Red alert activated to save life of patient stabbed in chest

SGGPO 03/30/2023 10:02

The on-duty team coordinated with many specialties from: Emergency Department, Anesthesia-Resuscitation Department, Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Abdominal Surgery Department, Surgical Resuscitation Department to quickly treat the injury of the patient who was stabbed in the chest.

Doctors are performing surgery on a patient. Photo: BVCC

On March 30, Military Hospital 175 ( Ministry of National Defense ) announced that it had just activated the red alert procedure (Code Red) for emergency surgery, saving the life of patient VVT (42 years old, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City) with 5 stab wounds to the left chest wall and right abdomen, with the small intestine and large omentum protruding.

The patient was transferred to the Emergency Department in a state of severe shock, lethargic, low blood pressure and stuck. Through a preliminary screening examination, doctors determined that the patient had 5 wounds in the chest and abdomen, suspected of having a heart wound.

Immediately, the "Code Red" alarm was activated. The patient was determined by the doctors to have a lot of blood, blood clots in the pericardial cavity from the laceration wound, a 3cm long right ventricular wall perforation, a pneumothorax in the left pleural cavity, a ruptured left internal mammary artery, 2 diaphragmatic perforations (1 2cm hole, 1 3cm hole). Intra-abdominal bleeding (2,000ml), a ruptured anterior pancreatic artery, 8 jejunal mesenteric tears, 14 small intestinal perforations, multiple perforations and crushing of the apple, a tear of the greater omentum, a tear of the splenic pedicle and spleen.

The doctors immediately performed emergency resuscitation measures and quickly transferred the patient to the operating room. The on-duty team coordinated with many departments from: Emergency Department, Anesthesia-Resuscitation Department, Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Abdominal Surgery Department, and Surgical Resuscitation Department to quickly treat the injury.

During surgery, nearly 6,000ml of blood and blood products were transfused.

After surgery, the patient received special care in the Department of Surgical Intensive Care. Currently, after 3 weeks of treatment, the patient has recovered and is ready to be discharged.

Red alert activated to save the life of a patient stabbed in the chest, photo 1

Doctor examining patient Photo: BVCC

According to Colonel, Dr. Tran Van Thao, Head of the Department of Digestive Surgery, the rate of heart injuries caused by leukemia received and treated at Military Hospital 175 is quite high (an average of about 6-10 cases per year), most cases can be saved if they come to the hospital in time.

"Thanks to the quick and effective coordination of the specialists, the surgery was a great success, the patient was "reborn" and returned to normal life," informed Colonel, Dr. Tran Van Thao.

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