Dagger forgotten for 11 years in police officer's back

This blade was embedded in the patient's body during a crime raid in 2007. The patient himself was unaware of the presence of this blade in his body.

Doctors at Hanoi General Hospital perform surgery on a patient. Photo: Hoang Yen

On April 9, patient Nguyen Ba Truong Nam (34 years old, Truong Thi, Vinh City) was hospitalized with symptoms of sharp pain in many areas of the back after participating in a sports competition.

Through examination and X-ray images, doctors and patients were extremely surprised and astonished to discover the image of a long, thin metal foreign object lying diagonally across the lumbar spine.

Looking back at his memories, the patient recalled a time 11 years ago: During a fight to arrest a criminal at Cho Chua, Thanh Chuong district, Mr. Nam and another colleague were seriously injured. Mr. Nam was injured in the head and had 3 deep stab wounds in the shoulder, thigh and back causing massive bleeding. Mr. Nam had to be admitted to the district hospital for first aid and transferred to the Provincial Police Infirmary for further treatment. After a period of intensive treatment, he recovered his health and was assessed as having a 30% disability.

The foreign object removed was a dagger blade. Photo: Hoang Yen

For the past 11 years, he had not known about the existence of the “strange guest” in his body. Determining that the blade in Mr. Nam’s body had been in his body for a long time and could cause dangerous complications, the doctor of the Spinal Neurosurgery Department ordered the patient to have surgery to remove the foreign object immediately.

This 13cm long dagger blade is rusty. Photo: Hoang Yen

Master Hoang Kim Tuan, Deputy Head of Spinal Neurosurgery Department, said: “The blade is in a dangerous position, close to the abdominal aorta. If the patient moves vigorously, it can move, causing damage to the blood vessels, affecting their life quickly. In addition, the rust on the knife can cause abscesses and infections later. Fortunately, the patient was discovered and the foreign object was successfully removed.”