On 14/1, Associate Professor Doctor Luu Quang Thuy, Director of the Anesthesia and Surgical Resuscitation Center and Head of Intensive Care Unit 2, reported that among the patients admitted this week leading up to Tet was a 15-year-old boy from Thai Nguyen. A homemade firework accident led to his admission with completely crushed forearms, severe burns to the face, shins, and anterior chest wall. Doctors raced against time to address life-threatening injuries.

Doctors examining a patient injured by a firework explosion. Photo: Hospital provided

Another severe case involved a 31-year-old man from Hung Yen, transferred with an open skull fracture, epidural hematoma, and crushed maxillofacial structures. The explosive force of the firework caused fractures to his jawbone, cheekbones, nose, and severe damage to both eyes.

Associate Professor Thuy stated that firework accidents consistently cause devastating injuries that progress rapidly. Victims often arrive at the hospital in traumatic shock, with acute blood loss and respiratory failure, requiring immediate resuscitation and emergency surgery. While doctors strive to preserve organ function, control infection, and save lives, the lasting consequences are severe. Most patients must adapt to a new life with permanent disabilities, such as limb amputation or blindness.

Diagnosis and treatment are further complicated by patients or their families often concealing the true cause of injury. Fearing legal repercussions for manufacturing or possessing illegal fireworks, many claim their injuries resulted from mini gas canister explosions. However, doctors easily identify the truth through clinical signs, such as the extent of damage far exceeding that of typical household accidents, and the presence of foreign objects and black dust characteristic of gunpowder on the patient's body. This dishonesty distorts information, affecting initial treatment protocols as well as statistical work and epidemiological warnings.

Doctors advise the public, especially parents, to closely supervise their children and strictly avoid any attempts to make fireworks. This vigilance is crucial to prevent tragic accidents that can turn joyful family reunions into lifelong tragedies.

Le Nga