On 24/2, a representative from the National Children's Hospital announced that after five days of intensive treatment, the patient's health has shown positive improvements. The child has been weaned off the ventilator, is breathing independently, has a stable abdominal condition, and has started eating again. Both of the patient's eyes can perceive light and images, although vision remains reduced; soft tissue wounds are gradually healing.

The accident occurred during the recent Tet holiday. According to the family, the boy found an object the size of a fingertip, shaped like a blinking light bulb. When he connected it to a AAA battery from a microphone, the device unexpectedly exploded, causing severe injuries.

The victim received first aid at a local medical facility and was transferred to the National Children's Hospital in a life-threatening condition. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed the child sustained complex multiple traumas, including left hemopneumothorax, left liver contusion, and a perforated stomach. More critically, both eyes suffered intraocular trauma, with scleral and corneal lacerations, and a foreign object was deeply embedded in the left eye.

Given the severe progression, the hospital convened an inter-specialty consultation and planned urgent surgical intervention to manage life-threatening factors. Doctor Dang Anh Duong, Head of the Surgical Intensive Care Department, stated that the medical team promptly inserted a pleural drain, performed a laparotomy to suture the perforated stomach, and addressed internal organ damage. The unit also collaborated with the National Eye Hospital to surgically remove the foreign object and suture the cornea, aiming to preserve the child's vision.

The patient receiving treatment at the National Children's Hospital. *Photo: Hospital provided*

During the eight-day Tet holiday, the Ministry of Health also recorded 338 cases of examinations and emergency treatments due to firecrackers or explosives, including one fatality. Compared to the same period last Tet, the number of examinations and emergency treatments for firecracker and explosive-related incidents decreased, but the number of deaths increased. Additionally, the Ministry of Health noted 61 cases of examinations and emergency treatments suspected to be caused by homemade weapons or explosive materials, resulting in three fatalities. Although the number of cases decreased, injuries from firecrackers remain very serious, causing severe harm to victims such as finger loss, blindness, loss of working capacity, or death.

According to statistics from the Surgical Intensive Care Department at the National Children's Hospital, during the recent Lunar New Year, the department admitted 26 child cases, including five household accidents and five traffic accidents. Notably, a four-year-old child sustained 40% burns after accidentally falling into a pot of boiling water used for cooking chicken. Furthermore, during the nine-day Tet holiday, the hospital's Vaccination and Counseling Clinic received and administered rabies vaccines to 110 individuals who had been bitten by dogs, cats, and other domestic animals.

Doctors advise that extended holidays, such as Tet or other festive occasions, are periods when children have ample playtime but often lack adequate adult supervision, increasing the potential for accidents and injuries. Parents must be especially vigilant, ensuring children do not come into contact with unfamiliar objects, explosive materials, electrical devices, or chemicals; simultaneously, they should enhance supervision when children play both indoors and outdoors.

Le Nga