With nearly 30 years of experience and profound knowledge in the field of orthopaedics, Head of FVH’s Orthopaedics Department Le Trong Phat, MD, PhD, has successfully treated many Vietnamese and foreign patients.
Dr Phat earned his PhD in Orthopaedics from Friedrich-Wilhems University, Bonn, Germany in 1993. For 10 consecutive years, from 2000 to 2010, he was Vice Head of Surgery and Orthopaedics, Franzikus Hospital in Linz, Germany. In 2010, he joined FVH and assumed the role of Head of Orthopaedics and Hand Surgery, where he has provided treatments for a wide range of orthopaedic conditions, including shoulder and knee endoscopic surgical treatment, ligament reconstructions and knee, hip and shoulder replacement.
“After living and working in Germany for many years – I’m a German national – I decided to move to Vietnam to provide medical services and enjoy the culture of our home country,” he shares.
Dr Phat’s name and reputation is so well known among foreigners that many foreign patients specifically seek him out for treatment. One is Mr Hajo Sauer, a 68-year-old German patient.
In 2013, Mr Sauer bruised his groin when he was wounded in a bike accident and had mobility difficulties as a result. He says: “My life would be meaningless if I had to give up my passion for swimming, biking, and climbing. With a narrow hope, I visited FV Hospital in HCMC, where I was living. Dr Phat gave me a very careful examination and recommended that I have a hip replacement via minimally invasive surgery. Due to this advanced procedure, I recovered quickly. Three weeks later, I could ride a bike and swim a little. It was unbelievable. Now, I can pack my bag and ride my bike along wonderful roads in Vietnam.”
Recently, a 75-year-old female patient named Halimatou Edui Allele from Niger Republic, Africa, visited FV suffering from joint degeneration in both knees due to aging and selected Dr Phat as her attending surgeon for her knee replacement. Ms Allele made her choice after placing her complete trust in Dr Phat. Ms. A’s first surgery – the replacement of her right knee – was performed on 25th April 2017 at FV Hospital. Accompanying Ms. A to HCMC for treatment was her daughter, Ms. Ide Oumou Allele, who helped her mother decide to seek treatment from Dr Phat.
Ms. I. O. A. said that after seeking advice from friends on the best hospital for knee replacement, one of her Congolese friends living in HCMC had referred her to Dr Phat. Ms. I. O. A. then searched for more information on Dr Phat on the internet and knew that Dr Phat held a PhD in orthopaedics. She decided that Dr Phat and FV Hospital was the right choice for her mother’s knee replacement.
After the surgery, Ms. A stayed at FV Hospital for a week for recover, working with her physiotherapist to regain her mobility. In around three or four months’ time, Ms. A is scheduled to return to FVH for her left knee replacement.
Dr Phat shared that, technically, a joint replacement does not involve the whole joint but just the injured surface, which is then replaced with artificial parts. This partial replacement helps to reduce joint pain and risk of limb deformation, improving mobility and easing pain. Additionally, effective rehabilitation therapies performed at FVH well-equipped Physiotherapy Department hastens patient recovery and restoration of independent mobility.
Joint replacement requires great orthopaedic accuracy and much depends on the professional skills of the surgeon and the operating equipment available to them. These conditions are both assured at FV Hospital through the highly professional competence of Dr Phat and the hospital’s highly advanced technology and facilities.
