Improving training and burn treatment in the new situation

In recent years, Le Huu Trac National Burn Hospital (Military Medical Academy) has made strong progress in training, specialized treatment of burns and plastic surgery; many modern techniques have been deployed and applied effectively to burn patients.

Reporter of People's Army Newspaper talked with Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Nhu Lam, Director of the Hospital about this content.

Reporter: Could you please tell us about the current situation of burn accidents in our country and in the Army?

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Major General, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Lam.

Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Nhu Lam: Burns are common accidents in daily life, production, training, combat... According to research by authorities, the number of burn victims in our country ranks second after traffic accidents, with about 20,000-25,000 cases/year; of which, 2/3 of the victims are severely burned and must be treated at medical facilities. Burn accidents are caused by many reasons. For the Army, the cause of burns is often due to accidents during training or while on combat duty. For forces on combat duty, the risk of burn accidents is always high.

PV: As the national final hospital for burn treatment, to what extent does the hospital currently meet its mission requirements?

Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Nhu Lam: In recent years, the hospital has been invested in relatively modern and synchronous facilities; has a spacious campus, and a system of patient rooms built to meet the standards for treating severe burn patients. The hospital owns many modern equipment for emergency and treatment of burn patients, such as: Ventilators, blood filters, high-pressure oxygen chambers, cell culture labs, etc. The hospital has two intensive care units to treat severe burn patients, which is very convenient for anti-infection work.

In terms of human resources, the Hospital has a team of doctors with basic training, good foreign language skills, the ability to update the progress of world medicine and master advanced techniques in treatment. The Hospital also has close relationships with many organizations and burn centers in the region and the world, so the exchange of knowledge, experience, and training cooperation is always timely. It can be affirmed that the level of treatment of burn patients of the Hospital meets the requirements of the task, equivalent to the level in the region and approaching the level of developed countries.

PV: Can you tell us about the outstanding results in treating burn patients recently?

Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Nhu Lam: The hospital's treatment results have been steadily improving every year. The hospital has always updated and mastered advanced techniques for treating severe burn patients, such as anti-shock, early intestinal nutrition, early necrosis removal tactics within the first 72 hours and techniques such as: Allogeneic and xenograft skin grafting; micro-skin grafting combined with continuous negative pressure suction; autologous skin cell culture to treat patients with extensive deep burns; artificial ventilation; hemofiltration to treat septic shock; bronchial lavage to treat severe respiratory burns... The hospital has successfully treated many patients with extensive burns up to 96% of the body surface, deep burns up to 70% of the body surface, patients with very severe respiratory burns, patients with severe complications such as septic shock...

In particular, the Hospital has successfully implemented emergency and mass burn treatment cases, saving the lives of many seriously ill patients and patients with combined respiratory burns. In the local treatment of burn injuries, modern measures have been applied to shorten wound healing time and reduce complications. The Hospital has also successfully treated patients with extensive skin damage due to other diseases such as trauma, skin loss accidents, patients with chronic wounds that are difficult to heal, etc.

PV: What outstanding results have the Hospital achieved in training, sir?

Major General, Professor, Doctor Nguyen Nhu Lam: Along with treatment, the hospital has the task of training medical human resources in the field of burns, cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery nationwide. The hospital has a Department of Burns and Disaster Medicine, a Department of Cosmetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, with a team of high-quality lecturers, training undergraduate and postgraduate students and medical staff specializing in burns nationwide at all levels from university, specialized orientation, specialist 1 and 2, master, doctor. Both departments have completed the training program and curriculum for subjects according to output standards...

In addition to centralized training, the Hospital regularly participates in training and guidance work; sends staff to most provinces and cities to train and transfer techniques in burn treatment and cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery to medical staff in the national burn treatment network; regularly opens training courses and grants certificates of continuing medical training in person or online on burn treatment, disaster medicine and cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery to military and civilian doctors.

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Le Huu Trac National Burn Hospital applies microsurgery techniques in total facial reconstruction surgery due to burn sequelae. Photo: HOANG TUAN

PV: Sir, in the coming time, what will the training and treatment work of the Hospital focus on?

Major General, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Lam: Vietnam is a developing country, so the research and development of prevention and treatment methods for burn patients is still very urgent. In the coming time, regarding treatment, the Hospital will continue to research and develop advanced measures in emergency and treatment combined with updating the specialties of anesthesia, resuscitation, pediatrics, and geriatrics to coordinate the treatment of burn patients; develop cell culture technology, hospital infection prevention strategies for burn patients, and skin substitute materials according to world trends to treat patients with deep and extensive burns; build and arrange negative pressure and one-way rooms, and personalize rooms to increase the ability to save the lives of severely burned patients.

The hospital continues to train and build a team of medical staff in the national burn treatment network with sufficient numbers and specialized expertise to meet the requirements of the mission. Actively open continuous training courses; promote the development of disaster medicine to train subjects in order to build a health system that responds to disasters according to world trends. At the same time, request a mechanism for postgraduate training for civilian doctors to train a team of high-quality medical staff nationwide in burns, disaster medicine, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.

PV: Thank you very much, comrade!

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/nang-tam-dao-tao-dieu-tri-bong-trong-tinh-hinh-moi-763765

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