Chapter 2635: line with translation of title

2536.2440 Strange 'old' patient

One day, Zheng Ren and Su Yun went to the Emergency Department together.

Zhou Litao is no longer the Inpatient Chief, but during the National Day holiday there weren't enough staff on duty, so he still worked daytime shifts here.

He looked around but didn't see Zhou Litao; Su Yun asked a hurried little nurse, "Where is Manager Zhou?"

Tang Haitao is now the big boss, but Su Yun still habitually calls him Manager Zhou.

"A senior patient has arrived, and Manager Zhou is examining them," the little nurse said shyly.

The Emergency Department has nothing to do with "old patients"; it's like a truck stop—people come and go. Unlike oncology, neurology, or cardiology wards, where elderly patients are repeatedly admitted, here no one stays long enough to form friendships between patients, doctors, and nurses.

However, Zheng Ren didn't take it to heart; he strolled leisurely down the hallway, clearing his mind completely.

Going shopping with Yi Ren is truly exhausting, even more tiring than performing surgery while wearing a lead apron. That's Yi Ren—Zheng Ren can grit his teeth and last two days, but with anyone else he would outright refuse without hesitation.

"Manager Zhou, the key!" Su Yun said while knocking on the door of the treatment room.

Zhou Litao opened the door and handed the key to Su Yun. Su Yun glanced inside, didn't think much of it, and opened Director Cui's office.

Here Zhou Litao sweeps every day, keeping it spotless, as if waiting for Director Cui to return to work one day.

But Zheng Ren and Su Yun both know that day will never come.

"What patient?" Zheng Ren asked casually.

"A little child, looks like under two years old," Su Yun said.

Zheng Ren froze for a moment—a child under two? Actually an "old patient" in the Emergency Department?

Previously everyone thought Zhou Litao excelled at diagnosing and treating internal medicine emergencies, but who knew he was also good at pediatric emergencies, and they'd developed feelings.

He smiled, and Zheng Ren sat down in a chair.

"You spend your days staring at medical charts—what's the point?" Su Yun said scornfully.

"No," Zheng Ren said flatly.

"Boss, it's holiday season now, and you keep having people accompany you just in case you get emotionally stirred and decide to operate on Xiao Shitou." Su Yun said sincerely, a tone he rarely uses, showing he's a bit anxious.

"Hmm, just thinking it over." Zheng Ren said: "You say if we send it to Germany for the new algorithm DeepMACT, what would we see?"

"The screen is full of tumor cells." Su Yun said firmly: "In his case, any treatment would be meaningless."

"The cover of that CELL issue looks truly shocking." Zheng Ren held the medical record, stared ahead, and said lightly.

CELL published a cover story for the new algorithm DeepMACT.

This new algorithm and examination let doctors quickly locate cancer cells that have metastasized throughout the body, boosting efficiency over 300-fold. Previously, a workload this large would take humans months to complete.

This is a technological leap, and Zheng Ren is very interested in it.

Moreover, this technology platform can show which metastasis sites have been bound by antibody drugs and which have been missed.

According to researchers, 23% of metastasis sites are missed by antibody drugs, which may be one reason cancers tend to recur.

It's a shame it was discovered a bit late; this new DeepMACT algorithm is one of the best solutions Zheng Ren could think of, but it seems it can't be used on Xiao Shitou.

"All you do is ponder useless things." Su Yun said scornfully: "If you could get a call before the 15th, you'd have made it big. Let's interview—boss, what are your plans next?"

Zheng Ren shook his head: "Plans? Even if I won the Nobel Prize, I'd still be doing surgery in the hospital."

Originally the idea was to promote TIPS surgery so more patients with end-stage liver cirrhosis and massive ascites could be saved.

But after completing a mission in the Alps, with the strong push from the Bruhl family, the goal of promoting TIPS surgery has almost been achieved.

The effect is even more significant than actually winning the Nobel Prize, and looking at the number of surgeries performed, Lanke Company also reaped huge benefits.

This is a win-win collaboration.

Seeing Zheng Ren lost in thought, Su Yun raised her eyebrows, about to speak, when a child's crying came from outside.

"Baby, be good, don't cry," the mother's warm, loving voice cooed, drifting in.

"This must be the old patient Zhou Litao was looking at," Zheng Ren thought.

A child this age, if there were no congenital illness, shouldn't become an "old patient."

Zheng Ren glanced curiously, and the diagnosis was clear—acute gastroenteritis.

"It might be due to improper feeding by the family, or the child's low immunity. Zheng Ren didn't think much of it and said lightly, 'When will Big Chu and Little Chu arrive?'"

"Not decided yet; they're busy at home and have no time." Su Yun said, "Don't go back to Hai Cheng lately—if you do, you'll surely get chewed out by the director. Whenever I mention looking at maple leaves, they both lose focus on work."

Zheng Ren chuckled, recalling the video call a couple days ago with Director Pan, whose spirits were still good, and the treatment effect of the Blue Bacteria was still decent. But Zheng Ren didn't understand: the plan to view maple leaves was clearly Su Yun's idea, so why did it become his responsibility?

Outside, the child's crying suddenly changed tone, and Zhou Litao shouted anxiously, "Turn your head, don't choke!"

Soon after, a faint vomiting sound and the footsteps of medical staff were heard.

Su Yun twitched her nose and said, "How can it smell so bad?"

Zheng Ren sniffed and detected a faint foul odor drifting over. If it were vomiting, there wouldn't be a smell—could the child be vomiting and having diarrhea? If so, it would indicate severe inflammation from acute gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization.

Su Yun curiously walked to the doorway, half inside and half outside, gazing at the emergency and rescue scene.

"Boss, something seems off." Su Yun frowned and said.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Zheng Ren asked.

"The child is vomiting not just stomach contents but also feces."

"……" Zheng Ren froze; vomiting feces first raises suspicion of severe intestinal obstruction.

Normally intestinal obstruction first presents with abdominal pain; to reach the point of vomiting feces, it must be extremely serious!

The key is, Zheng Ren just glanced at the child's system panel, and there was no diagnosis of intestinal obstruction at all!

Zheng Ren wondered; he rarely questions Big Pig Trotter's diagnosis these days—it's usually pointless. Although he doesn't fully trust it, he always runs some checks to corroborate Big Pig Trotter's assessment.

But each time the facts confirm Big Pig Trotter's correctness.

Just acute gastroenteritis, yet vomiting intestinal contents, and even relatively low-down feces?!

Zheng Ren suddenly stood up and strode out.