CHAPTER 175: 175 NOSEBLEED BOY

"Brother, is the surgery absolutely necessary? Can’t we think of another solution?" Qiu Huaili asked hesitantly.

"What else can we think of? A sinus tract has already formed, which will most likely turn into a fistula after a few more bouts of inflammation. A passage with two openings is a fistula; you now only have one opening, which is a sinus tract," Liu Banxia explained. "Right now, we can’t guarantee that your existing sinus tract will only have one exit in the future. What if it branches out halfway and creates multiple openings? What then?"

"You, just stop making me anxious too. Brother Guan, don’t mind him; go ahead and take him for his check-up. Is your ID in your bag? I’ll go register you right now."

Qiu Huaili felt helpless. Guan Wei had also told him this during the check-up. Furthermore, Liu Banxia had mentioned this possibility when he first brought him here, and it had indeed turned out this way.

And so, the big boss found himself gloomily trailing after Guan Wei for more tests, a sight that made Jiang Tao watch them with curiosity.

"What’s your relationship with him?" Jiang Tao asked.

"Just an ordinary relationship. But when it comes to health issues, some people are reluctant to seek medical treatment, so I have to be a bit more assertive," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile. "Also, he’s probably embarrassed by this kind of illness, so he’s quite resistant. Are there any high-end wards available? Let’s get him the best; money is not an issue."

"You don’t need to consult him first?" Jiang Tao asked, chuckling.

"Definitely not. He’s not going to queue up with everyone else for dressing changes. Just reserve one. His daughter has surgery tomorrow. After he finishes his check-up, I’ll coordinate with him. If possible, he can have his surgery tomorrow afternoon as well," Liu Banxia said.

Jiang Tao nodded. It was a good arrangement. Regular high-end wards were always in high demand, while the true luxury wards were often relatively empty. Most of the charges there had to be paid out-of-pocket as they couldn’t be reimbursed.

Qiu Huaili was quite fortunate. Although another sinus tract had formed, it was only a single one and hadn’t developed into more complicated multiple sinus tracts. As for when to have the surgery, he still needed to go home and discuss it with his family.

Liu Banxia stretched lazily. He had spent almost the entire afternoon dealing with matters for the Qiu family. Returning to the Emergency Department, he went to check on Grandpa Cao, who was recovering quite well. However, diabetes was truly troublesome; the wound was healing very slowly.

"Still so dedicated? Why don’t you take a proper break?" Wei Yuan asked.

"I can’t let my boss carry all the burden. I care too much about him," Liu Banxia replied earnestly.

"You really do look out for him, kid. By the way, Qi Wentai has decided to stay in the Emergency Department. You two need to sort out your issues properly so it doesn’t affect the department’s work," Wei Yuan whispered. "You know Director Zhou’s personality. Even if you’re his student, he’ll discipline you if there are problems at work. He’s always been impartial, keeping work and private life separate. You should think about that."

Liu Banxia frowned and nodded. He had initially thought that after their talk, Qi Wentai would transfer directly to General Surgery. He hadn’t expected him to be so stubborn as to insist on staying in Emergency.

This brought up a new problem. Qi Wentai had a master’s degree, and his admission standards at the time only required two years of standardized residency training after graduation. This was unlike the current pilot schools, which were implementing a system where master’s graduates received their residency training certificate upon graduation. Although Liu Banxia was the Chief Resident in the Emergency Department and could technically manage Qi Wentai, it wasn’t that straightforward. With his residency certificate, Qi Wentai would have significantly more treatment authority, similar to Liu Banxia himself. Liu Banxia, despite his managerial title being largely nominal, did possess decision-making power in certain matters. But if Qi Wentai decided to be uncooperative and frequently create friction, managing the work would become very difficult.

This was a bit worrisome. Indeed, being a doctor wasn’t easy; it wasn’t just about learning surgical techniques and saving lives. One lived in society, and these interpersonal matters also needed to be managed. No one else could help with this; he had to sort it out himself. Moreover, Zhou Shuwen’s approval of Qi Wentai’s request could be seen as another test for Liu Banxia.

After composing himself, he realized it was dinnertime. Lunch had been very good, so Liu Banxia let the others go first while he waited for Chen Jianxin and Wang Chao, who were on duty that night.

This was another headache. Once the Emergency Department was fully operational, he would also be responsible for scheduling shifts. The general principle was that shifts couldn’t be changed, to prevent anyone from working too long or becoming overly fatigued. However, one couldn’t guarantee that someone wouldn’t have an emergency, so adjustments would inevitably be necessary at times. Though it seemed like a small matter, it could also affect interpersonal relationships.

"Why aren’t you two going to eat?" Liu Banxia asked Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa.

"We’re waiting for you. We’re a team, so we should eat together," Qing Kewa said.

"Alright then, let’s wait here together. Sister Li is on duty tonight; I wonder if she’ll bring us something delicious," Liu Banxia said.

"Oh, Sister Li’s braised pork bones are so delicious!" Liang Xiaolin said happily.

