Surgery to remove bullet fragments lodged in wounded soldier's arm for half a century

As a war invalid who fought in Quang Tri and the Southwest battlefield, and also a military doctor, for more than half a century, Mr. Nguy Dinh Quang (75 years old) still carries a war wound: a piece of shrapnel in his right arm.

Doctor examines Mr. Nguyen Dinh Quang at the hospital - Photo: BVCC

Viet Duc Friendship Hospital has just treated a doctor - wounded soldier Nguyen Dinh Quang (75 years old) who suffered a nerve injury in his right arm - where a piece of shrapnel from the war still remains, lasting for more than half a century.

Mr. Quang is a war invalid who fought in Quang Tri and the Southwest battlefield. After the war, he continued to study and work in the medical field as a military doctor.

Mr. Quang recounted that during a battle, he was hit by shrapnel in his right hand. Due to the harsh conditions of war, the wound was only treated temporarily. The remaining piece of metal gradually became a part of his body for decades.

In recent years, he has experienced numbness and weakness in his right arm, with increased pain when moving, seriously affecting his daily activities. After many visits to medical facilities, he chose Viet Duc Friendship Hospital - a leading unit in surgical surgery for treatment.

Here, he was prescribed surgery to relieve compression of the ulnar nerve in his right hand, performed by Dr. Nguyen Manh Khanh - Deputy Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital - and his team.

During the surgery, the doctors noted that the radial nerve was fibrotic, lost its shine, and collapsed. The team performed a dissection and completely released the nerve trunk. The metal foreign body was determined to be deep, near important structures, and did not cause direct compression, so it was not removed to ensure his safety.

The surgery took about 15 minutes and was performed quickly and accurately to minimize intervention because Mr. Quang was old and had a chronic underlying disease.

After surgery, his right hand motor function improved significantly, the patient recovered stably, without complications.

Doctor Khanh shared that there are cases that are not only medical but also stories of memory and trust.

"The patient who fought and healed others is now the one who needs healing. We are honored to accompany him on that journey.

On the occasion of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, July 27, the story of doctor and war invalid Nguyen Dinh Quang once again reminds us that the war may have ended, but both physical and mental wounds still need to be healed by today's medicine, with gratitude and responsibility," Dr. Khanh said emotionally.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phau-thuat-lay-manh-dan-gam-trong-canh-tay-nguoi-thuong-binh-suot-nua-the-ky-20250727102854481.htm