CHAPTER 200: 200 AVOIDABLE PATIENTS

Not gonna lie, the wontons made by Wang Jingxian tasted really good. The girls each had a bowl, sipped some soup, and nibbled on a couple of small pig’s feet; they were quite satisfied.

But what about Liu Banxia? He wolfed down three extra-large servings of wontons and gnawed two whole pig’s feet. This left the Qiu family’s little baby sitting nearby in a daze; it was the first time he had ever seen someone eat so much.

"These wontons are ridiculously good. If I were in my normal state, I would have eaten even more," Liu Banxia said after finishing the soup in his bowl.

"It’s a good thing you bought the pig’s feet. Even if you wanted to eat more, there’s none left," Wang Jingxian said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.

"This guy’s appetite is too big. I really can’t figure out where all this food goes," Qiaoqiao said helplessly.

"Last time during the fire in Jinshui District, he ate a whole pound of rice, and I don’t even know how much beef stew with potatoes he had," Liang Xiaolin said with a laugh.

"I’m still growing, so my appetite is a bit on the large side," Liu Banxia said seriously, while picking up a yellow peach from the side and starting to munch on it.

He was a bit depressed. After enhancing his strength, his appetite seemed to have become even larger. If this keeps up, am I going to become a glutton one day?

Never mind, I won’t worry about that for now. This peach tastes really good; I’ll take a few with me when I leave.

"Brother Qiu, is the anesthetic wearing off yet? Try to hang in there. If it gets too bad later, you can take a painkiller. Then try to get some sleep; you won’t feel the pain once you’re asleep," Liu Banxia advised after glancing at Qiu Huaili.

Qiu Huaili nodded. "It feels very bloated. How much gauze did you stuff in there? Also, can you loosen the bandage a bit? It’s a bit tight."

"Take a nap first, and I’ll loosen it once you wake up. The gauze is to stop the bleeding, and I’ll take it out tomorrow morning," Liu Banxia informed him.

"There’s nothing else I need to tell you; Doctor Guan must have covered everything. Leave changing the dressing to me. For today, that’s all. Don’t hold it in if you need to urinate. Urination and passing gas are important indicators. Call me if you need to."

"Banxia, you guys take more fruit home. There’s so much, how can we finish it all?" Wang Jingxian said.

"Don’t worry, Sister-in-law, I’m not one to stand on ceremony," Liu Banxia said, then began gathering the fruit.

The nurses in the ER were quite happy with the fruits that Liu Banxia brought back at night.

It wasn’t that they had to take advantage of this small benefit to be happy, but night shifts were really boring. Snacking a bit helped pass the time.

"Heard you stirred up quite a buzz this afternoon?" Chen Jianxin teased when he came for his night shift.

"A true role model for us all. If only your actions were a bit smoother," Xu Hui also joked.

"Sigh, my sterling reputation..." Liu Banxia replied, looking helplessly at them before turning to Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa.

"If you two aren’t busy, you can get some rest now. Dr. Chen and I are here; we can handle everything unless there’s a major traffic accident."

"Today’s my first day on duty, so I won’t sleep at all!" Qing Kewa exclaimed buoyantly, waving her fists in the air.

Qing Kewa’s cheerful demeanor amused everyone greatly; her energy was a refreshing change, perhaps due to cultural differences.

"So, how are you going to handle this situation?" Chen Jianxin asked again.

"If the patient’s family decides to sue, the hospital administration office will handle it. The director has stated that we are not to pay any compensation," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"They assaulted me, so I’ll sue them too. They need to apologize and compensate one hundred yuan per person. I’ll discuss how to handle this with the lawyer tomorrow. That’s what I’ve decided."

Xu Hui patted him on the shoulder. "Alright, the money doesn’t matter; the key is to stand up for ourselves."

This was what they all hoped for. As Liu Banxia said, one could understand the family’s emotions, but their actions were unforgivable. These were two different things and could not be conflated.

Today’s shift was rather quiet, with patients mostly needing common wound cleaning or treatment for alcohol intoxication. At this time of year, too many people were drinking excessively.

At first, Qing Kewa was full of energy, but by ten o’clock, she started to doze off. However, even when Liu Banxia told her to rest, she stubbornly insisted on staying awake.

"It seems that eating live-streamer patient did listen to your advice," Liang Xiaolin said.

"Yes, that’s good. If all patients could follow their doctor’s advice, our work would be much easier," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"When you return to cardiac surgery in a few days, make sure to show them your skills. That way I can also feel proud. After all, you’re the talent I personally trained; you’re top-notch."

"Dr. Liu, has the date for your official transfer here been set yet?" Xu Hui asked curiously.

"It should be soon, probably once all the resident doctors are in place. Our department here will also be more complete then, and these resident doctors will rotate through the various sections of the ER," Liu Banxia said.

"Students these days have it good. With the integrated four-certificate system, they get their residency certificate upon graduation and don’t have to worry about it later. But educational qualifications are also getting higher and higher. I really don’t know what kind of jobs undergraduate medical students will be able to get in the future."

