On October 29, the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital welcomed and held a working session with a delegation of experts from Resource Exchange International (REI), USA. The event aimed to enhance professional exchange, share experiences, and update the latest advancements in the field of pediatric otolaryngology.
Resource Exchange International (REI) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1990. REI currently operates in several countries such as Vietnam, China, Egypt, Laos, Indonesia, Jordan, Djibouti, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and others. The organization’s mission is to develop human resources in various fields including medicine, linguistics, social work, and economics, etc. Over the years, REI and the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital have carried out many successful collaborative projects. During this visit, the REI experts and the Department of Otolaryngology engaged in productive discussions, clinical teaching sessions, and cases reviews.
During the meeting, PhD, MD. Phí Thị Quỳnh Anh, Head of the Department of Otolaryngology, and her colleagues introduced the department’s professional activities and discussed several complex clinical cases. These included conditions such as cerebrospinal fluid leaks, hearing loss due to retrocochlear abnormality, nasopharyngeal ossifying fibroma compressing the optic nerve, and sleep apnea in children with laryngo-tracheomalacia. The cases were analyzed and discussed to determine optimal treatment approaches, with the REI experts sharing their valuable experience in clinical management and surgical techniques to support the department’s physicians in improving treatment outcomes.
PhD, MD. Phí Thị Quỳnh Anh, Head of the Department of Otolaryngology, expressed sincere appreciation to the REI expert team for their visit and collaboration.
During the exchange, the REI experts empathized with the challenges faced by the hospital’s medical staffs in managing severe cases. They also expressed interest in several special cases currently under the hospital’s care and expressed their willingness to collaborate further in developing treatment strategies.
Professor Harold Scott Pine, a pediatric ENT specialist from the United States, has accompanied Vietnamese patients for many years through REI programs.
In addition to case discussions and surgical topics, the working program also focused on audiology and hearing screening for young children. REI experts shared updated knowledge on hearing assessments for both adults and children; newborn hearing screening and early intervention programs for children with hearing impairment in the U.S.; and safe sedated ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) testing techniques for pediatric patients. Furthermore, both sides evaluated and analyzed several clinical cases related to hearing disorders to improve care and treatment quality.
Both sides discussed complex clinical cases currently being managed and treated at the Department of Otolaryngology.
At the end of the working session, both sides agreed on maintaining annual cooperation and expanding in-depth professional exchanges in pediatric otolaryngology. Strengthening international collaboration is expected to bring significant professional benefits to the hospital’s medical staff, contributing to improving healthcare quality for Vietnamese children.
