China Youth Daily Client News (Tang Wenjia China Youth Daily, China Youth Daily reporter Wang Yejie) A few days ago, 85-year-old Wang Apo (pseudonym) from Nantong, Jiangsu experienced a “difficult + old + high” in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital Complications may be “three high surgery”. The old man was able to walk and take care of himself 5 days after the operation.
A year ago, 85-year-old grandma Wang began to suffer from asthma after activities. The family thought it was because she was old and did not pay attention to her. In August this year, her asthma began to intensify and was accompanied by a cough. Seeing that her breathing became more and more difficult, her children rushed to accompany her. Go to a local hospital for treatment. After examination, a “grape-like” tumor grew in Grandma Wang’s trachea, which had occupied nearly 3/4 of the “ventilation fortress”. The biopsy confirmed that it was a malignant tumor of the trachea. However, due to the difficulty of surgery, further treatment was not possible.
The picture shows the hand-drawing of the organ grape-like tumor. Photo courtesy of Ruijin Hospital
After that, Apo Wang’s family came to Ruijin Hospital’s Thoracic Surgery Clinic for treatment. Li Hecheng, director of thoracic surgery, decided to “accept him as soon as possible and find a way to save him” after analyzing his condition. It is reported that tracheal tumors are extremely difficult to operate because of their rare incidence, insidious symptoms, and special locations.
According to Zhang Yajie, the attending doctor of Grandma Wang, tracheal tumors generally grow slowly and have no specific symptoms and signs in the early stage. When the tumor mass occupies 2/3 to 3/4 of the lumen, it will cause severe airway obstruction and life-threatening, and the prognosis is poor. Tracheal tumors are currently one of the most difficult operations in thoracic surgery. The surgical techniques and anastomotic reconstruction methods are complex, and complications such as bleeding, anesthesia accidents, anastomotic leakage, and respiratory failure are likely to occur during and after surgery. The requirements are very high, and the requirements for intraoperative anesthesia technology and perioperative management are also very high; Grandma Wang is also an elderly patient, and the situation is even more severe.
After being admitted to the hospital, the doctor carried out a series of detailed examinations for Grandma Wang, made a more detailed assessment of the condition, and conducted consultations from multiple disciplines such as thoracic surgery, respiratory department, anesthesiology, and critical care medicine to improve the formulation of surgical plans, Predict surgical risks and formulate relevant plans.
Soon, a tracheal tumor resection and tracheal reconstruction began. Since the trachea is surrounded by important blood vessels and organs, any damage may be dangerous. This operation has been described as “picking grapes from thorns”. In the end, Li Hecheng’s team successfully removed the trachea where the patient’s tumor tissue was located, and the operation area was clean and clear. Subsequently, Li Hecheng’s team innovatively used a robotic surgical system to perform tracheal reconstruction and anastomosis on the patient. After 3 hours, the operation was successfully completed.
Grandma Wang (middle) discharged from the hospital after surgery. Photo courtesy of Ruijin Hospital
“We are all ordinary farmers. After repeated rejections, our brothers and sisters feel like the sky is falling. Thank you Ruijin Hospital, we will take good care of our mother and hope that she will live to 100 years old and live up to the hospital’s treatment! ” said Grandma Wang’s son.
It is reported that the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Ruijin Hospital has established mediastinal, tracheal, and chest wall tumor sub-specialties and MDT clinics to conduct multidisciplinary discussions on complex and difficult tracheal and mediastinal tumors such as Grandma Wang, and formulate personalized treatment plans. class patients to solve the underlying problem.
Source: Client of China Youth Daily