Chapter 296: An Unexpected Turn After Thorough Preparation

"Xiao Ji, the Family Member will be back soon," Meng Qingfei finally let out a long, relieved breath. "Continue."

"There isn't much more; grapefruit can also react with anti-allergy medications, anti-rejection drugs, and antihypertensive drugs like Nifedipine."

"So there are that many," Meng Qingfei muttered to himself.

"Meng Laoshi, you are amazing. When the Patient was sleeping in the waiting area, I didn't think there was any problem; it was you who spotted it," Ji Xiang praised.

His praise was sincere.

Similar diagnoses are extremely difficult; from the inexplicable snoring in the waiting area to contacting the Family Member before the Patient's lab results even returned, every detail was filled with Clinical experience upon careful reflection.

Ji Xiang certainly admired Meng Qingfei.

Although he was a bit cautious—sometimes not even removing stitches without checking the Medical Record for fear of encountering a one-in-ten-thousand low-probability event—that was also part of Clinical experience.

Meng Qingfei shook his head, then laughed heartily. "My greatest strength is being cautious."

"Meng Laoshi, look at what you're saying."

"When I was a kid, I was damn fierce," Meng Qingfei said. "The neighbor had five sons, all in their twenties. His family wanted to build a wall and had to smash the eaves of my house. It was the countryside, so having many men meant you spoke with authority. My parents backed down, but in the end, I stood up, pointed a stick at them, and I don't even remember what I said."

Ji Xiang laughed; the scene Meng Qingfei described was truly vivid.

"How old were you that year?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Eight. Later, my mom said that the brothers thought I was still young, and if they made an enemy of me, there would be trouble when I grew up, so they didn't touch our eaves. But the older I got, the more timid I became, the more cautious I got, and I turned into what I am now."

"They say you can see a child's future at three and a person's life at eight, but that doesn't hold true for me."

"Meng Laoshi, I don't think you're timid; I actually feel you're very impressive. An average Doctor would at least wait for the lab results to come back before saying anything."

"The levels are different; they aren't sure, but I can be sure." Meng Qingfei waved his hand, unconcerned. "Xiao Ji, you're very impressive. I didn't even know grapefruit reacts with Estazolam."

"Meng Laoshi, to be honest, I don't think you're timid at all," Ji Xiang repeated very seriously.

"Oh?" Meng Qingfei raised an eyebrow.

"I remember a Patient who had breast plastic surgery and came to you to have the stitches removed. You didn't remove them at all because the Patient didn't bring the Medical Record."

"And then?"

"But with the Patient right here, you contacted the Family Member without waiting for the lab results." Ji Xiang smiled. "For Emergency Department Patients, you are willing to take responsibility; even if the diagnosis is wrong, you bear the consequences to buy time. But for non-urgent Patients, well, it has the word 'slow' in it, so you aren't in a hurry."

Meng Qingfei really hadn't expected a young person like Ji Xiang to see through his behavior at a glance, and his favor toward Ji Xiang increased greatly.

"Very impressive," Ji Xiang said, giving a thumbs up.

Just as they were chatting, the Patient returned with the lab report.

There was hematuria throughout the field under the microscope, and Meng Qingfei then ordered a bunch of tests to confirm the Patient had rhabdomyolysis.

The Patient was a bit confused and unhappy, but the Family Member who arrived immediately forced them to go for the tests.

Over an hour later, the Patient was admitted directly to the ICU; until then, the Patient still didn't feel much discomfort.

It could be said that the diagnosis and treatment for this Patient were very timely.

Only after handing over to the ICU Doctor on duty did Meng Qingfei finally relax.

"Xiao Ji, do you guys not rotate through the Emergency Department?" Meng Qingfei asked.

"It seems so; I didn't see the Emergency Department on the rotation schedule."

"Really? The Emergency Department is what trains people; how can a Standardized Residency Training Doctor not rotate through the Emergency Department? Who set these rules? What a mess!" Meng Qingfei said with some regret.

"I'll accompany you on duty when I have time," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"Are you getting used to the Urology Department?"

"I'm rotating to the Surgery Department next Monday," Ji Xiang said.

"Time flies; in the blink of an eye, you've been rotating for three months."

"Time flies; in the blink of an eye, you've been rotating for three months," Deng Chaohong said while performing surgery.

"Deng Laoshi, my next department is Thoracic Surgery," Zhao Tianjiao said.

"No problem, just say the word over at Thoracic Surgery; if there's a surgery, just come back and do it," Deng Chaohong smiled.

However, he didn't chat too much; the surgery on the current Patient was extremely difficult. He spoke a few words to ease his tense nerves, and then Deng Chaohong continued to focus entirely on the surgery.

The Patient had late-stage Cancer with bone metastasis, and the L4 vertebral body was invaded, causing severe pain.

The disease could not be cured, and the Patient's survival time was limited.

But the Tumor eroding the vertebral body not only led to paraplegia but also caused intense pain.

The pain made every day feel like living in hell for the Patient, with no quality of life to speak of. The purpose of the surgery was not to cure, but to reduce the suffering during the survival period and improve the quality of life.

Deng Chaohong was also forced to take on this surgery.

Cutting the vertebral body—just thinking about the bleeding made Deng Chaohong's scalp tingle.

Normally, the blood loss from cutting an L4 vertebral body is around 4000-5000ml; he had no choice, as he couldn't resist the pleas of the Family Member and ended up on the table.

To prepare for the surgery, the Family Member and friends donated 5000ml of compatible blood to the blood station.

Cutting the skin, Deng Chaohong prepared to start the surgery and said in a deep voice, "Prepare the blood."

"Professor Deng, did you actually get the blood?" The Circulating Nurse went to call the blood bank and returned, looking very unhappy. "The blood bank said the Emergency Vehicle only brought back 3000ml of fresh frozen Red Blood Cell Suspension from the blood station."

"What!" Deng Chaohong was stunned, his hand frozen in mid-air. "I saw the donation slips from the Family Member; it was indeed 5000ml."

"There's only 3000ml; can the surgery still be done?" the Circulating Nurse asked.

Deng Chaohong felt his hand go a bit numb; he knew exactly what had happened in between.

"Twenty years ago, when I first started working, they said that if you donated blood over a certain amount, you and your immediate family would get free blood, use it as much as you want," the Circulating Nurse said. "I was young then and got fooled. My master told me it was impossible and never to listen to their nonsense."

"And look at how it is now? The blood in the blood bank is so scarce, and large-scale blood usage..."

Deng Chaohong cursed inwardly.

Just before going on stage, Deng Chaohong knew what the blood station was like and had specifically made a call to confirm. The person who answered was a young man who said very clearly: there is blood, come and get it.

That was why Deng Chaohong felt at ease going into the surgery.

But they really were bastards, leaving one to dry out on the operating table like that.

"Professor Deng, I've seen vertebral resection surgeries," the Circulating Nurse said sternly. "I've seen ones with 6000ml of blood loss. You might be confident in your skill level, and preparing 5000ml is fine, but 3000ml is absolutely not enough."

"..." Deng Chaohong was silent; he knew this, even without the Circulating Nurse saying it.

"When the time comes and the Patient is left on the operating table because of a lack of blood, don't blame me for not warning you."

The Circulating Nurse said, emphasizing the tone.

(End of chapter)