Saving the life of a 46-year-old patient with cardiac arrest after a heart attack

Quang Ninh General Hospital saved the life of a patient admitted in extremely critical condition with severe arrhythmia complications, requiring high doses of cardiac and vasopressor drugs to maintain life.

Medical news on January 19: Saving the life of a 46-year-old patient who had cardiac arrest after a heart attack

Quang Ninh General Hospital saved the life of a patient admitted in extremely critical condition with severe arrhythmia complications, requiring high doses of cardiac and vasopressor drugs to maintain life.

Efforts to save the life of a 46-year-old patient who went into cardiac arrest after a heart attack

According to a representative of Quang Ninh General Hospital, this patient began having difficulty breathing for a few days before suddenly experiencing severe pain in the left chest.

After being diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction, Mong Cai Medical Center consulted with doctors from the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Intervention, Quang Ninh General Hospital and decided to transfer the patient to a higher level.

When the patient arrived at the hospital, his condition was extremely critical with severe arrhythmia complications, requiring high doses of cardiac and vasopressor drugs to sustain life.

The angiogram showed that the patient's three coronary arteries were severely damaged and completely blocked by blood clots. The patient also suffered from continuous ventricular fibrillation, leading to sudden cardiac arrest. The family was mentally prepared to take the patient home because they thought that there was no way to save him.

However, the emergency team did not give up, continuing to apply external electric shock up to 15 times, combined with vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, intubation and sedatives to restore heart function. Fortunately, after a long time, the patient responded, consciousness was restored, blood pressure was stable and heart rate returned to normal.

Doctors continue to intervene by placing stents in the coronary arteries to reopen blocked blood vessels, restoring blood supply to the heart muscle.

After just three days of treatment, the patient was completely alert, no longer had chest pain, and his heart function improved significantly. Finally, the patient was discharged from the hospital in stable condition.

Doctor Tran Quang Dinh, Head of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Intervention, said this was a very difficult case, as the patient had an acute myocardial infarction with epilepsy and many dangerous complications.

At that time, the patient's chance of survival was only about 5-10%. However, thanks to the timely and effective coordination of the medical team, the patient overcame the critical condition.

Acute myocardial infarction is a condition in which the heart muscle is suddenly deprived of blood supply, leading to necrosis of heart muscle tissue, which can be fatal if not treated promptly.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year about 17.5 million people die from cardiovascular diseases, of which myocardial infarction is one of the main causes.

In Vietnam, cardiovascular disease is on the rise, especially among young people. The main causes are unhealthy lifestyles, such as being overweight, sedentary, stress, and abusing tobacco and alcohol.

Young patients are often subjective because they think they are healthy and do not have heart disease. However, when chest pain symptoms appear, the disease is very serious, and can be fatal if not treated promptly.

Dr. Dinh recommends that to prevent myocardial infarction and cardiovascular diseases, people need to pay attention to controlling risk factors such as maintaining a reasonable weight, limiting alcohol and tobacco, eating lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and avoiding fast food and high-fat foods. In addition, regular exercise of 30-60 minutes a day, 5 days a week, is also an important factor in protecting cardiovascular health.

For people over 40 years old, doctors recommend regular check-ups, echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, blood lipids, blood pressure and blood sugar levels to detect diseases early and have timely treatment plans.

The rate of children with congenital heart defects in Vietnam remains high.

Every year, around 1 million children are born with congenital heart defects in the world. In Vietnam, this situation is also very worrying as every 15 minutes a child is born with a congenital heart defect. It is estimated that every year, about 8,000 - 10,000 Vietnamese children face heart defects right from birth.

Congenital heart surgery has a shorter postoperative period, which reduces the burden on hospitals and helps children recover more quickly.

Despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment, congenital heart defects remain a major problem, directly affecting the health and quality of life of children.

Thanks to the remarkable development of medical facilities, especially ultrasound equipment and modern machinery, the rate of patients with early detection of congenital heart disease has increased significantly compared to 10 years ago. This not only helps doctors make accurate diagnoses but also creates opportunities for timely treatment.

However, in reality, there are still many places, especially remote areas, where medical services have not been developed synchronously, causing some patients with congenital heart defects to be overlooked.

According to a recent report, the rate of missed congenital heart disease cases in Vietnam is still very high, up to about 50%. Meanwhile, in developed countries, this rate is only about 29%.

Late detection of the disease and going to the hospital for treatment in a serious condition is a difficult problem. Heart surgery, especially for children, is always a complicated surgery, requiring high expertise and modern facilities.

One of the major challenges facing hospitals today is the lack of facilities large enough to meet the demand for heart surgery, leading to long waiting times for patients. After surgery, children also have to stay in hospital for monitoring and recovery, prolonging treatment time and putting pressure on the health system.

However, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Nguyen Vinh, Vice President of the Vietnam Cardiovascular Association, a promising solution has emerged in recent years: congenital heart intervention.

Compared with open surgery, congenital heart intervention has a shorter postoperative period, which helps reduce the burden on hospitals and helps children recover more quickly.

With this method, many congenital heart defects can be corrected, helping to improve the quality of life for babies without having to undergo complicated surgeries.

In that context, many health experts believe that investing in the primary health care system and improving the quality of early diagnosis and intervention will help reduce the rate of children with congenital heart defects being missed.

At the same time, strengthening human resource training, improving facilities and increasing the application of technology in treatment will contribute to bringing better life opportunities for children with heart disease.

Congenital heart disease in children is an issue that cannot be ignored, especially in the context of medical facilities still facing many difficulties, especially in areas that do not have access to modern diagnostic and treatment methods.

However, with the development of modern cardiovascular intervention methods, it is hoped that more and more children will be diagnosed and treated promptly, thereby improving their quality of life and minimizing the long-term consequences of congenital heart defects.

WHO warns of risk of Marburg virus spread after 8 deaths in Tanzania

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 8 people died of suspected Marburg virus infection in the two localities of Biharamulo and Muleba in Tanzania, Africa. Among the victims, some are believed to be medical staff, who are at high risk due to direct contact with patients.

The WHO warned that the risk of the disease spreading to neighboring countries is high, given the frequent cross-border movements in the region.

The Marburg virus causes a severe infection with an incubation period of 2 to 21 days. Initial symptoms may include body aches, high fever, fatigue, chills and can lead to more serious problems such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramps, nausea and vomiting by the third day.

From the 5th day, patients may experience dangerous complications such as bleeding, liver damage leading to jaundice, multiple organ failure, hemorrhagic shock, and in severe cases, death can occur within just 8-9 days after the onset of symptoms.

According to some studies, the mortality rate of Marburg virus usually ranges from 24-88%, while the disease usually kills about half of patients if not treated promptly.

Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for this disease, patients are mainly given supportive care to minimize symptoms and maintain vital functions.

Marburg virus is thought to be transmitted by bats, particularly through human contact with mines or caves that are home to fruit bat colonies. The disease can also be spread between people through direct contact with blood or body fluids, especially through broken skin or mucous membranes.

WHO assesses that the global risk from the outbreak is low and there is currently no evidence of international spread. However, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the number of cases could increase in the coming days as disease surveillance is stepped up.

Dr Tedros stressed that Marburg virus disease is highly contagious, severe and often fatal. Quick and timely action can save lives, including ensuring that patients receive appropriate care as soon as symptoms appear.

WHO advises Tanzania's neighboring countries to be vigilant and prepared to respond to potential cases, but does not recommend travel or trade restrictions with Tanzania at this time.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tin-moi-y-te-ngay-191-cuu-song-benh-nhan-46-tuoi-ngung-tim-sau-nhoi-mau-co-tim-d241328.html