Stung by a hornet 150 times, the man suffered multiple organ failure

While going fishing, Mr. Bui Van Dong, 58 years old, fell into a mound containing a wasp nest and was stung 150 times, leading to multiple organ failure.

Mr. Dong gave first aid at the hospital in Vinh Long and then transferred to Military Medical Institute 121 in Can Tho in a state of drowsiness, heart palpitations, burns all over his body… The doctor noted that the huge amount of venom from 150 hornet stings directly threatened the patient’s life. The patient has acute rhabdomyolysis and massive intravascular hemolysis, shown by sassafras-colored urine, leading to acute kidney failure, myocarditis, risk of cardiac arrest due to arrhythmia, acute hepatitis, coagulation disorders, liver damage…

Patients received plasma exchange, hemodialysis, and continuous hemodialysis. After 20 minutes in the Intensive Care – Anti-Poison Department, the patient was transferred to the Artificial Kidney Department for intermittent hemodialysis (cyclic hemodialysis) and adsorption with a HA230 filter (an emergency dialysis technique to remove toxins, pesticides or toxins from the patient’s blood).

After 9 days of continuous dialysis and special care, all body functions improved except for the kidneys. The patient received hemodialysis every other day. Currently, the patient is recovering, his urine is clear, his tests are normal, and he has been discharged from the hospital.

According to a representative of Military Hospital 121, this is the patient who was stung the most by wasps and was successfully treated by the receiving unit.

Colonel Tran Manh Hung, Director of Military Hospital 121, said this is a very special case, because the hornet’s toxins are very toxic and have affected a series of organs in the patient, leading to multiple organ failure. Thanks to the efforts of doctors and modern equipment, after 20 days of treatment, the patient’s health indicators returned to normal.

The total cost of treatment for the patient is more than 274 million VND, of which health insurance pays 156 million VND, the patient must pay 118 million VND. Due to the patient’s family’s difficult circumstances, the Hospital Board of Directors decided to support this amount.