A toothpick lodged in a teenager's heart leaves him in critical condition.

A 13-year-old patient underwent emergency surgery at Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City due to acute heart failure and pericardial effusion. During the surgery, doctors were surprised to discover a bamboo toothpick lodged in the child's heart.

On June 2nd, Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City announced that it had successfully treated a 13-year-old patient from Chu Pah commune, Gia Lai province, who suffered from pericardial effusion caused by a foreign object.

The child with RCK is currently being closely monitored at Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City.

At the end of April, K. was transferred to Ho Chi Minh City for emergency treatment in critical condition, suffering from respiratory failure, shock, acute heart failure, and purulent pericarditis.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, Deputy Head of the Cardiology Department at Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, the treatment team had to intubate the patient for mechanical ventilation, administer vasopressors, and use a combination of antibiotics.

Immediately afterward, the child was transferred for emergency surgery to relieve cardiac pressure. At this point, pus and pseudomembranes (inflammatory membranes) had enveloped the entire cardiac system, superior vena cava, and inferior vena cava.

During the surgery, the medical team unexpectedly discovered an intact bamboo toothpick lodged in the back of the right ventricle of the heart. This was the cause of bacterial invasion, leading to inflammation and pus accumulation in the pericardium.

After removing the foreign object, the medical team cleaned the abscess and administered high-dose antibiotics to control the situation.

The doctor examines the child with RCK.

Doctor Ngoc Phuong believes that the child likely choked on a bamboo toothpick beforehand. The foreign object traveled through the digestive tract and somehow pierced the right ventricle of the heart.

It also provided a pathway for bacteria to enter, causing pericardial effusion. However, neither the child nor their family knew when they had swallowed the foreign object.

Currently, the child has passed the critical stage and is being closely monitored by doctors. In the long term, the child is at risk of developing chronic heart disease such as constrictive pericarditis and will require regular follow-up examinations.

GIAO LINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tam-tre-gam-vao-tim-mot-thieu-nien-nguy-kich-post855611.html