CHAPTER 367: 367 WILL NOT GIVE UP ON THE PATIENT

Diagnosing sleeping sickness is difficult, but once a direction is established, sophisticated laboratory tests can be conducted. If the results can be matched against the corresponding indices, the diagnosis is nearly confirmed.

Moreover, lymphatic fluid from the patient’s swollen lymph nodes can be extracted. There’s a high chance of finding the pathogen, though it also depends on luck whether the pathogen can be successfully isolated from the sample.

In fact, Wang Huan’s inquiries basically confirmed it: the source of his infection was a class reunion. The patient had attended a university reunion six months ago, and one of his classmates there frequently traveled to Africa on business.

"President Liu, we can confirm the diagnosis now. It’s sleeping sickness caused by Gambian trypanosome. It’s challenging to treat," Wang Huan said, catching up with Liu Banxia, who was making his rounds.

"Isn’t this more about luck? I’ve only read about it in books. Should we also track down that classmate of his?" Liu Banxia asked.

"We’re trying to get his contact information, but contacting him abroad isn’t that easy," Wang Huan replied with a nod.

"I’ll go look into potential treatment plans. This disease is tough to handle. I need to consult Director Zhou. We’ve had similar cases in Binhai City a few years ago."

"Alright, you go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on things down here. I’ve finished my rounds, and everyone is recovering very well," Liu Banxia said.

"We don’t really know what their living conditions are like over there. It seems quite dangerous," Xu Yino remarked with feeling.

"What job doesn’t carry risks? The most crucial thing is to take personal precautions," Liu Banxia said casually.

"Africa is often described as unsanitary, but I believe that if proper hygiene controls are implemented, many diseases can be prevented."

"Don’t people going to work in Africa have to get all sorts of vaccinations first? Which of you is on duty tonight? Don’t think that just because I haven’t made a duty roster for you, you have more chances to clock overtime."

"Working diligently is one thing, but your health should always come first. Working while you’re dazed not only means you won’t learn anything, but it could also put patients at risk."

Liu Yiqing stuck her tongue out. Otherwise, she really would have wanted to snag an extra overtime shift tonight.

Liu Banxia used to regard overtime as a reward, but now that they had all matured considerably, it could be eased up a bit. The pressure was now self-imposed; they themselves knew best what level they could handle.

However, the downside to this was that some of the younger staff enjoyed taking on night shifts, always feeling that spending more time in the hospital would expose them to more cases and allow them to learn more.

With Liu Banxia’s reminder, once they finished rounds with him, those whose shifts were over had to leave. Even though there were no official records, they knew Liu Banxia had an excellent memory.

In their downtime, they could joke freely with Liu Banxia, but when it came to work, his authority as their supervising doctor was considerable.

Night duty for me has become almost numb now. As someone on call twenty-four hours, what difference does it make whether I’m officially on duty or not? While Liu Banxia was monitoring Liang Xiaolin and the others practice their suturing techniques, Wang Huan approached.

"Did you get in touch? Is the news bad?" Liu Banxia asked.

"He fell ill two months ago and didn’t make it. They only contacted each other occasionally, so our patient hadn’t heard," Wang Huan said.

"Sigh... There are so many overlooked diseases in the world. We assume they’re far removed from us, when in reality, they might be right beside us," Liu Banxia lamented.

"If we hadn’t admitted a patient like this, who would have thought such things could happen? Let’s hope it hasn’t spread too much; it would be impossible to trace by now."

Wang Huan nodded, also hoping it was merely an isolated incident. If the classmate had been reckless, the situation could be much worse.

"Dr. Liu, there’s been a severe car accident! We need our surgeons for on-site treatment. Rebar has penetrated the car window and pierced the bodies of two patients!" a dispatch nurse exclaimed, running over.

Liu Banxia frowned. "Qi Wentai, come with me in the ambulance. Bring an extra four units of O-positive blood. Let’s go, now!"

This was serious. Not only would extracting them from the car be complex, but treating the patients would also be challenging. That’s why he decided he had to go himself.

The ambulance sped for over half an hour before reaching the scene. Firefighters were already there, but due to the complexity of the situation, they hadn’t yet been able to extricate the victims.

A sedan lay sideways by the road, several steel bars having pierced through its windows. The source of the steel bars was a large truck nearby; its front was twisted to one side, and its cab was also pierced by some rebar.

"First, perform an initial examination on both patients. Establish IV access for blood transfusion and fluid replacement," Liu Banxia commanded.

"Doctor, we don’t dare move them right now," a firefighter said, approaching them.

