CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: TAKING CHARGE

Very soon, Xia Xiaoyu brought the patient in.

Zhao Heng saw that the patient brought in was a middle-aged man, and as soon as he came in, Zhao Heng smelled a strong scent of alcohol mixed with a stench of rot.

Looking again at the man’s face, it was very pale, and his lips were already cyanotic.

Though half-conscious, the man still kept muttering.

"Drink! Bottoms up!"

Even at this moment, he was still thinking about drinking.

Zhao Heng couldn’t help but shake his head. Such drunken patients were quite common in the hospital, especially in the emergency room.

Smelling the alcohol on the man, Gao Jun couldn’t help but frown.

In anesthesia, the most taboo thing is a patient who has drunk alcohol.

Anesthetic drugs need to be very precise; a little too much and the patient may not wake up, a little too little and the anesthetic won’t be enough, affecting the primary surgeon’s operation.

This patient had been drinking, and alcohol is metabolized by the liver, which would severely impact the metabolism of anesthetic drugs in the body. In such a case, estimating the right amount of anesthesia is quite a headache.

Generally, for this kind of drunken patient, you must wait until the alcohol is metabolized before administering anesthesia.

But this patient had an acute abdomen, which complicated things.

"How much did he drink?"

Gao Jun stood up and asked Xia Xiaoyu.

"His family said he drank two jin, but they’re not exactly sure."

Xia Xiaoyu shook her head and said that at a drinking table, it’s impossible to quantify exactly how much was consumed.

To different people, the amount of alcohol consumed can vary.

Not being able to quantify makes it even more troublesome.

Gao Jun’s expression also grew serious.

Moreover, if this patient is a chronic alcoholic, that would make it even more complicated.

Generally, chronic alcoholics require a larger dose of anesthetic drugs during pre-surgical anesthesia, and the efficacy of the drugs is shorter because the globulins in an alcoholic’s blood increase, and globulins can bind to anesthetic drugs, reducing their effect.

Alcoholic patients also take longer to recover post-surgery, making post-operative health evaluations difficult. Additionally, ethanol significantly impacts the nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems.

"Does the patient have a history of chronic alcoholism?"

Zhao Heng asked Xia Xiaoyu in his usual manner.

"Yes, a history of ten years of severe alcoholism."

Xia Xiaoyu nodded.

"What’s the preliminary diagnosis?"

Zhao Heng asked again.

These circumstances must be well understood.

"Gastric bleeding, with an estimated blood loss of at least 600ml."

Xia Xiaoyu quickly answered.

"Got it."

Zhao Heng nodded.

"Teacher, we need to increase the dosage by at least 50%."

Zhao Heng thought for a moment, then said to Gao Jun, who was standing beside him.

"Hmm, okay."

Gao Jun nodded. He had been ready to remind Zhao Heng, but before he could say anything, Zhao Heng already considered the effects of alcohol on anesthesia dosage, and from the questions he asked Xia Xiaoyu, it was clear that Zhao Heng basically understood the key points of anesthetizing a drunken patient.

Thinking of this, Gao Jun relaxed his furrowed brow slightly, sat back down, and watched Zhao Heng continue the procedure.

He had never encountered a student with such outstanding perception before.

"Junior, are you handling the anesthesia this time by yourself?"

Seeing Gao Jun get up and sit back down, Xia Xiaoyu was a bit surprised and asked Zhao Heng.

This junior, can he manage on his own so soon?

While she was still trailing behind an attending as an assistant?!

"For cases not overly complicated, I can basically handle them myself now."

Zhao Heng nodded and said calmly.

"Junior, you’re amazing."

Xia Xiaoyu gazed at Zhao Heng with some envy; getting hands-on experience so quickly and gaining Gao Jun’s confidence to operate independently was a capability she most desired.

Honestly speaking, no doctor wants to become someone’s permanent shadow.

But in reality, it takes at least ten years from being an intern to becoming an attending doctor.

The first ten years as an assistant, the next ten years as a teacher!

"Why are your eyes all red?"

At this moment, Zhao Heng suddenly noticed that Xia Xiaoyu’s eyes were bloodshot, as though she hadn’t rested well in a long time.

"Don’t mention it; I’ve been pulling a 24-hour shift and have to wait till this surgery is over to rest."

Xia Xiaoyu said helplessly.

This is the norm in the emergency room!

Hearing Xia Xiaoyu’s words, Zhao Heng felt somewhat empathetic, but he didn’t say anything and continued with the anesthesia procedure.

Not long after, Li Yang came in. Seeing Zhao Heng handling the operation and Gao Jun sitting nearby watching, he was quite surprised.

"Old Gao?"

Li Yang probed.

"It’s fine. Little Zhao can handle it."

Gao Jun gave Li Yang a reassuring look.

"Alright."

Li Yang also nodded. If Gao Jun said it was okay, then it must be okay.

Gao Jun was known for his high standards.

It’s safe to say that at Eastern Hospital, for any anesthesia, the surgeon’s preferred anesthesiologist was Gao Jun.

Clinically, procedural flows and key points were written in textbooks, but the actual application depended on personal talent.

The human body is complex, with significant individual differences; strictly following textbooks could lead to many medical mishaps.

Put simply, textbooks do not serve as infallible rules that apply to every patient.

The procedures and knowledge in textbooks represent a statistically large probability result, applicable only within certain scopes to most people.

"Little Zhao, your improvement is great."

Watching Zhao Heng’s skilled maneuvers, Li Yang couldn’t help but say.

Such a fast-progressing young doctor, he dared to say, was the first he had seen.

No wonder the director frequently brought up Zhao Heng.

However, thinking of Yin Jian, who had already reported to the department today, he couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.

In Li Yang’s view, Zhao Heng seemed a bit unlucky.

The competitors were just too strong; not much could be done!

"It’s all thanks to Teacher Gao’s excellent teaching."

Zhao Heng modestly said.

To some extent, he was telling the truth; his current experience indeed stemmed from Gao Jun’s teachings.

Li Yang looked at the life monitor; blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and carbon dioxide levels were all very stable, indicating that Zhao Heng’s anesthesia dosage was extremely accurate.

Anesthesia in the emergency state of a drunken patient had always been the most troublesome operation for young anesthesiologists. Generally, it takes at least several years to fully grasp anesthesia in an intoxicated state.

Anesthesia administration doesn’t allow randomly increasing dosage due to insufficiency; one must be aware that anesthetics have significant effects on various parts of the body, especially the brain.

The brains of chronic alcoholic patients already suffer some degree of damage, and excessive dosing could lead to extensive brain cell damage, potentially leaving them mentally impaired even if the surgery is completed.

"The younger generation is truly formidable."

Li Yang couldn’t help but repeatedly exclaim.

He cast a ’failed to meet expectations’ look at Xia Xiaoyu, wondering why he didn’t have such excellent young doctors under his tutelage.

Noticing Li Yang’s gaze, Xia Xiaoyu instinctively recoiled slightly, meekly saying: "Teacher Li, I will work hard and be diligent."

Cough, cough!

Li Yang was taken aback by Xia Xiaoyu’s words.

She would work hard and be diligent?

Does that mean her previous efforts weren’t serious?!