During the holiday season, Viet Duc Hospital witnessed an influx of over 700 emergency cases, with a staggering 50% of them being linked to traffic accidents. These accidents often involved alcohol, according to Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, head of the Department of Digestive Surgery and a doctor on duty in the emergency room on May 1.
Dr. Hoa explained that the number of patients visiting the emergency room had doubled compared to typical days, with an average of 150 emergency cases per day. The types of injuries sustained in traffic accidents varied widely, including traumatic brain injuries, abdominal and chest injuries, broken limbs, and multiple injuries.
One particularly harrowing case involved a 39-year-old male taxi driver who was admitted to the hospital in a coma after crashing into an electric pole on his way home from work. Another patient, a 42-year-old female, was hospitalized due to a traffic accident that resulted in closed chest injury, grade 3 liver damage, and a wrist injury.
In addition to traffic accidents, many patients were also hospitalized due to daily life accidents and occupational accidents. To handle the increased patient load during this period, Viet Duc Hospital organized an emergency surgery team consisting of around 25-30 doctors and nurses. Despite seeing fewer traffic accidents compared to previous holiday periods, there were still a total of 347 accidents nationwide that resulted in 138 deaths and 285 injuries during the holiday season
