7-year-old boy in critical heart shock was miraculously saved

On the afternoon of March 19, Hue Central Hospital announced that doctors from the hospital's Pediatric Intensive Care - Emergency Department had just saved the life of a child patient named NNAN (born in 2018, residing in Mo Duc district, Quang Ngai province) with arrhythmia, severe myocardial damage, and high risk of death using the technique of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and placing a permanent pacemaker.

Báo Công an Nhân dân•19/03/2025

Previously, NNAN had symptoms of fatigue and slow heart rate, so he was transferred to Hue Central Hospital for emergency treatment. A few hours after admission, the child had symptoms of cold hands and feet and low blood pressure that progressed very quickly.

Through examination and paraclinical testing, doctors determined that the child had severe arrhythmia, myocardial damage leading to cardiogenic shock, severe reduction in heart function, and a very high risk of death.

7-year-old boy in critical heart shock was miraculously saved -0 — Doctors at Hue Central Hospital performed VA-ECMO technique to save the life of a child patient with severe heart disease.

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, the doctors urgently held a multidisciplinary consultation, performed tests, and came up with the best emergency plan for the patient. That very night, the doctors and nurses of the Pediatric ECMO, Anesthesia and Cardiac Resuscitation, and Cardiothoracic Surgery teams performed VA-ECMO to immediately support the child's heart.

After 5 days of ECMO, the patient's heart function gradually recovered, but the heart rhythm was still very disturbed (3rd degree atrioventricular block), so the patient was then taken to the operating room to have a pacemaker inserted and be weaned off ECMO.

After more than 2 weeks of treatment, the patient's health gradually improved, he could walk normally, heart function improved well, hemodynamic and paraclinical indices returned to normal, and he is expected to be discharged soon.

According to doctors at Hue Central Hospital, fulminant myocarditis, also known as malignant myocarditis, is a disease with a high mortality rate. The disease has a sudden onset, cardiogenic shock, severe hemodynamic disorders, severe arrhythmias, requiring vasopressors, pacemakers, and ECMO support. In Vietnam, the mortality rate of fulminant myocarditis was nearly 100% before ECMO technology was available.

VA-ECMO is a heart and lung support technique that is routinely performed at the Pediatric Center of Hue Central Hospital, helping to save the lives of many critically ill patients who do not respond to conventional treatments, helping the heart and lungs rest and wait for recovery time. And patient NNAN is the 6th case to be saved thanks to the successful implementation of this technique.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/chau-be-7-tuoi-soc-tim-nguy-kich-tinh-mang-duoc-cuu-song-ngoan-muc-i762358/