The doctors at the The Center for General Surgery – Vietnam National Children’s Hospital have successfully applied many high-tech scientific achievements in examination and treatment, such as liver transplants, splenectomies, post-splenectomy tumor resections, adrenal gland tumors, treatment of choledochal cysts, esophageal stenosis, hernia repair, contributing to bringing Vietnam’s Pediatric Surgery field to par with other countries in the region, helping many children avoid traveling abroad for treatment, and opening up new lives for many critically ill children.
The Center for General Surgery – the predecessor of the General Surgery Department has always been closely associated with the development history of the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital since its early days of establishment, paralleling the general development of Vietnam’s healthcare sector.
Since 2020, the The Center for General Surgery has been reorganized and operated based on 3 units. Division of Thoracic Surgery treats respiratory system diseases, esophageal diseases, diaphragmatic hernias, and chest wall deformities. Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery specializes in treating diseases such as anorectal malformations, congenital megacolon, and gastrointestinal diseases. Liver and bile duct diseases, tumors are treated at the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery.
The team of doctors at the General Surgery Center
The center gathers a team of Associate Professors, Doctors, Masters, and Physicians who are leading experts in the field of Pediatric Surgery; the infrastructure and equipment are fully equipped to meet the needs of examination, treatment, and surgery with modern equipment such as the OR1 high-tech operating room system, Da Vinci robotic endoscopic surgery system, 3D endoscopic surgery system, advanced surgical tools such as ultrasonic scalpels, CUSA scalpels, specialized surgical instruments, etc.
State-of-the-art equipment supports surgeons in complex surgeries
Performing over 5000 surgeries in 2023
Endoscopic surgery at the Center for General Surgery is routinely performed in about 80% of total surgeries. At the present time, most surgeries treating diseases such as choledochal cysts, esophageal stenosis, hernia repair, intestinal obstruction, midgut volvulus, congenital megacolon, and anorectal malformations are performed via endoscopic surgery.
As the leading flag bearer in Pediatric Surgery nationwide, the Center for General Surgery successfully performed over 5000 surgeries in 2023, including 2541 emergency surgeries and 2643 elective surgeries, bringing hope to thousands of patients and their families. Successfully performing complex surgeries such as liver transplants, major liver resections according to anatomy, splenectomies, common bile duct excision, post-splenectomy tumor resection with imaging diagnosis risk factors, esophageal reconstruction surgery using the colon segment, total colonectomy surgery, is the proud and encouraging achievement of the team of doctors at the Center.
The combination of solid expertise, extensive experience, and advanced endoscopic surgery system will help patients achieve the best surgical outcomes.
The 50th pediatric liver transplant opens up opportunities for children with end-stage liver disease due to congenital cirrhosis
On October 18, 2023, the 50th pediatric liver transplant at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital was successfully performed on a 3-year-old patient, G.H.
The surgery was carried out with close coordination among the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery, Anesthesiology, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Clinical Pathology Laboratory, Blood Bank, Imaging Diagnosis… After 9 hours of intense focus, the surgical team successfully performed the liver transplant for the child amidst the overwhelming joy of the patient’s family and the doctors at the Center. Just a few years ago, pediatric liver transplantation seemed to be a difficult challenge that could not be overcome.
Up to now, with dedication and relentless efforts throughout the years, the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital has fully mastered the technique of liver transplantation and has become the unit with the highest number of pediatric liver transplants in Vietnam today. In 2023 alone, the Center successfully performed 17 cases of liver transplantation from living donors for children with end-stage liver disease, low body weight.
The mastery of liver transplantation technique by the doctors at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital not only has the significance of saving lives but also affirms the determination of the Hospital’s Board of Directors, the doctors at The Center for General Surgery, and the entire Hospital in promoting the collective strengths, focusing on the development of advanced techniques to serve the mission of providing the best quality healthcare for children, so that patients and their families can enjoy world-class services and advanced techniques in Vietnam without having to go abroad.
Children reborn and leading a better life after liver transplantation
Bilateral adrenal tumors and the dramatic life-saving surgery for a 14-year-old boy
On May 15, 2023, the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital overcame many challenges to successfully remove bilateral adrenal tumors for a 14-year-old patient. This is a rare case in both Vietnam and the world, and also the first case ever treated at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital.
Identified as a rare disease with possible complex treatment processes, under the guidance of Associate Professor, Ph.D. Pham Duy Hien – Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, a multi-disciplinary consultation involving Endocrinology, General Surgery, Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Intensive Care, Anesthesiology, Imaging Diagnosis, Pathology took place to find the optimal solution to ensure safe surgery for the child. Endocrinologists meticulously planned blood pressure treatment for the child before and during surgery. Interventional radiologists had to perform arterial and venous interventions to limit the sudden release of catecholamine hormones directly into the blood and to control bleeding during surgery.
The child underwent endoscopic surgery to minimize damage, completely removing both adrenal tumors, while trying to preserve a part of the right adrenal gland. During surgery, the doctors were extremely cautious with each step, as touching the tumors could easily cause a sudden increase in blood pressure leading to cerebral hemorrhage, acute heart failure, or coronary artery disease. Fortunately, the surgery was successful amidst the overwhelming joy from the medical team and the family of the child.
The surgical team performing the operation for nearly 5 hours
Vững vàng phát triển, xứng đáng vị thế đi đầu, dẫn đầu và quyết tâm vươn lên trên bản đồ Y học thế giới
Solid development, deserving the position of leading the way, and the determination to rise above on the world medical map
In the development journey, the General Surgery Center always clearly defines its mission in examining, consulting, and treating diseases in the fields of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Pancreatology, and Thoracic Surgery for children.
In addition to the Specialty Outpatient Clinic activities, the Center also has a Rectal Surgery Clinic working every Thursday exclusively for children with these defects. Along with that, after-hours clinic activities, on Saturdays, Sundays are continuously implemented. In inpatient treatment: children with surgical diseases, before and after surgery, are treated inpatient with a total of 150 beds.
All surgical activities are planned (surgery sessions), when a patient is indicated for surgery, the doctor examines, advises, the entire Department holds weekly consultations on Thursday afternoon and schedules surgeries according to the weekly schedule. The emergency team of the Center for General Surgery is on duty 24/7, including at least 03 doctors, responsible for examining, consulting, and performing emergency surgeries.
In the upcoming year 2024, the General Surgery Center will continue to strive to leverage its achievements, continuously learn, enhance professional capabilities, and uphold professional ethics. From there, we are determined to build a unit that is increasingly strong and sustainable, maintaining its leading position in Pediatric Surgerynationwide and in the region, contributing to the best healthcare for Vietnamese children.
