16-year-old male student was stabbed through the neck with a 3-meter long iron bar

(Dan Tri) - While hanging out with friends on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a young man in Nghe An was stabbed by a 3m long iron bar that penetrated his head, face and neck. Doctors sawed off some of the iron and transferred the male patient to Viet Duc Hospital for emergency treatment.

On April 22, Viet Duc Hospital informed about a special case, doctors saved the life of a male student who was critically injured after being stabbed in the face by an iron bar.

Previously, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a 16-year-old male student in Nghe An , while hanging out with friends, was stabbed by a 3-meter-long iron bar through the head, face, and nape of the neck. The iron bar was firmly embedded in the face - an area where many important blood vessels and nerves are concentrated. If it were to deviate by just a few centimeters, the male student could have died on the spot.

After being taken to the provincial hospital for emergency treatment, doctors sawed off a part of the iron bar, fixed the foreign object, temporarily stopped the bleeding, and created safe conditions for transfer to another hospital.

A young man was taken to Viet Duc Hospital with an iron bar stuck through his head and into his face. After an hour-long surgery, the bar was safely removed (Photo: Ngoc Ngoc).

"However, transporting the patient was extremely difficult because the foreign object had penetrated the patient's head and neck, making it impossible for the patient to lie flat or tilt his head back during the entire 300-kilometer journey to Hanoi to avoid bleeding or further injury," the doctor informed.

Upon being taken to Viet Duc Hospital, doctors determined that the 50cm long iron bar was still stuck in the patient's face.

CT scan images show that the foreign object went from the tip of the nose through the hard palate, right alveolar bone, neck base and then through the back of the neck - the path of the foreign object is extremely dangerous and can damage large blood vessels causing massive bleeding or permanent facial paralysis.

That very night, Viet Duc Hospital activated the internal red alert, mobilizing many specialties such as Maxillofacial Surgery - Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Anesthesia - Resuscitation, Spinal Surgery, Cardiovascular - Thoracic and Diagnostic Imaging to consult together to find the best treatment plan.

After consultation, the doctors decided to perform emergency surgery to remove the foreign object penetrating the face and neck area. Because the foreign object penetrated the face, lodged in the mouth, causing the jawbone to shatter and bleeding profusely, the Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery specialists had to proactively open the trachea to control the airway to facilitate anesthesia and resuscitation for the patient.

Meanwhile, the cardiovascular surgical team exposed and controlled the right carotid artery while the Maxillofacial and Plastic surgeons removed the foreign object and treated the patient's maxillofacial wound.

The male patient has overcome the crisis and is continuing to be monitored at Viet Duc Hospital (Photo: Ngoc Ngoc).

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Ha, Head of the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery - Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, said that when removing the iron bar, doctors must be careful with every millimeter, after completely controlling the patient's hemodynamics.

" Just a small deviation can cause a large blood vessel to rupture or damage the patient's facial nerve.

After a surgery lasting more than an hour, the doctors safely removed the foreign object, preserving the maximum anatomical structure and function of the facial area - where many important nerves and sensory organs are concentrated. Thanks to that, the patient not only escaped "death's door" but also had the opportunity to recover almost completely in terms of aesthetics and facial motor function," Associate Professor Ha informed.

Doctors said this was an "extremely lucky" case, because if the iron bar had been off by just a few centimeters, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

MSc. Dr. To Tuan Linh, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery - Plastic and Aesthetics recommends: "In case of an accident with a foreign object penetrating the neck and face area, absolutely do not remove the foreign object immediately at the scene. First aid is needed to temporarily fix the foreign object and take the victim immediately to a medical facility with full expertise in the fields of anesthesia, resuscitation and surgery."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/nam-sinh-16-tuoi-bi-thanh-sat-dai-3m-dam-xuyen-tu-dau-qua-gay-20251022105200189.htm