Doctor shudders as he removes 30 maggots from patient's neck
The patient's family noticed a foul smell coming from his neck and rushed him to the hospital. When they opened the wound, the doctor discovered a nest of maggots inside.
An ENT doctor at a provincial hospital said that patient Nguyen Van Thanh, 78 years old, residing in Dong Trieu district - Uong Bi, had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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| The doctor removed 30 maggots from the patient's neck. |
Mr. Thanh had difficulty breathing due to tracheal stenosis, so he had a tracheostomy, a catheter placed, and was treated at home.
Although the family had been instructed on how to clean the catheter, partly due to carelessness and partly due to fear of causing pain to the patient, they only cleaned the outside. Only when the catheter base began to ooze foul-smelling yellow fluid did the family rush the patient to the hospital.
While cleaning the wound and changing the patient's dressing, the doctor found that the infection was quite severe and maggots had nested there. Surprisingly, the doctors were able to remove more than 30 maggots. The patient is currently being monitored and treated at the hospital's ENT department.
Through this case, Dr. Huyen noted that for patients with a tracheostomy and catheter placement, it is necessary to change the bandage and wash the tracheostomy wound once a day.
When cleaning, it is necessary to observe the surrounding skin, check the color and nature of the mucus in the tracheostomy tube.
After cleaning, cover the tracheostomy tube with a damp gauze pad to prevent dirt and foreign objects from entering the airway.
When the patient has symptoms of high fever, difficulty breathing, severe cough, increased mucus or pus, blood, tracheostomy tube slipping or falling out, the skin around the trachea is swollen, hot, red, painful, bleeding, pus... then it is necessary to go to the hospital for a follow-up examination by a doctor.
