Saving the life of a victim shot through the heart

(Baonghean.vn)- While in the forest, Mr. Hai had an accident with a flintlock gun, the bullet penetrated his heart, the risk of death is very high.

On August 17, after 3 days of "life and death" emergency surgery, Mr. Vi Van Hai, a patient with severe heart trauma, gradually recovered. Previously, in the early morning of August 15, Nghe An General Hospital received emergency treatment for patient Vi Van Hai (1981, Mon Son, Con Cuong), who was admitted with a gunshot wound from the back, penetrating the heart, causing severe heart damage, pale mucous membranes, difficulty breathing, rapid shallow breathing, cardiovascular collapse, and a very high prognosis for death.

Doctor Tran Minh Long, head of the Department of Surgical Resuscitation, examines patient Vi Van Hai after surgery.

Immediately, doctors from the Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery and Emergency Departments conducted a consultation and performed a 64-slice CT scan on the patient, discovering a piece of metal (bullet) lodged in the heart, between the left and right ventricles (interventricular septum). The patient was bleeding continuously, causing a large amount of hematoma in the left pleural cavity.

After consultation, the hospital decided to perform emergency surgery because the risk of death increased by the hour. The patient was quickly given open heart surgery using an extracorporeal circulation system. The surgery lasted 4 hours, the Anesthesia and Resuscitation team, and the Cardiothoracic Surgery team explored the heart chambers, removed a 0.5x0.6 cm piece of metal, sutured the tear to stop bleeding, and restored the heart chambers of patient Hai. During the surgery, the hospital had to transfuse the patient with 1250ml of blood.

The bullet was removed from the patient's heart.

After surgery, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Department of Surgical Resuscitation in a stable condition, hemodynamic parameters were controlled, and heart function was well maintained. “Patient Vi Van Hai was on a ventilator for about 15 hours after surgery. During the post-operative resuscitation process, the patient experienced an episode of acute heart failure, so we quickly gave the patient cardiac support drugs. By yesterday morning, August 16, the patient was stable, so we removed the ventilator, the patient was breathing well on his own, and hemodynamic parameters were good. The results of hematological and biochemical tests within normal limits showed that the maintenance of liver and kidney function during surgery was carried out effectively with the extracorporeal circulation system.” - Master, Doctor Tran Minh Long, Head of the Department of Surgical Resuscitation, commented.

Up to now, patient Vi Van Hai has started to move lightly, eat normally by mouth, has little pain, breathes quite comfortably; no fever; blood pressure is well controlled and gradually returning to stability; tests are within normal limits so the chest drain will soon be removed.

It is known that patient Hai had an accident while carrying a flintlock gun into the forest.

Hoang Yen