Nearly died from septic shock from a small scratch.

In Tay Ninh , a 55-year-old man accidentally scraped his lower leg against a nail, causing a scratch. Overnight, the swelling spread, leading to septic shock and putting his life in danger.

On June 14th, representatives from Xuyen A General Hospital in Tay Ninh stated that the patient was admitted in a state of fatigue and shortness of breath, with a rapid pulse, low blood pressure, and a laceration extending from the lower leg down to the foot with multiple swollen and red patches.

According to his family, the night before admission, the patient accidentally scratched his left leg by a nail. Because the wound was small and simple, he did not go to a medical facility for examination or tetanus vaccination. A day later, the wound became swollen and inflamed, progressing rapidly, and the patient became very weak, so his family took him to the emergency room.

Upon examination, the medical team diagnosed the man with septic shock and toxic infection from a wound on his left lower leg, causing acute kidney injury. Specifically, the patient had been using corticosteroids for a long time and had a Cushing's syndrome (endocrine and metabolic disorder), allowing the infection to flare up, causing cellulitis that spread throughout the lower leg and resulting in sepsis.

"The patient's condition deteriorated very rapidly and severely; any delay could have resulted in death from septic shock and poisoning," said Dr. Nguyen Tan Phat, Head of the Intensive Care Unit.

After a day of intensive treatment, the patient's condition gradually stabilized, kidney function recovered, and the surgeon incised the abscess, cleaned the drainage tube, and removed the pus.

The patient is receiving post-operative care. Photo: Provided by the hospital. — The patient is receiving post-operative care. Photo: *Provided by the hospital.*

According to Dr. Phat, the hospital has recently successfully treated many critical cases of septic shock resulting from wounds such as skin abrasions and cuts from sharp objects on the hands and feet during daily activities and work. Most of these wounds were not properly treated initially or were ignored by patients who thought they were not serious, leading to infection and life-threatening consequences.

Doctors advise that to avoid the risk of infection, if injured, people should go to a medical facility for assessment and treatment, as well as receive timely tetanus vaccination. In particular, it is necessary to go to the hospital immediately if infection appears, evidenced by symptoms such as non-healing wounds, swelling, redness, and severe inflammation accompanied by pus or unusual discharge.

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