The issue of academic qualifications was always significant. Many people pursued combined bachelor-master’s programs, and some even did combined bachelor-master’s-doctoral programs. The career prospects for undergraduate medical students were genuinely narrowing, and many chose to pursue postgraduate studies immediately after graduation.

All the current patients had been treated. Even though they worked in shifts, most only started resting late at night. It was just as the saying goes: what you fear most often comes true.

Liu Banxia had been particularly worried about the eating live-streamer patient today. Seeing that it was almost 11 o’clock at night, he figured nothing serious would happen. But then, she was rushed in, supported by her boyfriend, with traces of blood at the corners of her mouth.

"Damn it," Liu Banxia couldn’t help cursing.

"Liang Xiaolin, contact Cardiac Surgery and book an operating room! Sister Li, connect her to the monitor, establish IV access, start fluids, and prepare for a blood transfusion! Get a rapid blood test! How much blood has she vomited?"

"She’s thrown up several mouthfuls, at home and in the car on the way here," the patient’s boyfriend said in a panic.

"Prepare two bags of O-negative blood," Liu Banxia called out again, helping the patient to sit up.

"Try not to panic. What did you eat tonight? Did you vomit after eating? You’re at the hospital now; we can handle any difficult problem, no matter how severe."

"She ate shrimp, with the shells on," the patient’s boyfriend added.

"Dr. Liu, fluid replacement has started, but her blood pressure is still a bit low, 80/50," Chen Jianxin reported.

"The blood loss is indeed significant. Let’s intubate her to protect her airway. 100 mg of succinylcholine, 20 mg of etomidate. The patient is exhibiting dysphagia and severe chest pain. It looks like a perforation; there’s no time for a CT scan," Liu Banxia said, tearing open an intubation kit.

"Don’t be anxious. This is to prevent blood from entering your windpipe and obstructing your breathing. Now that it’s inserted, we won’t have to do it in the operating room. The blood has arrived as well. We’ll give you a transfusion now to raise your blood pressure, and then we’ll go to surgery to repair it."

"Okay, the intubation is done. Relax. Can you understand what I’m saying? Blink if you do. We’re about to head to the operating room."

The patient blinked, her gaze fixed on Liu Banxia, her hand gripping his tightly.

"Dr. Liu, the operating room is ready. The surgeons from Cardiac Surgery are on their way," Liang Xiaolin reported.

"Good, let’s head to the operating room immediately. Pull up the gastroscopy images from this afternoon. You’ll assist in the surgery," Liu Banxia ordered.

After giving his orders, Liu Banxia and the team began to push the gurney toward the operating room, the patient’s hand still gripping his.

"I can’t go in with you beyond this point; I haven’t scrubbed in. Don’t worry, the doctors inside are some of the best in our hospital," Liu Banxia reassured her with a smile.

"Your blood pressure is much higher now, which means you’ve passed the acute bleeding phase. Think of it as a small patching-up surgery; you’ll be fine after some sleep."

The patient stared at him for a few seconds, then finally let go of his hand.

DING! Admission complete. Received 100 experience points, +10 proficiency points for Diagnostic Skills.

"Doctor, will she be okay?" the patient’s boyfriend asked.

Liu Banxia glanced at him. "I warned you both, but you wouldn’t listen and insisted on eating that. Don’t just stand there; go and complete her hospitalization procedures."

"I have to wait here. I need to know if anything happens," the patient’s boyfriend said.

"Your waiting is useless. The emergency protocol has been activated; we won’t be coming out to ask for your opinion. You’re her boyfriend, not her husband; you don’t have any decision-making power," Liu Banxia stated bluntly.

"Fortunately, you came straight to the hospital when you noticed something was wrong. Don’t let her do this eating live-stream anymore. Even if it’s repaired successfully, her esophagus will be fragile in the future, and she’ll have to be very careful about what she eats."

After speaking, Liu Banxia ignored him and headed back to the Emergency Department.

Today’s situation could have been avoided, but they refused to listen. Even after being repeatedly warned, they insisted on doing that eating live-stream.

Esophageal perforation is very dangerous, but he had refrained from saying so directly to stabilize the patient’s emotions. If the patient were in a state of extreme panic, her vital signs could plummet.

Hopefully, not too much blood and food leaked into her thoracic cavity. They sought treatment promptly, so it shouldn’t lead to complications like mediastinitis or empyema.

"Is this the patient you were all talking about earlier tonight?" Chen Jianxin asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "She must have developed a conditioned reflex from frequently inducing vomiting, causing her to vomit automatically when she eats too much."

"She already had a tear in her esophagus, and now it has completely perforated. I just don’t get it. Aren’t our warnings as doctors scary enough? Why do so many people just ignore them?"

"Actually, it might be because our warnings are so severe that some people gradually start to disregard them. By the way, were all the admission procedures done correctly earlier today? Was everything documented in her medical records?" Chen Jianxin inquired.

Liu Banxia gave a wry smile. "How could I not? A patient like this is a major red flag; I wouldn’t dare be negligent."

Chen Jianxin patted his shoulder. They had done everything they could; the rest was up to fate.