It's a race against the clock to save patients’ lives
Such a busy day is normal for Dr. Nguyen Thanh Huy, having worked at the surgery ward of the Phu Yen Province General Hospital for 13 years. He once performed four successive brain surgeries in 14 hours including time for professional consultation and operation.
His happiness is to see patients regain consciousness one day after the operation; this feeling keeps him awake to perform the lengthened surgeries. Only after he finishes his work does he feel tired.
The number of accidents has increased gradually especially on Tet and other holidays; his hospital receives alarge number of skull and brain concussion patients. Dr. Huy places serious patients in priority as it is the golden time to save them.
As a chief brain surgeon of the hospital, he has never had complete relaxation for himself and even his time for having meal with relatives is rare.
He told us, “On one holiday, my wife cooked something special for the whole family. Just as the meal is ready, a message arrived, asking me to come to the hospital immediately for an urgency. I am doing my job, but I also disppoints my family. Though my wife quite understands but my friends often blame me for not spending time with them.
Sometimes, he wakes up at midnight and jumps out of bed as an instinctive reflex without any ring from the hospital. Wondering why he can’t sleep or there is something wrong with his biological clock, he concludes that this is occupational disease.
“I was born again by Dr. Huy “
Recovering her consciousness after a skull operation on April 19, 2006, Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, 22, in Xuan Tho 2 Commune, Song Cau District, looked around to find the doctor who had saved her.
“I was born again by Dr. Huy,” she said. “I felt secure with his encouragement before the surgery. He even told me to inform him when I got married. Good and fun doctor like him is rare nowadays.”
Her situation was quite a special case Dr. Huy took part in. She was taken to hospital on September 26, 2005 in serious condition after a train accident. Looking at the CT scan, doctors found blood clot in the dura mater and carried out the operation.
However, only two hours after the surgery her condition got worse and death was coming near. At that time, Dr. Huy thought he could not throw his hands in the air and give up, although the success rate was only 1-2 %.
He and his colleagues quickly conducted another surgery again and then discovered blood clot in another area of her brain. It was a successful performance and she was saved in the happiness of her family and the operation team. “It’s a serious case. The patient could have lost her life if she had not been operated,” said the surgeons.
Nguyen Thi Soat, 72, in Ward 3, Tuy Hoa City, looks well after the brain surgery four months ago. She is expected to come home soon. She loves her life although she is old because she has to raise her handicapped daughter and her grandchild, who lost his father.
She showed her gratitude to those who saved her life. “I thanked him for his considerate behavior to me though I’m poor. I can surely recognize him as he walks along the street.”
Keeping his promise with his mother
Dr. Huy, 37, is a gentle man of few words with a charming smile. His mother, Dang Thi Hoang, said that among her four children, he has characters such as diligence, kind-heartedness, perseverance and intelligence, which are suitable for a doctor.
When he was at high school, he promised her to become a doctor. Later, he passed the entrance exam into the medical university in the central city of Hue with honor, the first success in his future career. His mother was so happy that she burst into tears.
He had kept his promise to be a doctor with his mother to repay her sacrifice. A more important thing, however, he must be a good doctor to deserve her love and patients’ expectation.
Learning from others’ experience is his motto. He decided to take internship at Ho Chi Minh City Cho Ray Hospital when taking a training course on brain surgery here so that he could attend all operations. Whenever there was a brain emergency case, he was there immediately. Only three months later, doctors of the Cho Ray Hospital confirmed that Dr. Huy could perform surgeries by himself.
So far, every brain case has been diagnosed clinically and with Coronary Angiography (CAG). The Phu Yen Province General Hospital could only find out the precise position where there is blood clot in brains of accident patients with the help of medical equipment CT bought in July, 2005. The “golden time” is precious with these cases. Dr. Huy is happy to save people from the death.
“The rate of success depends much on how serious the wound is.” he said, “Some patients showed their doubt on doctors’ skill; I tried to explain and went on carrying out the operation. I was successful at last.”
He is a good doctor but he is modest about his achievement. Though the success rate of brain surgery done by him is over 80 %, he said he owed this to CT equipment and his colleagues.
Taking about him, Dr. Phan Vu Nhan, acting director of the Phu Yen Province General Hospital, did not hesitate to heap his praises on him, “He’s a dedicated and conscientious doctor and a good colleague. We are so fortunate to have him here. He proves a valuable asset to the hospital.”
