31b1a/