The increase of stroke patients and the rejuvenation of stroke age are putting great pressure on medical facilities, and medical forces and doctors in particular in Da Nang. With the desire to save many patients, doctor Pham Nhu Thong, 37, whose hometown is Quang Nam Province, the Deputy Head of Stroke Department, Da Nang General Hospital is not only dedicated to treating patients but he also makes many contributions to the treatment of patients with stroke.

Doctor Pham Nhu Thong (right) is guiding students at the Stroke Department of the Da Nang General Hospital. Photo: N.H

On the afternoon of February 20, the Stroke Department of Da Nang General Hospital was still quite crowded. Taking advantage of a few short minutes during the break, doctor Thong shared his experiences about the work he was pursuing.

After graduating from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, majoring in General Practitioners, at the end of December 2013, Thong was assigned to work at the Department of Intensive Care and Anti-Poison at the Da Nang General Hospital.

Specialising in stroke pathology and transcranial Doppler ultrasound at People's Hospital 115 in Ho Chi Minh City, doctor Thong and his colleagues improved the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, helping to increase the number of patients recovering and returning to normal life through this therapy.

In order to strengthen the connection of doctors majoring in dealing with stroke and emergency cases, and brain interventionists in the diagnosis and treatment of acute stroke patients, Thong also proposed the establishment of a Stroke Team located in the Intensive Care and Anti-Poison Department and then raised its scale.

The Stroke Unit is constantly improving the treatment process, reducing the procedures, applying the soc-called innovative “stroke bag” innovation to shorten the treatment time of rTPA thrombolytic drugs. This bag is always full of equipment, tools, thrombolytic drugs, along with a patient information sheet and the CT results of cerebral blood vessels.

In April 2019, the Department of Stroke was established, and doctor Thong has work there until now. As the Deputy Head of the Department, Thong constantly improves his expertise, participates in health education consultancy on television, supports technology transfer to lower-level hospitals in Quang Nam and Da Nang and well fulfills other assigned tasks.

For nearly 20 years of being strongly dedicated to the profession, doctor Thong has been directly involved in bringing many patients with severe stroke back to normal life. Many patients who returned from death and fortunately returned to normal life could not forget him.

A female patient, 51, working at a hotel in Son Tra District, one of the patients successfully treated by doctor Thong, said: “When I was about to go to work, I felt dizzy and suffered hemiplegia. In a prompt fashion, I was rushed to the Da Nang General Hospital and doctor Thong directly treated me. During my stay in the hospital, the doctor regularly checked the progress of my condition. In just a short time, I recovered and returned to normal work. To me, doctor Thong is a great benefactor.”

From the practice of medical examination and treatment, doctor Thong said that every year, he and his peers conduct research in a bid to improve the treatment of stroke.

Currently, Thong focuses on researching and treating patients with spontaneous brainstem hemorrhage, because according to doctors, this health problem often makes patients quadriplegic and bedridden. Also, he usually spends much time deploying the assessment of deep circulatory infarction.

The doctor himself goes to district/ward-level medical centres to exchange experiences in handling stroke patients, especially taking advantage of the so-called ‘golden time’, which is considered a good chance to save their lives, in stroke treatment.

“Entering the medical profession, it may be difficult at first, but in any tasks assigned to me, I always work with a high sense of responsibility and work ethics. I wish to save as many severe stroke patients as possible, and seeing them and their families burst with joy when they passed the death’s door, I feel very happy”, said doctor Thong.

Reporting by NGOC HA - Translating by A.THU