Nurse Nguyen Thi Thao, 34 years old, who helped save the life of a newborn baby who stopped breathing due to choking on milk, was commended by Hai Phong leaders.
“Ms. Thao’s actions are the normal instinct of a doctor, worthy of respect and dissemination,” said Mr. Le Tien Chau, Secretary of the City Party Committee, at the award ceremony for nurse Nguyen Thi Thao, Hai Phong Children’s Hospital, on the morning of July 15.What is precious about nurse Thao is her motherly feelings and professional experience, which helped her persistently call on colleagues to save the patient when “someone said the child had died”.
Nurse Thao shared that at that time, all she thought about was how to save the baby at all costs. She considered her actions to be driven by professional instinct.
“After I finished giving first aid to the baby, I was exhausted. The happiest thing was that the baby survived. I was as happy as if my own child had recovered,” the nurse shared.
Mr. Le Tien Chau, Secretary of Hai Phong City Party Committee (left) and Mr. Le Khac Nam, Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People’s Committee (right) presented a certificate of merit to nurse Thao (middle). Photo: Le Tan
On the evening of July 4, nurse Thao was on her way home from a trip to village 6, Kien Bai commune, Thuy Nguyen district when she discovered a man holding a baby in his arms in a state of panic. Behind him, his family members were crying. Suspecting something was wrong, Ms. Thao told her husband to stop so she could run in to see.
Seeing the newborn baby turn purple and stop breathing, Ms. Thao told her family member who was a medical worker to check on her. At that moment, the taxi that the baby’s family called to take him to the emergency room arrived. She carried the baby into the car, put him in the seat and continued to perform artificial respiration.
After many chest compressions, the baby still showed no signs of breathing, Ms. Thao was very worried. However, with 4 years of experience working in the Neonatal Department, many times giving emergency treatment to choking cases, the nurse still persevered in first aid. After about 4 minutes of traveling, the taxi took the baby to Thuy Nguyen District General Hospital. Ms. Thao carried the baby in and shouted loudly, “The patient has stopped breathing and has stopped breathing, prepare to perform endotracheal intubation and massage.”
After a few more minutes of emergency treatment, the baby still had not started breathing again. Doctors at Thuy Nguyen District General Hospital were worried and said that the baby “could not survive”. However, Ms. Thao still encouraged everyone, telling everyone to try because “newborn babies’ hearts are very resilient”. Finally, the baby’s skin gradually turned pink, the groin pulse appeared, the nurse breathed a sigh of relief, reassured that “the baby could be saved” and left.
The baby is currently being treated at Hai Phong Children’s Hospital and is in stable condition.