Removing bullet that existed for 60 years in the body of a veteran over 80 years old

(Dan Tri) - The bullet has been in the veteran's body for more than 60 years, causing dull pain, especially every time the weather changes.

On July 4, Dr. Pham Hong Ha, Deputy Director of Military Hospital 7B, Logistics and Engineering Department, Military Region 7, said that doctors from the hospital's General Surgery Department had successfully performed surgery to remove the bullet that had been in the patient's body for more than 60 years.

The veteran recovered well after surgery, holding the bullet that had been in his body for 6 decades (Photo: Contributor).

The patient is Mr. NVĐ. (83 years old, An Giang ). He is a veteran who fought in 1964. During a battle, he was shot in the right hip.

At that time, due to limited medical conditions and the deep location of the bullet, doctors were unable to remove the foreign object from his body. Since then, the bullet has become a part of Mr. D.'s body for more than six decades.

Despite visiting many hospitals, doctors all said that surgery to remove the bullet was almost impossible due to the high risk of complications such as paralysis or serious damage. Mr. D. had to accept living with the dull pain, especially when the weather changed.

However, in the past 2 weeks, the pain has worsened, accompanied by inflammation and pus discharge in the right hip and thigh, making it difficult to walk. On July 2, he was admitted to Military Hospital 7B.

After conducting a thorough examination and performing paraclinical tests, the medical team of the General Surgery Department determined that the bullet was located on the back of the right hip, not fixed, causing compression and inflammation of the surrounding tissues.

The bullet has been lodged deep in the veteran's body for more than 60 years (Photo: BV).

If the bullet is surgically removed, the team faces many major challenges. The bullet is located deep in thick muscle layers, especially in the gluteal region, and is easily displaced during the process of determining its location.

Furthermore, due to remaining in the body for so long, the bullet tip is likely to adhere to nearby tissue structures, making dissection complicated.

After careful consideration, the doctors agreed on a surgical plan using a C-ARM machine to accurately locate the bullet. This method uses the fistula in the buttocks and thighs as a guide, combined with the radiopaque properties of the foreign body to increase accuracy.

On July 3, the surgery was performed under the guidance of Doctor CKII Nguyen Thanh Trung, Head of the Department of General Surgery. The surgical team proceeded step by step with utmost caution.

The bullet after being removed (Photo: BV).

Locating the bullet requires high precision, because even a small deviation can cause the bullet to be outside the surgical field, increasing the difficulty of the surgery many times over.

During the surgery, the surgeons made careful incisions, probed carefully, used C-ARM to locate the site throughout the procedure, and performed meticulous dissection and hemostasis.

After about 60 tense minutes, the team approached and successfully removed the bullet. Surprisingly, the bullet was still shiny and almost intact after more than 60 years in the veteran's body.

Just one day after the surgery, Mr. D.'s condition has improved significantly. He can move normally, with almost no signs of the complicated surgery he just underwent. Mr. D. is expected to be discharged from the hospital on July 10.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/gap-dau-dan-ton-tai-60-nam-trong-co-the-cuu-chien-binh-hon-80-tuoi-20250704093203822.htm