Child dies after being treated with razor blades.

On June 27th, news from the National Children's Hospital reported that a 10-year-old boy died from sepsis, multiple organ failure, and drug poisoning due to his family's self-administration of unverified herbal medicine and attempts at folk remedies involving razor blade incisions to expel toxic blood from his body. Despite the doctors' best efforts to save him, the child passed away.

Despite intensive treatment efforts, the child passed away.

According to Dr. Hoang Kim Lam, Head of the Intensive Care Unit at the National Children's Hospital, eight days prior to admission, the child developed a cough, fever, cold extremities, shortness of breath, and fatigue at home. The family bought a dried medicinal herb (of unknown origin) from the market, chopped it up, and brewed it into a decoction for the child to drink. They also attempted folk remedies, such as using a razor blade to make small incisions on the child's body to treat the illness. Seeing no improvement, the family took the child to a district-level hospital, then to a provincial-level hospital for treatment. There, the child exhibited symptoms including fever, fatigue, jaundice, yellowing of the sclera, edema of both eyelids, abdominal distension, liver and kidney failure, respiratory failure, and anuria. The child was then transferred to the National Children's Hospital for treatment, requiring manual ventilation via endotracheal tube.

At the National Children's Hospital, the child was diagnosed with sepsis and multiple organ failure. The child received intensive treatment including respiratory support, shock management, broad-spectrum antibiotics, continuous hemodialysis, and intensive care. Despite the doctors' best efforts, the child did not respond to treatment and died after one day in the hospital.

Associate Professor Dr. Ta Anh Tuan – Head of the Intensive Care Unit at the National Children's Hospital – shared that treating children by using razor blades to squeeze (or cut) blood is a completely unscientific method, and parents or caregivers should absolutely not do this. “Such methods are both ineffective and life-threatening for children due to blood loss and the destruction of the body's natural bacterial barrier, allowing bacteria to directly enter the body and cause blood infections. Furthermore, this delay in bringing the child to the hospital and wastes the crucial time for saving the child's life,” Dr. Ta Anh Tuan stated.

Doctors advise that parents should consult a doctor before using any medication or treatment for their children. Parents should not, out of impatience, follow advice or advertisements about medications of unknown origin or unscientific treatment methods, as this can lead to unpredictable complications and even death. When noticing any unusual symptoms in their child, the most important thing parents should do is quickly take the child to a specialized medical facility for examination and timely treatment.

VIET THANH

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