This is the case of a male office worker named LVH (32 years old, residing in the Binh Trung district of Ho Chi Minh City).
On the morning of December 20, 2025, MH and some colleagues were playing badminton on a sports field in the An Khanh district of Ho Chi Minh City. After about thirty minutes of playing, MH suddenly felt anxiety, dizziness, shortness of breath and severe chest pain, then quickly lost consciousness.
An office worker suddenly fell seriously ill while playing badminton (Photo: Hospital).
The man was taken to the nearest hospital by his friends. There, he lost consciousness and suffered a cardiac arrest. Doctors diagnosed ventricular arrhythmia, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and initiated an interhospital alert with Gia Dinh People’s Hospital.
After 15 minutes of emergency treatment, MH was transferred to a higher level hospital. With adequate preparation, the cardiovascular intensive care team at Gia Dinh People’s Hospital successfully resuscitated the patient suffering from ventricular arrhythmia and immediately initiated veno-arterial ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) upon admission.
The man’s magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed multiple signs of myocarditis (Photo: Hospital).
Once his circulation was stabilized, the man underwent a full-body CT scan to rule out common causes of sudden cardiac death (such as acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, or acute aortic disease).
Within 48 hours of intensive resuscitation following cardiac arrest, performed using ECMO, temperature monitoring, high doses of anti-inflammatories (due to suspected acute viral myocarditis), and continuous hemodialysis, MH was conscious, no longer had ventricular arrhythmias, and his cardiac function recovered.
After seven days of intervention, MH’s functional state stabilized and he was able to leave the hospital. A subsequent cardiac MRI confirmed the presence of acute inflammation of the myocardium and pericardium.
According to Dr. Vo Van Trang, a specialist in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and the main treating physician in this case, acute viral myocarditis often occurs more frequently during colder months or the rainy season, with common symptoms similar to those of the flu, gastritis or enteritis, leading patients to underestimate the severity of the disease.
In addition to respiratory or digestive symptoms, patients with acute myocarditis also experience cardiovascular symptoms such as chest pain (in more than 80% of cases), shortness of breath (in 20-50% of cases), palpitations, etc.
After 7 days of intensive treatment, the patient is no longer in critical condition (Photo: Hospital).
A small number of patients with acute myocarditis develop fulminant myocarditis, characterized by cardiac arrhythmias, hypotension due to decreased myocardial contractility, and risk of sudden death in the absence of prompt diagnosis and treatment. Thanks to appropriate mechanical circulatory assistance implemented in time, these patients can recover quickly.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Thao of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit cautioned that not all patients with acute viral myocarditis are as fortunate as this patient, who was detected and treated quickly thanks to good interhospital coordination.
“Given the diffuse inflammation of the myocardium, patients require close monitoring, screening for disease-causing genetic mutations and myocardial biopsy if myocarditis persists. They should also limit strenuous physical exertion for the first three months to avoid the risk of sudden death and recurrence of arrhythmia,” advised Dr. Thao.
Source : https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/dang-choi-cau-long-nam-thanh-nien-o-tphcm-bong-ngung-tim-nguy-kich-20260102095241428.htm
