Vietnamese doctors save infant after head sliced by falling knife
Doctors in northern Vietnam have succeeded in saving the life of a 35-day-old baby who was severely injured by a knife as it fell onto her head.
Doctor Nguyen Quoc Hung from Quang Ninh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said on March 19 that surgeons had managed to remove a knife from the infant’s head following a surgery lasting over two hours.
Phung Thanh Van, the 35-day-old baby from Quang Ninh Province, was hospitalized with a three-centimeter open wound on her forehead, a one-centimeter fracture to her skull, and a hematoma, doctors at the hospital said, adding that she had suffered a brain injury on the left side of her forehead caused by the knife.
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Van’s family said that she was taken care of by her older brother, a six year old, and was wounded when the knife suddenly fell and sliced open her forehead.
As soon as the baby was transferred to the hospital, a medical consultation was conducted and surgery was performed using bipolar electrosurgery.
Fourteen hours after the operation, Van awoke from her coma and remained in a stable condition, according to the surgeons.
Two days later, scans revealed no complications but her recovery is not yet confirmed, with her life remaining under threat despite stable external signs including pulse and blood pressure, Dr. Hung said.
This is the first time the hospital has conducted a surgery on a one-month-old patient, he added.
