At 6 p.m. on 29/1, an EC225 helicopter, registration VN-8619, operated by a crew from the Southern Helicopter Company, Corps 18, embarked on a critical overnight mission. The aircraft departed from Vung Tau airport, making a crucial stop at Tan Son Nhat airport to collect a specialized emergency medical team from Military Hospital 175. The journey then continued towards the Truong Sa archipelago, flying over the sea under challenging night conditions to reach a critically ill patient.

The Southern Helicopter Company (Corps 18) conducted an EC225 helicopter emergency flight, bringing a critically ill patient from Truong Sa island to the mainland for treatment. *Photo: Hoang Phong*

After a few hours, the helicopter safely landed on Truong Sa island to receive patient Ho Duc Quyen, born in 1985, who works in the archipelago. Quyen had been diagnosed with acute appendicitis (55th hour). Despite undergoing abdominal lavage and drainage at the Truong Sa Island Clinic, his condition remained complex.

A consultation from the mainland determined the patient's prognosis was severe, with a high risk of peritonitis and sepsis due to an abnormally positioned appendix (retrocecal, subhepatic). Transport by sea vessel was deemed insufficient to ensure timely emergency care, highlighting the urgency of air evacuation.

On the island, medical staff stabilized Quyen's vital signs before transferring him onto the helicopter, where intensive care was maintained throughout the flight. Around 1 a.m. on 30/1, the helicopter landed on the helipad atop the Orthopedic and Traumatology Institute building at Military Hospital 175. The patient was then moved to the emergency ward, conscious and responsive, to continue specialized treatment.

Ha Huy