"The rebar has pinned both victims to the car door. There are two bars in total. One has pierced the female victim’s abdomen. The other bar pierced her neck and then went on to impale the male victim’s abdomen. She’s bleeding heavily from her wounds."

Liu Banxia nodded. "Let’s see after we complete the initial examination."

"President Liu, the situation is critical! The female patient has lost too much blood," Qi Wentai reported, crawling out of the car after finishing his examination.

"There are currently two viable options. Because the female patient has lost so much blood, cutting the rebar might cause even more bleeding. Alternatively, we could remove the entire car door and transport her to the hospital with it still attached, then figure out the next steps there."

"However, removing the car door is also extremely risky. Both patients are currently conscious, and the vibrations from cutting the door could worsen their conditions."

Liu Banxia, also observing the situation inside the car, was making his assessment. The female patient is in the most danger right now. The most reliable method is to give up on the female patient and focus all efforts on saving the male patient. His abdominal bleeding is already severe. The vibrations from cutting the rebar will definitely cause more bleeding, worsening his condition and putting his life at risk.

"Do you have ropes and adhesive tape?" Liu Banxia asked after a moment’s thought.

"We have all of those," a firefighter replied.

"We’ll immobilize both victims and the rebar. Then, we’ll cut the rebar from inside the car. This should minimize the impact on both patients. Hopefully, we can save them both," Liu Banxia stated.

Qi Wentai glanced at him but said nothing. While this approach might make it possible to save both, it also significantly increased the risk for each of them. They might not even make it to the hospital.

Time ticked by. Securing them properly wasn’t easy. It took a good ten minutes before they, and the rebar, were finally immobilized.

"You need to be extremely careful when cutting the car door. We’ve done our best to protect them, but both patients are in critical condition," Liu Banxia advised the firefighters.

The firefighters nodded. This was indeed a very difficult job.

Liu Banxia didn’t stay idle. He climbed into the car and, wearing gloves, gripped the rebar firmly. "Try to bear with it. There will definitely be some pain when it vibrates. We’ve already given you painkillers. No matter how much it hurts, don’t move. If you move, you could die."

The two patients nodded with difficulty. Right now, they wished they could just pass out. Then they wouldn’t know anything, and anything would be bearable.

The cutting began. Liu Banxia used all his strength to hold the rebar steady, carefully sensing the vibrations and monitoring the bleeding from the patients’ wounds.

The sparks shooting from the cut steel were just like festival fireworks, but Liu Banxia found no beauty in them now.

PHEW.

As the car door was finally cut away, Liu Banxia let out a long sigh of relief.

"President Liu, I’ve informed the hospital. Director Zhou is in the emergency center," Qi Wentai said, moving close to Liu Banxia.

Liu Banxia nodded. "The patients seem stable for now, thankfully. Get the gurney from the ambulance and bring it over to the wrecked car. Everyone, with me now, we need to support these two patients as we move them into the ambulance."

"The next crucial step is the transfer. Back the ambulance up to reduce the moving distance. You two, cooperate as much as possible. I know it’s very painful, but once you’re in the ambulance, it will be better. There’s a lot of equipment there."

If cutting the rebar was the first hurdle, then moving them from the small car to the ambulance was the second. They had passed the first hurdle smoothly; would the second prove so easy?

Both patients had to be moved in perfect sync, as they were linked by the rebar. If one person moved too slowly, they could injure themselves, injure the other person, or, even worse, injure both.

"Officers, given their condition, they probably don’t have the strength to move themselves. Can we lift them out?" Liu Banxia asked after two unsuccessful attempts.

"Doctor, the space here is too tight for that," a firefighter said with a frown.

"What if we cut the roof open too? Would that work?" Liu Banxia asked anxiously.

The firefighter nodded. "It would work, but will there be enough time?"

Liu Banxia gritted his teeth. "Let’s do it. Trying to move them now is too dangerous anyway."

This was a very risky decision, as Liu Banxia was unwilling to give up on either patient. But not giving up meant accepting the consequences. If anything happened to these two patients during this process, Liu Banxia would be directly responsible.

Covering the three of them with a blanket, Liu Banxia switched on a flashlight beneath it. He had to constantly monitor the two patients’ conditions. This level of tension was something he hadn’t felt in months.

The cutting sound overhead was deafening. It sounded like something else had fallen onto the blanket, making Liu Banxia even more tense. The male patient had already lost a lot of blood, and under such stimulation, he was showing signs of wanting to move restlessly.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before the noise suddenly stopped, and then the blanket was pulled away. Seeing that both patients still had vital signs, even Qi Wentai breathed a sigh of relief.

No one wanted to give up on a patient; sometimes, there truly were no other options. Liu Banxia was taking a gamble, and for now, it could only be called a temporary success.