Clarifying the cause of surgical incidents of about 70 patients

On the evening of November 12, Quang Tri General Hospital held a press conference to inform about an incident related to a laparoscopic surgical wound that worried many patients and their families. After an urgent examination and investigation, the hospital's professional council determined that the cause was a rare type of bacteria called Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) that damaged the surgical wound.

Previously, from September to early October 2025, Quang Tri General Hospital recorded a number of patients returning for post-laparoscopic surgery with symptoms of swelling and prolonged discharge at the TROCA puncture site. Although their general condition was stable, no fever, and blood test results were normal, the surgical wound was slow to heal, causing concern for the patient and their family.

As soon as the abnormality was discovered, the Hospital Board of Directors held an emergency meeting, determined that this was an unexpected medical incident and implemented a series of urgent measures, temporarily stopping the operation of operating room No. 2 - where related surgeries were performed, thoroughly disinfecting the surgical area, changing the entire instrument sterilization process, switching from chemical treatment to centralized sterilization at the Infection Control Department.

Quang Tri General Hospital doctors examined a case of rare infection after laparoscopic appendectomy.

At the same time, highly specialized doctors were assigned to directly treat the patient, combining internal medicine and surgery, draining the lesion and closely monitoring the clinical progress. On October 25, 2025, the hospital established a Professional Council and invited infection control experts from the Vietnam Infection Control Association to assist.

On November 10, 2025, expert Tran Huu Luyen - Vice President of the Vietnam Infection Control Association - directly surveyed, analyzed the aseptic process and assessed the patient's injuries. The results showed that the symptoms in Quang Tri were similar to the surgical site infections recorded by Ha Giang Provincial General Hospital in 2013, when 92 patients were infected with Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) after laparoscopic surgery.

This is a slow-growing bacteria, difficult to detect by conventional testing and resistant to most common antibiotics, easily causing persistent damage at the surgical site. From the above conclusion, Quang Tri Provincial General Hospital has coordinated with Hue Central Hospital to develop a specialized treatment regimen, implemented for cases with surgical site damage.

At the same time, the hospital reviewed the entire infection control process, sterilization of instruments and operating room procedures, and established a patient care and support team to regularly visit, encourage and guide patients to follow up at home.

Leaders of Quang Tri General Hospital visited, encouraged, and provided financial support to patients with rare infections.

Speaking to CAND Newspaper reporters, specialist doctor Phan Xuan Nam - Director of Quang Tri General Hospital - said: "This is a rare medical incident, not due to professional errors of the surgeon. We have proactively provided transparent information, coordinated with leading experts to investigate, handle and ensure the highest safety for patients. Up to now, most patients have made good progress, the wounds are dry, no longer oozing. New infection control solutions have also been applied synchronously throughout the system, to absolutely prevent similar incidents in the future."

Immediately after detecting cases of re-examination due to endoscopic surgical wound infection, Quang Tri General Hospital reviewed all data to proactively handle the situation. From July to early October 2025, the hospital performed more than 500 endoscopic surgeries, of which about 70 patients showed symptoms of discharge, pain, and slow wound healing. To date, nearly 50 patients are being treated at Quang Tri General Hospital, the rest have been transferred or monitored as outpatients according to the doctor's instructions.

The Director of Quang Tri General Hospital said that the unit continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Health and leading experts to perfect the sterilization process, while maintaining care, monitoring and support for patients until they fully recover.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/lam-ro-nguyen-nhan-su-co-vet-mo-cua-khoang-70-benh-nhan-i787851/