This made Liu Banxia laugh. After spending so much time together, Liang Xiaolin wasn’t as cold as she initially seemed. But one had to spend a significant amount of time with her to truly get to know her.

"Dr. Liu, there’s a child with a nosebleed. Can you take this case?" Shen Lin called from the triage desk just then.

"Sure, Treatment Room One, please," Liu Banxia replied.

When it came to debriding a child, Liu Banxia didn’t dare let Liang Xiaolin or Qing Kewa handle it. Throughout the entire hospital, the Emergency Department and Pediatrics were often the most troublesome departments. The Emergency Department was frequently chaotic, and many patients arrived with traumatic injuries, making it easy for conflicts to arise during treatment. And Pediatrics? These days, parents were extremely concerned about their children’s health. If an IV needle went awry because a child moved their arm, a parent might very well throw a punch. During flu season, it was even more chaotic, with every parent anxious for their child to be seen first. Given the current situation, the shortage of pediatricians in hospitals was far more severe than that of emergency physicians. The pressure they faced was truly beyond what an ordinary doctor could bear.

The patient was a little boy, eight years old, who walked in with his head tilted back and both hands raised in a surrender-like posture.

"Did he fall while playing?" Liu Banxia asked the mother who accompanied him.

"Yes, I just looked away for a second, and he fell," the mother said helplessly.

"Mommy, Haohao isn’t hurt. Haohao didn’t even cry," the little boy declared.

The little fellow’s demeanor amused everyone; such a cheerful and brave young patient was rare.

"Haohao is so brave! Does your nose hurt? Uncle is going to take out the tissue paper from your nostril in a moment, okay?" Liu Banxia said.

"Uncle, will it hurt?" Seeing Liu Banxia put on a mask and gloves, the little boy finally looked a bit nervous.

"No, it won’t hurt. Uncle needs to check if your nose was injured. Such a handsome boy like Haohao has a very nice nose too," Liu Banxia said, sitting down.

Hearing Liu Banxia’s praise, Haohao beamed and started swinging his little legs.

Children these days were certainly different. Unlike Liu Banxia’s own hurried and muddled childhood, modern children seemed to know a lot.

He carefully removed the wad of tissue paper from Haohao’s left nostril, causing the boy to frown slightly.

"Good boy, Haohao. See? It didn’t hurt at all, did it? Now, Uncle will gently check your nose," Liu Banxia cooed, trying to soothe him.

It wasn’t just children; even adults could easily injure their nasal cartilage in a fall. It was like in the movies, where someone’s nose gets knocked crooked by a punch, and the hero casually straightens it with a push of their hand. Such a thing might happen, but imitating it was not recommended. If one found their nose crooked after a fall, it was best to go to the hospital and let a knowledgeable doctor help reset it. Often, it wasn’t the nasal cartilage that was misaligned but the nasal bone itself. Attempting to reset it casually could lead to needing major surgery.

"The nasal bone is fine. We just need to clean your nostrils. Haohao, you’re really brave! Anyone else would be crying by now," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

Haohao’s pain tolerance was quite good. He remained cooperative throughout Liu Banxia’s simple examination and earned enthusiastic praise from the doctor.

However, as he was wiping the blood from inside Haohao’s nostrils, Liu Banxia slowly frowned, and his usual lighthearted chatter ceased.

"May I ask how long ago your son fell?" Liu Banxia looked at Haohao’s mother.

"About thirty minutes ago, I think. We had to wait a bit for a taxi," she replied.

Liu Banxia picked up his penlight and shone it into Haohao’s left nostril. He could see fresh blood still slowly oozing and soaking the inside.

DING!

Nosebleed Boy

Open Task: The Host has discovered that the patient’s wound is still oozing blood and suspects an underlying medical condition requiring further examination. Task rewards will be issued based on the diagnostic results.

That was why he had frowned. Normally, a nosebleed from an injury was due to ruptured capillaries. The bleeding would stop on its own after a while, and if the nasal bone wasn’t fractured, it was usually nothing serious. But this little boy was different. They had already tried to stop the bleeding at home with tissue paper, yet there was still fresh blood when he cleaned the nostril.

"When your child has had injuries in the past, how long did it usually take for the bleeding to stop?" Liu Banxia asked, looking up at the mother.

"Well... I haven’t really paid much attention to that. We usually take very good care of him, so he rarely gets injured. However, Haohao used to have a habit of picking his nose, which often made it bleed. He only grew out of it in the last two years or so," Haohao’s mother recalled after a moment’s thought. "I worried endlessly about it. Back when he was in kindergarten, they’d often call me at work because of his nosebleeds. He really was a little handful at home," she continued.

This new information made Liu Banxia hesitate. This child’s bleeding seemed prolonged; his blood wasn’t clotting as quickly as it should. Normally, the oozing should have stopped by now. Bleeding time and clotting time were important diagnostic indicators, each with standard reference values. Deviations, whether too long or too short, signaled a potential health issue.