On 22/8, a 46-year-old man arrived at Thai Nguyen Provincial General Hospital in critical condition. He had multiple self-inflicted stab wounds, severely low blood pressure, and had already experienced repeated cardiac arrests. The hospital immediately activated its emergency response system.

In the operating room, the surgical team faced a complex situation. The patient had lost a significant amount of blood, and clots in the pericardium were putting pressure on his heart. The doctors immediately began external chest compressions, established large-bore intravenous lines for fluids and blood transfusions, and induced hypothermia.

Upon opening the patient's abdomen, a large amount of bright red blood gushed from a wound that extended from the liver to the chest, causing a second cardiac arrest. The surgeon manually massaged the heart to restore its rhythm while the bleeding continued.

The situation became even more dire when the team opened the pericardium. They discovered numerous blood clots and five complex lacerations in the apex of the heart. One wound, nearly 3 cm long, caused massive bleeding, leading to the patient's third cardiac arrest.

In this critical moment, the lead surgeon simultaneously massaged the heart, sutured the ventricular perforations, and preserved the damaged coronary artery branches. During the surgery, the patient received 5 liters of blood and blood products.

After the intervention, the patient's heart resumed functioning and responded well to vasopressors. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for close monitoring. His condition gradually stabilized, and he has since been discharged.

Doctor Lo Quang Nhat, head of the Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgery Department, considered this case a major success, demonstrating the hospital's expertise and offering hope for other critically ill patients.

Thuy Quynh