On 30/1, doctor Vo Van Tan, head of the Neurology Department, announced that after three days of treatment, the patient could walk and communicate almost normally, experiencing only slight numbness in his left hand. The man was admitted for emergency care on the afternoon of 27/1 at Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital's second facility (Saigon branch). This medical facility officially commenced operations on 1/1, following the merger with the former Saigon General Hospital.

Upon admission, it was the 4th hour after the onset of symptoms. The patient presented with weakness and paralysis on his left side and difficulty speaking. Doctors recognized these as signs of acute stroke, noting the urgent situation as the patient was at the very end of the "golden window" for intervention. A "red alert" protocol (stroke code) was activated. After ruling out cerebral hemorrhage, doctors decided to administer thrombolytic drugs on-site to race against time, rather than immediately transferring the patient.

Once his condition stabilized, the patient was transferred internally to the main facility, a specialized treatment center. There, MRI and CT perfusion scans revealed significant blockage of a major blood vessel, but the area of necrotic brain tissue was not yet extensive. The medical team proceeded with mechanical thrombectomy, achieving complete revascularization of the cerebral artery.

The positive effects were evident within 24 hours, as the patient made a remarkable recovery from what could have been permanent disability. Recalling his near-death experience, he shared that he works as a traveling merchant. While napping on his boat anchored in the Dong Nai River, he suddenly felt weakness in his limbs, fell, and was then brought ashore by local residents at Cat Lai Port and promptly transferred for emergency care.

Doctor Tan examines the patient after emergency treatment. Photo: Hospital provided

Doctor Tan highlighted this case as proof of the effectiveness of the inter-facility stroke network model, recently established after the merger. In this model, the second facility acts as the initial "checkpoint" for drug treatment, while the main facility handles specialized interventional procedures. This closed-loop process ensures continuous treatment for patients, maximizing every precious minute.

"Acute stroke is an urgent medical emergency; every minute that passes can lead to millions of nerve cells suffering irreversible damage," the doctor emphasized.

The public should remember the FAST rule to recognize stroke signs: facial drooping (face), arm weakness (arm), speech difficulty (speech), and time to call emergency services (time). When symptoms appear, it is crucial to immediately transport the patient to a medical facility capable of treating stroke, and absolutely avoid traditional remedies like "cao gio" (coin rubbing) or waiting for symptoms to subside naturally.

Le Phuong