Doctors at Bach Mai Hospital spent many days cleaning the lungs of an 11-year-old girl rescued from the Lang Nu flash flood, but the fluid still came out cloudy with mud and sand, making it very difficult to clean.
The child was a victim of a landslide caused by flash floods in Lang Nu village in Lao Cai. After being swept away by the floodwaters for two hours, the child was rescued by locals in an unconscious state. After receiving first aid at a local hospital, the child was transferred to Bach Mai Hospital, with a very serious prognosis.
Doctors consulted and determined that the child had pneumonia due to drowning and inhaling mud, leading to complications of progressive respiratory failure (ARDS). The child also had multiple injuries, a fractured right clavicle, contused right liver, septic shock, multiple organ failure, and blood clotting disorder. The child is currently receiving intensive treatment at the Pediatric Center, Bach Mai Hospital.
Doctor Pham Cong Khac, Pediatric Center, said that the patient’s edema and blood clotting disorder have decreased. The child is still sedated, on a ventilator, and has weak pupil reflexes, but his pneumonia is very severe due to water retention and inhalation of mud during the flash flood.
“When washing the baby’s lungs and stomach, the fluid that flows out is still cloudy with mud and sand. There is bleeding during bronchoscopy, so it is very difficult to clean the mud and dirt,” said Dr. Khac. Bronchial and alveolar lavage is a technique performed through a flexible bronchoscope to clean or collect specimens by injecting saline solution into the bronchi and alveoli.
The child is being treated at Bach Mai Hospital. Photo: The Anh
Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Van Giap, Deputy Director of the hospital, assessed the risk of foreign objects and sand that have stuck tightly causing inflammation and edema, which will cause many difficulties when washing the bronchi. The doctor suggested continuing to wash the baby’s bronchoalveolar lavage through routine daily endoscopy, while also supplementing systemic corticosteroids to treat edema. If bleeding occurs when washing the bronchi, a small dose of Adrenaline should be added to stop the bleeding. The Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center will also coordinate blood product replacement to ensure safety when performing the procedure.
At this stage, it is difficult to wash the lungs completely with a large amount of fluid, according to experts. However, the consultation results all agreed that it is necessary to continue washing the patient’s lungs, pushing the foreign objects of mud and sand out of the lungs. The longer it is left, the more the foreign objects stick to the lungs and cannot be treated, the fungi and bacteria in the mud cause a series of serious reactions, even inflammation, necrosis, and lung damage.
Currently, the hospital is focusing on treatment, adding antifungal drugs, continuing daily lung lavage, bedside endoscopy, and making efforts to save the baby.
Previously, on September 12, Bach Mai Hospital received two patients transferred after the landslide accident in Lang Nu, including this girl and a 31-year-old man. The 31-year-old victim died due to severe illness.