Center For Critical Care Medicine

1. History of Development

• 1978: Established as the A9 Intensive Care and Emergency Department.
• 2001: Renamed to Intensive Care Department after separating the Emergency unit.
• 2021: Officially established as the Center for Critical Care Medicine.
• Legacy: The Center inherits the prestigious tradition of a unit twice honored as "Labor Hero" (Anh hùng Lao động).

2. Board of Directors

• Director: Assoc. Prof. Do Ngoc Son, MD, PhD.
• Vice Directors:
  • Pham The Thach, MD, PhD.
  • Nguyen Cong Tan, MD, PhD.
• Chief Nursing Officer: Hoang Minh Hoan, PhD.

3. Organizational Structure & Human Resources
The Center operates with 132 staff members, including 2 Associate Professors, 3 PhDs, and numerous highly qualified Specialists and Residency Doctors.

• Critical Care Department 1: 38 beds across 2 units.
• Critical Care Department 2: 35 beds across 2 units (including an On-demand unit).
• Outpatient Clinics: 3 specialized clinics at Building K1, providing comprehensive internal medicine examinations and treatment.
• Operational Mode: 24/7 comprehensive care with a 3-shift, 4-crew system.

4. Functions and Missions

• Advanced Treatment: Providing specialized care for severe and complex cases referred internally and from provincial hospitals.
• Technical Leadership: Developing and standardizing advanced techniques like ECMO, Blood Purification, and Hemodynamic Monitoring.
• Education & Training: A premier training site for medical students, postgraduates, and residency doctors from major medical universities.
• Direction of Healthcare (Line Support): Transferring technology and providing remote clinical consultation for lower-level healthcare facilities.
• Research & International Cooperation: Conducting high-impact medical research and collaborating with global organizations for professional exchange.

5. Key Clinical Highlights & Techniques
The Center is a pioneer in Vietnam for implementing life-saving technologies:

• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO): A leader in saving patients with myocarditis and cardiogenic shock (70% survival rate).
• Blood Purification: Plasma Exchange (PEX) for neurological disorders (Guillain-Barré, Myasthenia Gravis) and Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS) for acute liver failure.
• Respiratory Care: Mastering High-Frequency Oscillation (HFO) and specialized ventilation for ARDS (caused by infection, trauma, or viral outbreaks like SARS/Avian Flu).
• Multi-organ Failure Recovery: Reducing mortality rates significantly for severe septic shock and multi-trauma patients.

7. Honors and Awards

• Labor Hero Title: Twice awarded (1985 and 2000).
• Labor Orders: First, Second, and Third Class.
• Prime Minister's Certificates of Merit: 2009, 2023.
• Ministry of Health Awards: "Excellent Labor Collective" for over 20 consecutive years.