Chapter 1517: 1470 Stone in the Stomach (Alliance Leader Zimu - Additional Chapter 5)

Su Yun saw Zheng Ren hang up the phone and asked, "What's up?"

"A patient has a huge gastric stone; lithotripsy in the endoscopy room failed, so we're switching to open surgery." Zheng Ren said: "Lao He is preparing anesthesia; let's go take a look."

"Gastric stone?" Su Yun also became interested.

Of course, he also knew that he and Zheng Ren going to take a look wasn't to perform surgery.

It's just taking something out of the stomach; I estimate Professor Feng Jianguo of that level wouldn't even step up; surely the Inpatient Chief of Gastroenterology Surgery would just bring a doctor to cut it out.

Although the surgery is said to be simple, a huge gastric stone is especially rare.

Gastric stones are stone-like masses formed in the stomach after ingesting certain substances.

They are mostly round or oval, varying in size; small ones are like ping-pong balls, large ones like a baby's head.

Depending on composition, they can be divided into three types: phytogenic, hair, and mixed; clinically, phytogenic gastric stones are most common.

The patient with long-hair princess disease encountered earlier in Hai Cheng had intestinal stones; the hair she swallowed passed through the pylorus and entered the colon.

If it doesn't pass, it will form a stone in the stomach.

Kidney stones and gallstones are most common; gastrointestinal stones are relatively rare, and huge stones are even rarer.

Lao He just thought it was novel, so he asked Zheng Ren and Su Yun to go watch the excitement.

This also counts as catering to his preference.

Su Yun expressed great approval of Lao He's action.

Gastric stones could be any of the three types, but mainly phytogenic, and the cause is even simpler—most are from eating too many persimmons.

This disease is also called persimmon gastric stone disease.

It's a mouthful, similar to a crosstalk performer's tongue twister.

Persimmons or black dates contain a substance called tannin; in unripe persimmons, its content can reach up to 20%.

When people eat raw persimmons, their tongue feels astringent—that's the tannin acting up.

Furthermore, persimmons also contain gum and pectin.

After eating unripe persimmons, tannin, under the action of stomach acid, can bind with proteins to form tannin-protein that is not easily water-soluble.

Tannin-protein precipitates in the stomach, and tannin-protein, gum, and pectin can bind persimmon seeds, vegetable plant fibers together, forming gastric persimmon stones in the stomach.

That's the story, but to eat a large amount of raw persimmons… this person must really love astringent persimmons?

So Zheng Ren has only seen similar cases in books, never in person.

Seeing is believing; doctors all have this little quirk. When encountering a rare disease, they're eager to go see it no matter what.

Walking toward the operating room, Su Yun also received a message from Quan Xiaocao saying there was a patient with a gastric stone.

"How's Xiao Cao's paper coming along?" Zheng Ren asked.

"It's a case report on abdominal encapsulating syndrome sent to the Willow Leaf Blade journal." Su Yun said, "I've been in touch with them; there should be no problem."

"This kid is lucky; even before graduation, she already has an SCI paper in Willow Leaf Blade, enough for her to earn a doctorate three or five times over." Zheng Ren said with a laugh.

"They didn't add your name." Su Yun said offhand.

Zheng Ren waved his hand; it's all irrelevant.

For a Nobel Prize nominee, things like Willow Leaf Blade and New England Journal are just clouds.

Moreover, Zheng Ren currently doesn't need the impact factors of these journals to boost his prestige.

Speaking of impact factors, the numbers jumping daily in the Fame Under Heaven stage-three task are the true impact factor.

And each surgery live broadcast from Xinglin Yuan is also the most genuine impact factor.

But this influence, others don't possess, and Zheng Ren doesn't want to quantify it with a number.

To him, these are essentially meaningless.

With that time, doing two more surgeries would be good; or, watching a gastric stone surgery would be better than calculating these.

Arriving at the operating room, Zheng Ren politely greeted the gatekeeper auntie, took the key, and went to change clothes.

Leaving one operating room, he then entered another.

This is the plight of a doctor who crosses disciplines.

Entering the changing room, I saw Director Wei putting on stockings.

Every time I see an old man with a stubbly beard and graying hair sitting in a chair, slowly putting on stockings, Zheng Ren feels a sense of magical realism.

"Director Wei, why are you also here?" Su Yun stepped forward to greet.

"Gastric stones; this is the 13th case I've encountered. Let's watch the surgery, and incidentally keep some data—later it'll be a fond memory." Director Wei said with a laugh.

"Thirteen cases! You've seen that many?" Zheng Ren exclaimed in surprise.

But after thinking, it makes sense—Director Wei is the head of Gastroenterology Surgery at the Capital City Large Tertiary Hospital; in his lifetime he's seen who-knows-how-many patients.

Encountering thirteen cases is really not many.

"Fortunately, this rare disease used to be treated by open surgery, but after endoscopy matured, they've adopted endoscopic lithotripsy. Wanting to see it in surgery is hard." Director Wei sighed.

Gastroenterology Surgery also faces pressure from minimally invasive surgery in the endoscopy room.

But progress there is slow, surgical risk higher, so gastroenterology is relatively easier to handle.

The easiest is orthopedics.

Replacing femoral heads, hip joints, knee joints are all replacement surgeries; these aren't minimally invasive procedures… what existing minimally invasive surgery can accomplish.

"Have you tried it in the endoscopy room?" Zheng Ren asked.

"Well, under endoscopy we used a lithotripsy snare to catch the stone. But the stone is too slippery, like a moss-covered rock, so you can't apply any force." Director Wei said: "Later, Director Luo called me and switched to our gastroenterology surgery."

After a pause, Director Wei said: "The endoscopy room is all flashy; you still need to cut open to really solve it."

Zheng Ren chuckled; this kind of dispute, he didn't want to get involved. Earlier, Fan Tian Shui's old squad leader performed an ESD procedure, which probably made Director Wei unhappy.

This remark was aimed at me.

It's just that my surgical skills are indeed good, so Director Wei can't vent his frustration; he can only take it out on the endoscopy room.

"How big is the stone?" Su Yun also heard the slight displeasure in Director Wei's words, and quickly changed the subject.

"About 8×10 cm." Director Wei said.

"My goodness, that big! What medical history does the patient have?" Su Yun exclaimed.

8×10 cm—that's not small. In the stomach, it can be felt during a physical exam.

"Migrant workers don't have much money, and they still like to have a drink." Director Wei said: "When they can't afford proper food with alcohol, they buy some hawthorn, slice it, dry it, and use it as a snack with drinks."

"……" Zheng Ren sighed.

Eating persimmons or hawthorn on an empty stomach and then drinking alcohol makes gastric stones more likely to form.

Because ethanol accelerates protein coagulation, the more alcohol consumed and the higher its alcohol content, the more likely gastric stones are to form, and they form especially quickly.

He glanced at Su Yun.

"Don't look at me, blaming everything on drinking!" Su Yun snapped.