Hong, born deaf and mute, could not communicate his condition. His friends, present during the accident, alerted his family and took him to a local hospital. With injuries to his head, face, and body, Hong was transferred to FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City by his family. He presented with a severe headache, inability to open his mouth, nausea, and pain in his neck and arm.

Doctors provide emergency care for the 19-year-old. *Photo: FV Hospital*

FV Hospital activated a multidisciplinary alert. Within minutes, Dr. Tran Luong Anh, Head of the Neurosurgery and Spine Department, and his team arrived to provide emergency care. A CT scan revealed an epidural hematoma exceeding 100 g, compressing and displacing the brain, along with progressive brain swelling. The patient had multiple fractures in the maxillofacial region, indicating critical polytrauma.

"The patient faced a high risk of death or severe neurological complications, necessitating immediate surgery," stated Dr. Anh on 8/6. Rather than two separate operations, doctors opted for a single, coordinated surgery to address all injuries, leveraging the "golden hour" to preserve brain function.

The neurosurgery team performed a craniotomy to relieve pressure, remove the hematoma, and control bleeding. After stabilizing the patient's skull and brain, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Head of the Odonto-Stomatology Department, and his maxillofacial surgery team realigned the fractured jawbone. They then inserted titanium plates via an intraoral incision to restore chewing function and reduce scarring.

The patient underwent surgery for the meningeal hematoma, followed by realignment of the fractured jawbone. *Photo: FV Hospital*

The surgery took about 45 minutes. After five days of treatment, Zana was fully conscious, showed no neurological complications, and could eat normally. Dr. Luong Anh emphasized that for traumatic brain injuries involving epidural hematomas, timely intervention is crucial for survival. Without prompt surgery, brain swelling and compression can rapidly worsen within hours, significantly increasing the risk of death or severe complications.

Le Phuong