But a fateful encounter at Hong Ngoc General Hospital opened a new journey, helping her regain her natural breath and a new life.
The journey of "regenerating" the airway after 2 years of breathing with an artificial breathing tube.
From a terrible accident to 2 years of "temporary" breathing with an artificial respirator
The traffic accident in June 2022 took away Lu Thi Nghien's husband forever, and she was hospitalized in critical condition. She suffered serious injuries to her jaw, face, neck, a broken larynx, temporomandibular joint fibrosis, and was unable to open her mouth, breathe on her own, or speak. After many days of emergency care and treatment, she was saved but could not breathe naturally. To maintain her life, doctors were forced to open her trachea and place an artificial breathing tube in her neck.
A serious accident changed Ms. Nghien's life.
It was thought to be a temporary solution, but for the next two years, Ms. Nghien still depended on a breathing tube, making it very difficult to eat and live. Along with the after-effects of cough, sore throat, laryngitis,... her health seriously declined.
“For two years, I didn’t dare hold my child for fear of dropping the breathing tube. I couldn’t cook hot rice. I couldn’t say whether I was happy or sad. I couldn’t even take a deep breath… There were times when I wanted to give up because I felt like I wasn’t living like a normal person. I covered my neck everywhere I went because I was ashamed,” she recalled.
She was afraid that she would never be able to call her child's name in this life.
Before finding the right treatment, she knocked on the doors of many hospitals. But all of them shook their heads. Doctors all said that her case was too complicated. The cartilage frame of her larynx was crushed, deformed, and seriously damaged to the point that any intervention became risky.
Endoscopic removal of narrow scar tissue in the larynx is extremely difficult. Because this is an extremely sensitive area, even a slight over-handling can cause further damage, causing scar tissue to proliferate after surgery. At that time, the risk of airway obstruction is entirely possible, even life-threatening.
“Thank you doctor for believing in what no one else dared to believe”
In October 2023, when she accidentally read information about endoscopic laryngoscopy surgery at Hong Ngoc General Hospital, she decided to come for an examination, considering it her last lifeline. Here, directly, Master, Doctor of Medicine Nguyen Xuan Quang - Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Hong Ngoc General Hospital received and examined her.
Master, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Quang examines Ms. Nghien.
After endoscopy and careful evaluation, Dr. Quang determined that this was a case of long-term injury, with a narrow scar almost completely covering the larynx, accompanied by temporomandibular joint fibrosis that prevented her from opening her mouth wide, which was a huge obstacle if surgery was performed on the patient.
“Although it was difficult, he was still so young and had a strong desire to live, so the team was determined to treat him to the end. The patient had a nearly complete laryngeal stenosis, and his mouth could not open, so accessing the damaged area was extremely difficult. Surgery required a combination of many steps, from temporomandibular joint correction, to laser endoscopy and laryngeal dilation, all of which required absolute precision to avoid damaging the vocal cords. We decided to plan the treatment step by step,” Dr. Quang shared.
In November 2023, the first surgery was performed: TMJ correction to help her open her mouth normally. The surgery was successfully performed by the team of cosmetic surgeons at Hong Ngoc General Hospital, laying the foundation for the next treatment steps - accessing the larynx and treating the narrow scar area.
She and the medical team went through a stressful time monitoring the results of the surgery.
Four months later, an important surgery - endoscopic laser resection of laryngeal stenosis and placement of a stent to reconstruct the airway - was performed. According to Dr. Quang, this is a high-risk surgery, requiring the surgeon to have high technical skills and absolute precision to avoid damaging the vocal cords. After the surgery, she was closely monitored, placed with a stent and injected with anti-scarring medication to ensure that the airway did not narrow again.
The surgery was complex with many challenges.
In August 2024, after an endoscopy showed that the airway was clear and no longer narrow, the doctors decided to remove the artificial breathing tube, ending the long series of inconvenient days.
“This result proves that the airway has been successfully reconstructed, without re-narrowing and ensuring function. The patient can breathe, talk and eat like a normal person, something that was once considered almost impossible,” Dr. Quang shared.
She burst into happiness after 2 years of being removed from the breathing tube.
Half a year after the surgery, Ms. Nghien has regained her life. “I am extremely happy. Now I can hold my child, cook hot rice, and take a deep breath. I am very grateful to Dr. Quang and the medical team at Hong Ngoc General Hospital. Not only for performing the surgery on me, but also for believing in my ability to recover when no one else dared to believe,” she emotionally expressed.
For her, a new life is reborn.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/phau-thuat-seo-hep-thanh-quan-tai-sinh-hoi-tho-sau-2-nam-song-nho-ong-tho-nhan-tao-20250707080925204.htm
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