Saving the life of a teenager who was stabbed in the heart with a pitchfork

According to doctors, when he was taken to the emergency room, the foreign object was still stuck in the teenager's body, beating with each heartbeat, threatening his life at any time.

X-ray and CT scans showed that the foreign object had not only penetrated the back of the left shoulder but also penetrated the tissue of the upper lobe of the left lung, penetrating the lateral wall of the left ventricle of the heart, causing a hemopericardium - an extremely serious injury. The patient was taken to the emergency operating room.

The teenager was admitted to hospital in critical condition.

Dr. Nguyen Van Dan - Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Viet Duc Hospital said that during the surgery, doctors opened the chest and found that the pericardial cavity had about 150 grams of blood clots caused by a foreign object causing a wound in the left ventricular wall. When opening the pleura for examination, it was discovered that the foreign object had also penetrated the left lung parenchyma, causing hemothorax. The patient's total blood loss was estimated at about 500-600ml - a dangerous amount for a young body.

The surgery was difficult, and the doctors were forced to change the position of the heart during the operation. This caused the patient's blood pressure and pulse to fluctuate continuously. The surgery required extremely smooth, precise, and careful coordination from the entire team.

The teenager is gradually recovering after surgery.

After surgery, the patient was conscious and did not require cardiac or vasopressor medications – the first positive signs after a life-and-death battle. The young man continued to receive intensive care, antibiotics to prevent infection, and early physical therapy 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. The timely detection and treatment by doctors saved the young man's life.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/cuu-song-thieu-nien-bi-dinh-ba-dam-vao-tim-nguy-kich--i766848/