On 21/7, two-year-old Minh, from Loc An commune, was discharged from Hue Central Hospital after nearly two weeks of intensive treatment following a near-drowning incident that led to cardiac arrest.

Minh has recovered after two weeks of treatment. Photo: Lan Huong

Two weeks prior, Minh fell into a koi pond in his family's yard. The duration of his submersion is unknown. When discovered, he was unconscious, cyanotic, and not breathing. Family members immediately performed CPR for two minutes. Fortunately, Minh regained some movement and began to breathe weakly. He was taken to the local health station and then transferred to Hue Central Hospital.

Upon arrival, Minh was in a deep coma with an oxygen saturation level of only 80%, despite receiving oxygen. His prognosis was poor. Doctors intubated him, provided mechanical ventilation, administered antibiotics and vasopressors, and crucially, implemented therapeutic hypothermia.

After five days, Minh was weaned off the ventilator, and by the seventh day, he was transferred out of the intensive care unit. He is now alert, walking, and eating normally, with no apparent neurological damage.

Therapeutic hypothermia is an advanced treatment technique used to lower body temperature in a controlled manner (around 33-34°C) for 24-72 hours. This reduces the metabolic demands of the brain, stabilizes cell membranes, limits brain swelling and secondary damage from oxygen deprivation, and prevents the spread of inflammatory responses, ultimately protecting long-term neurological function.

Vo Thanh - Le Nga