Chợ Rẫy Hospital is the largest general hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and is also the largest in Vietnam, founded in 1900 during the French colonial rule as Hôpital Municipal de Cholon. Over the years, the hospital has also been known as Hôpital Indigène de Cochinchine (1919), Hôpital Lolung Bonnoires (1938), and Hôpital 415 (1945), until it was ultimately renamed Chợ Rẫy in 1957.The facility was reconstructed on the area of 53,000 m² and was re-equipped to become one of the largest[citation needed] hospitals in Southeast Asia in June 1974 with the help of the Japanese government.At present, the hospital has 35 clinical, 11 subclinical and 8 functional departments. It organizes practice and postgraduate training for more than 2,500 medical students and 600 doctors each year. Chợ Rẫy Hospital has 1200 beds, employs 2,270 health workers including 500 medical doctors and pharmacists, and provides treatment for about 457,000 outpatients and 67,000 inpatients per year.Active international contacts are held with medical facilities all over the world..
Cardiac toxicity from QT-prolonging drugs can precipitate malignant ventricular arrhythmias in susceptible individuals, and family screening may clarify inherited risk. We report a 33-year-old woman with a history of postpartum cardiac arrest treated with a secondary-prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) who developed an electrical storm after self-administration of a single low dose of amitriptyline (12.5 mg). ICD interrogation documented 176 episodes of ventricular fibrillation requiring repeated shocks, followed by complete battery depletion, hemodynamic collapse, and the need for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and continuous renal replacement therapy. The admission electrocardiogram showed marked QT prolongation (QTc 651 ms), with previously documented prolonged baseline QTc values. Targeted next-generation sequencing identified a novel SCN5A missense variant (NM_000335.5:c.5738G > A) and a rare pathogenic KCNQ1 splice variant (NM_000218.3:c.1032G > C), cascade testing across the family demonstrated variable expressivity among carriers. Given a suspected contribution of late sodium current, a mechanism-based strategy was implemented with mexiletine added to propranolol and overdrive pacing (90 bpm). This case underscores the risk of malignant ventricular arrhythmias after exposure to QT-prolonging agents even at low doses, and supports genotype-informed, mechanism-based therapy to mitigate arrhythmic risk in patients with marked QT prolongation.
Study Design:Retrospective single-center cohort study. Purpose:To evaluate 1-year clinical and radiological outcomes of biportal endoscopic posterior cervical foraminotomy (BE-PCF) in cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). Overview of Literature:CSR is commonly managed with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, cervical disc replacement, or posterior cervical foraminotomy. However, these approaches may lead to fusion-related complications, prosthesis degeneration, or posterior tension band disruption. Minimally invasive techniques, such as biportal endoscopic spine surgery, aim to reduce tissue damage while maintaining effective decompression. Long-term outcome data for BE-PCF remain limited. Methods:Twenty-one patients (31 levels) who underwent BE-PCF (June 2023-December 2024) were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical outcomes included Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for neck and arm pain and Neck Disability Index (NDI) at baseline, discharge, 6 months, and 1 year. Radiological outcomes were assessed using dynamic radiographs (C2C7 and segmental range of motion [ROM]) and computed tomography (CT) at 6 months, evaluating facet resection, foraminal diameter, and approach angle. Results:Mean follow-up was 14.8±6.7 months. VAS and NDI improved significantly (p<0.001). Neck pain decreased from 6.9±1.1 to 2.5±0.7, arm pain from 8.1±0.7 to 2.0±0.6, and NDI from 30.8±3.6 to 12.2±1.6. Cervical ROM was preserved (C2C7: 40.5°±10.1° vs. 40.5°±10.3°, p=0.99; segmental: 13.1°±4.4° vs. 13.8°±5.7°, p=0.18). CT demonstrated significant foraminal enlargement (mid-foraminal: 4.2±0.8 to 6.5±1.0 mm; distal: 3.7±1.1 to 4.8±1.0 mm; both p<0.001). Mean facet resection was 34.6%±7.7%, with no case exceeding 50%. Complications included transient C5 palsy (4.7%) and one wrong-level surgery (3.2%). Conclusions:BE-PCF is a safe and effective minimally invasive option for CSR, providing significant clinical improvement, preserved cervical motion, and adequate decompression with low complication rates at 1 year.
Background: Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition with rapidly escalating mortality, requiring urgent surgical intervention. The COVID-19 pandemic placed significant strain on healthcare systems, raising concerns about its impact on treatment outcomes for this critical condition. Methods: This retrospective study examined all surgical cases of Stanford type A aortic dissection treated at the Cardiac Surgery-ICU Department of Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from January 2017 to December 2022. Patients were categorised into two groups: pre-pandemic (Group A, 2017–2019) and peri-/post-pandemic (Group B, 2020–2022). Data were analysed using R software. Results: Of the 325 patients who underwent surgery, 122 were in Group A and 203 were in Group B. Mean age was similar between the two groups, while the proportion of male patients was lower in Group B. Operation time was longer during the pandemic, with increased cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp durations. Total aortic arch replacement and stent graft implantation were performed more frequently in Group B. While the rate of stroke remained comparable (approximately 10%), Group B had a significantly higher rate of reoperation for bleeding (24.63% versus 9.83%; p=0.002) and nearly double the mortality rate (15.27% versus 7.34%). Conclusion: Emergency surgery for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection remains complex and high risk. Although mortality at Cho Ray Hospital had decreased in prior years, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with worsened outcomes, including increased complications and mortality. Contributing factors may include delayed diagnosis, reduced access to care, and poorer preoperative conditions. Further research is needed to clarify causal mechanisms and guide future response strategies.
Mục tiêu: Nghiên cứu nhằm xác định tỷ lệ và phân tích một số yếu tố liên quan đến lo âu, trầm cảm, stress của người bệnh ung thư vú tại phòng khám tuyến vú Bệnh viện Chợ Rẫy. Phương pháp: Nghiên cứu mô tả cắt ngang trên 190 người bệnh mới được chẩn đoán ung thư vú tại phòng khám tuyến vú Bệnh viện Chợ rẫy bằng thang đo DASS-21 (The 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales) để đánh giá mức độ lo âu, trầm cảm, stress, sử dụng hồi quy logistic để đo lường mối liên quan giữa một số đặc điểm và tình trạng lo âu, trầm cảm, stress. Kết quả: Có 65,8% bệnh nhân ung thư vú có tình trạng lo âu thực sự, 80,0% người bệnh có tình trạng trầm cảm thực sự và 71,1% người bệnh ung thư vú có tình trạng stress thực sự. Những yếu tố liên quan đến tình trạng rối loạn lo âu là tình trạng hôn nhân, giai đoạn bệnh. Những yếu tố liên quan đến tình trạng rối loạn trầm cảm là tình trạng hôn nhân, giai đoạn bệnh. Những yếu tố liên quan đến tình trạng rối loạn stress là tình trạng trình độ học vấn, giai đoạn bệnh. Kết luận: Tỷ lệ người bệnh ung thư vú mắc rối loạn lo âu, trầm cảm, stress ở mức cao, cần quan tâm và đẩy mạnh công tác chăm sóc sức khỏe tâm thần cho những người bệnh ung thư vú có nhu cầu cả trong và sau quá trình điều trị.
