Donated Equipment and Expert Training Saves a Young Life

Kong Wang, a five-year-old boy, had been sick for three months before he came to LFHC from his village in Ngoi District, around three hours away from the hospital. His father had taken him to the local District Hospital three months previously for treatment for a skin infection. He improved for a short time, but then he got much sicker. 

He developed a fever and was not eating well. He was losing weight and got weaker and weaker. His parents tried traditional medicine for a month, but Kong got so weak he could not walk anymore. For the next month, Kong got sicker and developed a cough. He was still too weak to walk. His father decided it was time to try to bring his son to LFHC. 

When he arrived at LFHC on February 15, he looked thin, pale, and malnourished. He had a fever and the doctors noticed lung abnormalities on his left side. The doctors at LFHC quickly evaluated him with a CXR, which showed he had a lung infection, which had caused there to be a large amount of fluid in his chest cavity. The doctors knew how to place a chest drain to remove the fluid and began treating his lung infection with antibiotics. 

When talking with his father, the doctors learned that Kong had a grandfather with a chronic cough, which a tuberculosis infection might cause. His grandfather had not been tested or treated. The doctors were concerned that TB might be causing Kong’s severe lung infection and weight loss.

It is challenging to diagnose tuberculosis in children. The doctors sent specimens to the lab to be tested, but the tests were negative. This is a well-known and common problem for diagnosing TB in children. Because the doctors were still worried about TB, a new approach to diagnosis was needed.

Thanks to a recent donation to LFHC of a flexible pediatric bronchoscope from the British Embassy in Laos, it was possible for the doctors to obtain a better specimen for TB testing. Dr James Cush, medical director at LFHC, used the bronchoscope and trained two senior doctors to get a sample of fluid from Kong’s lung, which can now be tested for TB, and the results will be more accurate.

Kong is improving dramatically since having the chest drain and the antibiotics. Having a bronchoscope to enhance testing of TB will ensure that if he has TB, it can be treated properly. This will improve care for many children at LFHC. Kong has gained weight and is starting to return to being an active 5-year-old boy, thanks to all of the efforts of the staff at LFHC!