Almost died after 7 days of high fever

With a fever of 39-40 degrees Celsius, Ms. Dung, 44 years old, Hanoi, self-treated at home but did not improve. By the time she had difficulty breathing and was admitted to the hospital, she was in a coma, had severe respiratory failure, and was at high risk of death.

Present at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases on June 2, Mr. Son, Mrs. Dung's son, could not help but be moved when his mother was completely healthy and could be discharged from the hospital, something he had never thought of half a month ago.

Initially, she only had a fever of 39-40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by chills. Ms. Dung took fever-reducing medicine and treated herself at home. Then she had loose stools and a cough with white phlegm. She went to a nearby hospital for examination and was given outpatient treatment. After 3 days of increasing difficulty breathing, the patient was taken by her family to the 19/8 Hospital and was in a coma.The patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and right respiratory failure.intubation, mechanical ventilation and transfer to Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

After 7 days of ECMO treatment, the patient's health gradually improved. Photo: BSCC.

Doctor Vu Dinh Phu, Head of the Intensive Care Department, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said the patient was transferred on May 18 in a state of very severe respiratory failure.The damage spread to ¾ of the body. The only way to save the patient at this time is ECMO - extracorporeal oxygen exchange technique.This is an effective resuscitation measure for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.

After 7 days of ECMO treatment, the patient's health improved and he no longer needed a ventilator or endotracheal tube. One day later, the patient was able to breathe on his own.After 15 days in hospital, the patient was able to be discharged.

The patient's smile on the day of discharge. Photo: NP

Dr. Nguyen Van Kinh, Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said,ECMO is a special resuscitation technique that uses a machine to extract the patient's blood, pass it through an exchange membrane to provide oxygen and remove CO2 - performing the function of the patient's lungs and heart. This is an extracorporeal respiration activity. This is the first case in the hospital to remove the ventilator before removing ECMO, avoiding the risk of secondary infection, while creating an opportunity for the patient to breathe naturally.

This technique shortens treatment time, quickly restores lung respiratory function, and reduces the sequelae of lung damage. At the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, before implementing this technique on patients with critical pneumonia, the mortality rate was over 80%. Currently, many patients have been saved thanks to ECMO.

This technique helps to minimize mortality for patients, however, the cost is expensive, averaging about 300-500 million VND. Health insurance currently does not cover this treatment cost.

According to VNE