L.H.K. at the time of admission into Cần Thơ Central General Hospital. — Photo from the Public Security newspaper

CẦN THƠ — Doctors at Cần Thơ Central General Hospital on Monday said they have saved a 40-year-old man who was impaled by two steel rods after falling from his motorbike at a construction site.

The patient, identified as L.H.K., a resident of the southern city Cần Thơ, was transferred to the hospital late on September 18 with two steel rods still penetrating his body.

According to his family, K. was riding a motorbike when he accidentally fell into a construction area and was pierced by two 10mm-diameter steel rods. Local residents used a power saw to cut the rods, allowing him to be taken to a nearby medical facility before being transferred to Cần Thơ Central General Hospital.

Doctors at the emergency department found that the two rods had caused complex penetrating injuries to both thighs.

One rod had passed through the right thigh, penetrated the abdomen and extended towards the left hip. The other entered through the outer side of the left thigh and penetrated through to the right thigh.

Given the severity of his injuries, the hospital immediately activated its internal "red alert" emergency protocol. The patient was stabilised, given blood transfusions and pain relief, while specialists from the departments of General Surgery, Orthopaedic Trauma, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Haematology, and Anaesthesia and Intensive Care were mobilised.

Just 15 minutes after arriving at the hospital, the patient was taken directly to the operating theatre.

The General Surgery team first examined the abdominal cavity and removed the steel rod. Surgeons found digestive fluid in the abdominal cavity, a perforation of the small intestine, and a tear to the greater omentum.

Given the complexity of the injuries, the doctors performed open surgery to examine the intestinal loops. They identified the perforated section of the small intestine, removed the damaged segment and reconnected the intestine to restore gastrointestinal continuity. The abdominal cavity was then thoroughly cleaned and a drainage tube was inserted.

The man is now in stable condition. — Photo from Cần Thơ Central General Hospital

The Orthopaedic Trauma team subsequently treated the injuries to the thighs and removed the remaining foreign material.

The right thigh had a penetrating wound measuring about 4cm by 4cm, with irregular edges. Doctors cleaned and treated the wound, removed crushed and necrotic muscle tissue, irrigated the area and inserted a drain before dressing the wound.

As of the morning of September 21, the patient was in stable condition, alert and communicating well. He had no fever, his surgical wounds were dry, and his abdomen was soft. He remains under observation and treatment by doctors in the hospital's General Surgery Department.

Dr Nguyễn Khắc Nam, deputy head of the hospital's General Surgery Department, said injuries caused by sharp objects or foreign bodies penetrating the body were serious forms of trauma.

Such injuries can cause penetrating wounds and extensive tissue damage, potentially resulting in severe bleeding, infection and damage to multiple organs, he said.

They commonly occur in high-impact accidents, including traffic crashes, construction-site accidents, falls from height and slips or falls, according to the doctor. — VNS