Fetal cardiac intervention honored as Vietnamese medical achievement

The transuterine cardiac catheterization technique to save the life of a fetus with severe heart defects performed by the team at Nhi Dong 1 and Tu Du Hospital was honored as one of the 12 medical achievements of Vietnam in 2023.

The award was presented by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Radio on the night of February 26, on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of Vietnam Doctors' Day. This is the fourth consecutive year that Vietnam Medical Achievements has honored advanced, modern medical works, applications of high technology and techniques by medical staff in health care and treatment of people.

Sharing at the ceremony, Dr. Do Nguyen Tin, Head of the Cardiovascular Intervention Unit, Children's Hospital 1, said that the team had worked together and tried hard for a long time to achieve this success, because this is a complex technique.

According to Dr. Trinh Nhut Thu Huong, Head of the Prenatal Care Department, Tu Du Hospital, having prepared for more than a year with "blood and fire", determined to perform the new technique, when it was time to perform the first surgery, the team faced many worries.

"I'm worried because there is no legal framework to protect me, I'm worried because I don't know if I will succeed or fail because the technique is so new, and what to do if there is an accident," said Dr. Huong.

There were times when the fetus's health was getting worse and worse, but the pregnant woman's faith gave the team more motivation and determination to succeed. The moment Dr. Tin dilated the heart valve, the whole team burst into tears. Then came the stages when the pregnant woman reached the end of her pregnancy, the baby cried out at birth and was discharged from the hospital healthy, and the doctors and nurses experienced many happy emotions.

Doctors from Tu Du and Nhi Dong 1 hospitals in the first fetal heart intervention. Photo: Provided by the hospital

This project was specially selected to compete for the Vietnam Medical Achievement Award 2023, as it was the first time it was performed in Vietnam, taking place in January 2024. To date, the teams of the two hospitals have performed the first two fetal heart interventions in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The third is expected to be performed at the end of this month. This technique requires great skill from the doctor, and is currently only performed in a few places in the world .

This year, some other projects were honored such as 30-year journey to reduce tetanus mortality rate (Hospital for Tropical Diseases), Speech therapy to restore communication after stroke (An Binh Hospital), Fertility preservation surgery in cervical cancer (Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital), Intervention for vascular malformations using alcohol injection (Gia Dinh People's Hospital), Neurophysiology center for care from stroke to depression ( 175 Military Hospital ), Surgery to treat otosclerosis (Ho Chi Minh City Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital), Reducing the risk of intubation and treatment costs in very premature infants with the golden hour protocol (Tam Anh General Hospital)...

Representatives of 12 hospitals whose projects were honored at the Vietnam Medical Achievement Awards 2023. Photo: VOH

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc said that these achievements have contributed to improving the quality of specialized healthcare, building an advanced and modern Ho Chi Minh City healthcare system, aiming to become a healthcare center in the ASEAN region.

According to Mr. Duc, the award not only adds to the fire of encouragement for doctors with medical innovations but also represents a deep gratitude from society to the white coat team. Doctors are fighting for lives every day, every hour, every time, everywhere, not only in the moment of life and death, but also helping each person have more days to overcome illness, live healthy, and live positively./.

VnExpress.net

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