Disease: wings can be treated quickly

According to a calculation, to surgery for 600 children with 'wings' - delta muscle atrophy - in Ha Tinh requires 4.2 billion VND (7 million VND / shift).

TS.BS Le Duc To gave a simple slaughter line, can be transferred to local doctors to perform, and cost only . 600,000 VND / shift! TS said:

- On December 26, 2005, we went to Vinh City to continue the surgery program for children with mobility, there were nearly a dozen shoulder plays and had six surgeries. These patients are not only in Nghi Xuan district but also from Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh province and Anh Son, Hung Nguyen, Dien Chau and Nghe An provinces.

During this surgery, we also transferred the surgical technique to the Center for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation of Vinh City, Nghe An Province, which can now take full responsibility for the surgery and can perform 30 shifts / day. .

Dr. Le Duc To (middle) - Central member of Vietnam Association for the Relief of Disabled Children, standing and head of the medical committee of the Association for the Disabled Children in Ho Chi Minh City - in a child surgery with diseases 'starlings' wings' at the Center for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation in Vinh City (Photo: KS / TTO)

* To cure 'wings' just a simple surgery?

- Yes. Surgery for shoulder sagging - or 'wings' - is one of the simplest surgeries in the orthopedic field. For children over 10 years old can be pre-anesthesia and local anesthesia. Children under 10 years old only need anesthesia. Slitting the skin 3-4cm long, into the bottom of the groove to find a hardened tendon strip (this bottom is the gap between the two delta bundles) performs a small action of cutting and releasing this band.

Dr. Le Duc To (Photo: TTO)

After cutting, the shoulder blade is no longer pulled down, slowly returning to the original position, the shoulder is exhausted. After a period of rehab (rehabilitation), the role is balanced again. In surgery, the amount of blood loss is very small, only wetting two or three small gauze pads and stitches requires only 4-5 buttons, which can be considered a central surgery - if not to say it is a minor surgery. If good sterility is ensured, after surgery only need 4-5 days of antibiotics, no need to inject to relieve pain for the patient.

It should be noted that the issue of practicing physiotherapy and post-operative rehabilitation. From day 10 after surgery, rehabilitative exercise with shoulder joint movements can be performed to regain complete muscle force for the muscles around the shoulders, especially the deltoid muscle which has been subjected to long-term restraint. Do not just practice the surgery but not the hand to prevent it from shrinking later. It is possible that the unoperated hand is also in the process of deformation, so this episode is not redundant. In the process of training, it is necessary to guide how to practice for students when they come home so that they can take advantage of their education and practice rehabilitation.

* How can early treatment for many children with 'wings' be scattered in some localities?

- The total number of children with 'wing-wing' disease in Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh province through thorough screening has reached nearly 800 children, while in Nghe An the number of self-referrals has nearly 200, there may be more in the community. Such a large number of patients and mostly poor children should seek ways to operate locally to reduce the cost of traveling.

So during the previous operation at the Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Center in Vinh City, we trained the doctors here and they were able to operate. I also proposed to the Ministry of Health and Ha Tinh province to train lower-level doctors (districts and provinces) to be able to diagnose and operate, instruct to practice rehabilitation for patients - even invite other doctors to come. This will resolve quickly, reducing travel costs for patients.

According to the calculation of the Center for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation in Vinh City, the total cost for surgery, including preoperative testing and medicine is VND 600,000. If the patient stays in practice for 3-4 weeks, then he will add VND 400,000 - a total of 1 million VND / shift. If the patient is far away without conditions to stay in rehearsal, he / she will be instructed carefully to go home to practice.

To deal with 600 cases in Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh province, as reported in the press, if the operating cost of 600,000 VND / shift, a total of 360 million VND will be easier to apply for funding than the number 4, 2 billion as originally calculated.

Thank you doctor!

KIM SON performs