A memorable New Year's Eve

(Baonghean) - On the afternoon of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year, Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, 31 years old, from Cua Nam ward, Vinh City, went into labor and was admitted to the Obstetrics Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital to give birth. This was Ms. Dung's third pregnancy, and all her pre-natal indicators were good, so the doctors decided to allow her to have a natural delivery.

On New Year's Eve, when the baby, weighing 3.5 kg and healthy, was born, Ms. Dung's condition unexpectedly worsened, showing signs of postpartum hemorrhage and uterine atony. Immediately, the medical team reported the incident to the hospital's Board of Directors and invited the resuscitation, anesthesiology, and obstetrics and pediatrics specialists on duty during the holiday to an emergency consultation. The patient was diagnosed with postpartum hemorrhage due to uterine atony, a condition with a very high mortality rate. At this point, the patient was cyanotic, pulse was undetectable, and blood pressure was unmeasurable. Immediately, the obstetrics team performed an emergency hysterectomy, with the anesthesiologists and resuscitation specialists assisting in resuscitation while the obstetricians performed the surgery.

The patient's vital signs were extremely critical; her red blood cell count was only 1 million, compared to the normal range of 3 million to 3.5 million. The patient was severely anemic and required an emergency blood transfusion. The pregnant woman had blood type A, which isn't rare, but it was the Lunar New Year holiday, and the blood bank was running low, insufficient to treat the patient. At this time, the Nghe An Blood Transfusion and Hematology Center immediately supplied 20 units of blood. The hospital's management also immediately appealed to medical staff with the same blood type to donate blood to save the patient. After testing, four doctors and nurses on duty during the holiday met the requirements and donated blood urgently.

After more than two hours of blood transfusions, total hysterectomy, and hemostasis techniques, the surgery was finally successful, but the patient still required special monitoring. Three teams of obstetricians, pediatricians, resuscitation specialists, and anesthesiologists, along with six nurses, stayed by the patient's side, closely monitoring her vital signs. "At that time, the situation was very tense; everyone was intently watching the patient's condition, oblivious to the time, even forgetting about New Year's Eve. Around 2 a.m., when the patient's condition began to stabilize, the entire team could finally breathe a sigh of relief and wish each other a Happy New Year," Dr. Ta Quynh Anh recalled that special moment.

By 7:00 AM on the first day of Tet (Lunar New Year), the patient began to regain consciousness and was weaned off the ventilator. At this time, the doctors and nurses had finished their shift, completed the handover, and began to rest after a sleepless night saving lives. Currently, the patient is waiting to be discharged, and the baby is also chubby and very well-behaved.

Young resident doctor Ta Thi Quynh Anh shared, “Seeing my colleagues holding balloons and lying on chairs to donate blood right at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, I felt very proud. Sacrifice and sharing with patients at all times and in all circumstances is one of the beautiful aspects of our medical profession. Certainly, New Year's Eve 2015 will be a beautiful memory in my life as a doctor.”

Sharing the same feeling of excitement and pride for saving a patient's life, anesthesiologist Nguyen Canh Hao, 27 years old, said that during that emergency, he, one technician, two anesthesia technicians, and other doctors and nurses didn't think about New Year's Eve. Only when he looked at the monitor and saw the vital signs gradually stabilizing, and the digital clock showed 0:00 AM, did he realize he had turned another year older. "There's nothing more joyful than contributing to saving a patient's life during this sacred moment," Dr. Hao shared. Meanwhile, Dr. Ngo Thi Ha, from the Respiratory Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, one of the doctors who directly donated blood to save the pregnant woman suffering from postpartum hemorrhage, affirmed that what she and her colleagues did was perfectly normal, as it's a regular practice for medical professionals.

Nguyen Khoa