Chapter 611: Only a Wealthy Family Background Allows One to Sit on the Bench

"Hmm?"

Zhao Zhe's words were a bit convoluted, and Ji Xiang was slightly taken aback.

"I once encountered a patient when I was working emergency shifts in Yuanliao City." Zhao Zhe switched into chatterbox-plus-reminiscence mode.

"One night, a patient over 60 years old came in. After he arrived, the look in his eyes wasn't right; one look and I knew he was a senior doctor."

Ji Xiang smiled slightly.

Although 【The Gaze of a Senior Doctor】 is a system skill, it truly exists in the real world.

Especially those old department heads and old experts who have weathered many storms and possess extremely rich clinical experience; they have their own persistence and stubbornness, and the way they look at young doctors carries a special kind of emotion.

"At the time, I didn't say much and checked him first. Diffuse peritonitis, body temperature 39.6°C; although it wasn't quite a board-like abdomen, it was still very serious. I drew his blood for tests, and when the results came back, the blood count was high. I recommended a Fubu CT, and after getting a clear indication, I admitted him for surgery."

"He didn't agree?" Ji Xiang asked.

"No, he demanded painkillers and antibiotics, and explicitly told me not to use 654-2, saying he'd already had two shots and now had no urine."

654-2 refers to raceanisodamine; its main side effects include dry mouth, facial flushing, and increased heart rate.

Some patients may experience symptoms such as dry mouth, facial flushing, and blurred vision, while simultaneously potentially developing various symptoms like stomach pain, difficulty urinating, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath.

The fact that the patient could describe it as "no urine" shows he wasn't a layman, but rather a quite knowledgeable description.

"As soon as I heard that, I thought, 'Great, I've run into an old expert today,'" Zhao Zhe said. "I started asking where the Old Man was from, and he told me directly that he was a retired old department head from the cardiology department of a hospital in a nearby city."

"I counted off the various possibilities for peritonitis on my fingers, but he wouldn't agree to any further examinations no matter what. For every sentence I said, he had ten waiting for me. At the time, I didn't understand; I was only ordering routine tests, so why was he so resistant?"

Ji Xiang listened quietly.

Zhao Zhe's description portrayed a stubborn old expert vividly.

He might be experienced, but some of his experience—or perhaps even the vast majority of it—was "outdated."

In the last few decades, applied technology has changed with each passing day; the idea of living off the same old experience from decades ago doesn't exist. Old experts might be experienced, but their thinking can also be constrained by that experience.

Just like the one Zhao Zhe was talking about.

"I had him sign the papers and kept him for emergency observation. I prescribed whatever he wanted, and I talked to him twice in a heartfelt manner, explained his condition, and kept records."

"As a result, six hours later in the middle of the night, I went to check on him again and found his condition wasn't right. By then, he had also realized something was wrong, and under my intimidation, he finally agreed to the tests. The result came back as an appendiceal perforation."

"When we went into surgery, they said his belly was full of feces; the peritonitis was very severe, and coupled with septic shock, he went straight to the intensive care unit after the operation. If he had agreed to the series of tests when he first arrived, although it would still have been serious, at least it would have been better than dragging it out for half a day."

"Xiao Ji, you see, it's not just people... it's mainly that clinical knowledge iterates too quickly, and old department heads and old experts are all stubborn. I reckon the experts at Massachusetts General Hospital are even more stubborn; it's impossible to get them to admit your surgery was done well."

Ji Xiang smiled.

After beating around the bush for a long time, Zhao Zhe finally circled back to the point.

"This life, it's all fate." Zhao Zhe couldn't help but ramble. "Actually, I'm quite optimistic about Wembanyama. There have been a few times when teams tanked for a player; there was Duncan, and now there's Wembanyama. I haven't watched much basketball these years, so I don't know if he's panned out yet."

"If Wembanyama doesn't come, and his athletic ability declines after surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, turning from an epoch-making superstar into an ordinary superstar, that would be a real pity. Fate, it's all fate."

Ji Xiang did not interrupt Zhao Zhe's rambling.

In Zhao Zhe's subconscious, his own surgery was better than that of the experts at Massachusetts General Hospital. Zhao Zhe still had a good eye, and Ji Xiang felt his own eye for people was also quite accurate.

"I once met an old patient, a very good person, with diabetes and various complications. He had been seeing doctors for his whole life, and his compliance... how should I put it. He was very cooperative, but he just couldn't control his mouth. If you can't control your mouth with diabetes, the consequences are very serious."

"I heard from an endocrinologist that one time the old gentleman was discharged, and he was back in a few days. During the consultation, he asked the doctor if they had ever been to a restaurant in the suburbs; the Red Braised Pork there was superb, and he had eaten a whole portion of Red Braised Pork in one sitting."

"At the time, the endocrinologist's heart went cold."

"In the end, the old gentleman didn't make it through that time and died of diabetic fatty diarrhea. You see, Xiao Ji, this is all fate."

"Let's leave it at that," Ji Xiang said. "Zhao Ge, the show is about to end. After it's over, let's go back to the Second Affiliated Hospital to continue our research surgeries."

Zhao Zhe looked at Ji Xiang deeply and nodded.

Although Ji Xiang was young, Zhao Zhe liked his temperament very much.

Being able to sit on a cold bench and put great effort into scientific research—there aren't many people like that. And it requires a prerequisite: a wealthy family background.

Many people want to settle down and do research, but they have old parents above and children below. To throw the most precious decades of one's life into research that might not yield results—you can't do that without a safety net.

Ji Xiang's family background is quite good, so it suits him.

Just as they were talking, Zhao Zhe's phone rang.

He took out his phone, didn't avoid Ji Xiang, gestured to him, and answered the call.

"Lao Zhao, you've been pretty awesome lately!" The voice on the phone came through very aggressively.

Zhao Zhe chuckled.

"It's alright, everything has been going smoothly since I came to the Second Affiliated Hospital."

"Are you still at Hang Medical University Yi Fu Yuan recently?" the person asked directly.

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"My child's teacher has been having blood in their stool recently. I took them to the Provincial Hospital for a round, but the experts had different opinions; some said it was Endometriosis, others said it was Behçet's disease, and they wanted to take a biopsy. The teacher is a bit timid and doesn't really trust our Provincial Hospital. I just happened to see you on the show at Hang Medical University Yi Fu Yuan; is it convenient for you over there?"

Ji Xiang frowned slightly as he heard the tone the other person used with Zhao Zhe, which lacked even the slightest bit of respect, especially since the last sentence was an imperative rather than a question.

Zhao Zhe looked up at Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang shrugged, signaling to Zhao Zhe that it didn't matter.

The two had been working together for a long time and understood each other better and better, so Zhao Zhe smiled and said, "Sure, come on over and take a look. It just so happens that the production team has arranged for Doctor Ji to rotate in Gastrointestinal Surgery. But you'll need to hurry; the show is already reaching its finale."

"Alright, take good care of them when they get there. If there's anything I'm not satisfied with, I'm holding you accountable."

(End of chapter)