Modern medicine associated with advanced techniques and technologies is significantly contributing to saving many patients' lives at the flimsy border between life and death.

From there, it can be seen the urgency of researching and applying technologies to gradually enhance the quality of modern healthcare, as well as training a team of ‘digital’ doctors and nurses to meet medical examinations and treatment requirements.

Doctors from the Da Nang-based Hospital 199 in an online consultation meeting for severe cases. Photo: K.H

Technologies bring patients at death’s door back to life

Following Doctor Ha Son Binh, Head of the Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Department of the Da Nang Hospital to hospital room No.307 where patient Bui Bac Bo, 28, is being treated with the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) method.

The patient is still in a coma but a miracle happens when his vital signs appear with a regular heartbeat although his life is still thanks to ECMO system.

Admitted to the hospital on November 19 in a state of circulatory arrest and a deep coma of unknown cause, Bo’s vital signs were less than 10%.

Mr. Bui Bac Bo was in perfect health and has no history of underlying diseases. After a sudden cardiac arrest at home, he was transferred to the Hoa Vang District Medical Station for emergency resuscitation.

One hour later, the patient was transferred directly to the Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Department of the Da Nang Hospital. Here, he is actively treated with sedation, mechanical ventilation through endotracheal tube, and continuous dialysis.

By the time we were at the hospital room No. 307, patient Bui Bac Bo had passed over death’s door and the hope of life had returned to him and his family although he cannot not wean off the ECMO machine.

In the opposite hospital room No. 402, patient Nguyen Dinh Thi residing at K35/58 on To Hien Thanh, Son Tra District, is sipping the first spoons of porridge after one day of weaning off the ECMO machine.

As for the 32-year-old patient, doctors at the Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Department are the fathers and mothers who gave birth to him for the second time.

Patients Bui Bac Bo and Nguyen Dinh Phi are two of many patients who were saved at the death’s door thanks to ECMO - a modern and advanced medical examination and treatment technique that is considered the last "salvation" for patients with severe diseases due to circulatory arrest and acute respiratory failure. The modern technique has been applied at the Da Nang Hospital since 2015.

From the fact that consecutively there are many severe cases progressing quickly but without warning symptoms, there is an urgent need for the Da Nang Hospital in researching, accessing and applying advanced and specialized medical examination and treatment methods in the 4.0 era in order to save the lives of patients in many difficult situations. Because of that, the training requirements to improve professional capacity for medical staff in the digital age are even more necessary.

Since 2015, the Da Nang Hospital has been at the forefront of investing in equipment, and training medical staff capable of meeting the requirements of mastering advanced techniques in the medical industry, including ECMO technique.

Currently, the hospital is one of the country’s leading ECMO treatment centers in the country, positioning itself on the map of ECMO treatment centers in the world with an annual average of 150 patients successfully received and treated.

Thanks to this early initiative, the Da Nang Hospital played a crucial role in medical examinations and treatment when COVID-19 was complicated in 2020 and 2021. Especially, when Da Nang was an epicenter of the whole country, the hospital’s medical workers along with leading doctors and professors of the Ministry of Health, and such major domestic hospitals as Cho Ray and Bach Mai deployed nationwide online consultations to diagnose and treat severe cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Doctor Ha Son Binh affirmed that thanks to access to advanced medical examination and treatment methods, the reception and saving lives of patients at the department is more convenient and effective.

Moreover, after two years of training in the "fire pan" of COVID-19, the department’s medical team had a valuable opportunity to learn about new and specialized knowledge from leading experts at both home and abroad.

A patient is being treated with ECMO at the Da Nang Hosspital.

Provide better care for patients

Thanks to its initiative in training staff and investing in advanced equipment, the Da Nang Hospital has already mastered many advanced techniques, and been capable enough to participate deeply in online, inter-regional, even multinational medical examination and treatment activities.

In its long-term development orientation, the Hospital 199 under Ministry of Public Security determines that promoting the form of remote online medical examination through Telehealth application is the key solution to improve the quality of medical services.

Since its first application in September 2020, the Telehealth app has so far brought initial benefits to both the hospital and patients. With the Telehealth connection, patients feel secure with a safe screening treatment process, and directly listen to the opinions of experts and leading doctors about their disease status and treatment directions even at a distance.

Since the launch of its remote clinic, the Hospital 199 has successfully carried out over 20 online consultations with the participation of leading doctors and experts from the Hue Central Hospital and the Ha Noi Medical University.

In addition to professional efficiency, the remote medical examinations through the Telehealth app also help patients save travel costs while still receiving active and effective treatment support from a team of good doctors.

The Da Nang-based Hospital 199 is among typical medical facilities boosting digital transformation in medical checkups and treatment. Not only frontline hospitals, currently, many hospitals and medical centers citywide are proactive in applying digital transformation to medical examination and treatment activities.

The application of smart and advanced medical examinations and treatment methods not only helps Da Nang's healthcare sector step by step approach the leading medical methods and centers nationwide and worldwide, but also opens up opportunities for medical workers to improve their skills, increase the accessibility of medical facilities to each population, as well as improve flexible response in all situations, including COVID-19 as an example.

Reporting by KHANH HOA - Translating by M.DUNG