Vietnamese doctors save Myanmar tourist after severe gastrointestinal bleeding

Nguyen Tan Dung, deputy director of Da Nang C Hospital, said on Wednesday that the patient, identified as L.A., had been successfully treated after 10 days of intensive care.

Dung said the case was unusual.

The patient began vomiting fresh blood upon arrival and was rushed to emergency care.

He was admitted in critical condition with dangerously low blood pressure, severe blood loss, and signs of cardiac collapse.

Doctors diagnosed him with severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, likely from ruptured esophageal varices linked to suspected cirrhosis, complicated by hemorrhagic shock and organ failure.

Tests revealed acute blood loss, metabolic acidosis with lactate levels reaching 19 mmol/L, along with liver and kidney failure.

At one point, the patient fell into a coma, while his blood pressure continued to drop and required high doses of vasopressors.

The intensive care team placed the patient on a ventilator, administered blood transfusions and plasma products, and used vasopressors to stabilize his circulation.

Emergency gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed to locate and control the bleeding source, while his organ functions were closely monitored.

Dialysis was prepared as a backup option.

For several days, the patient remained dependent on mechanical ventilation and medication, with doctors warning of a high risk of death.

"The patient had no relatives in Vietnam and was accompanied by only one Myanmar friend. During the treatment, we focused on saving his life while also supporting him amid the language barrier and his circumstances," Dung said.

After 10 days of intensive treatment, his condition gradually improved.

He regained consciousness, was weaned off the ventilator, and began breathing independently.

Doctors said his organ functions are recovering and he is able to resume daily activities.