Chapter 2825: with translation of chapter title

Walking, Zheng Ren saw a middle-aged person dressed plainly, or rather somewhat down-and-out and disheveled, standing blankly outside a ward, eye sockets slightly red, as if crying.

His clothing and demeanor were out of place at Bota Private Hospital.

Zheng Ren, seeing his attire, knew he was a volunteer's family member; likely an experiment had failed, and his relative faced death—perhaps already dead, or soon to die, which didn't matter.

He let out a soft sigh, hearing Su Yun ask, 'Mr. Johannes Mandi, is the patient's family member a volunteer?'

'Yes, Doctor Su. A late-stage lung cancer patient; we wanted to test a new drug on late-stage patients, but it's too late for him,' Johannes Mandi said.

Zheng Ren narrowed his eyes; Johannes Mandi didn't explain their project's progress, yet the meaning packed into that brief sentence was more than enough.

Does seeking even more advanced patients for testing imply that earlier-stage patients already have a relatively reliable treatment option?

Possibly!

In fact, the moment Zheng Ren learned of DeepMACT's emergence, he knew that what had previously been impossible was beginning to have a glimmer of possibility.

DeepMACT can play a crucial role in observing the effect of targeted drugs on tumor tissue or cells; it is almost real-time observation, allowing drug concentration or action to be adjusted if the effect is poor.

I never expected Bota Laboratory's drug research to have made a breakthrough; now they have even begun treating late-stage tumor patients.

'Mr. Johannes Mandi, is the patient in poor condition, unable to tolerate the drug's side effects?' Zheng Ren asked.

'No, Doctor Zheng.' Johannes Mandi said: 'As I understand, the patient's chest CT plain scan and reconstruction show complete visceral inversion, a tracheal mid-segment intraluminal mass about 3 cm long, with obvious luminal narrowing and evident respiratory obstruction. We need exactly this kind of patient, and the patient himself still holds some hope for this trial.'

'On the second day of admission, the patient's nighttime breathing difficulty worsened further, unable to lie flat; with a mask delivering 8 L/min oxygen, SaO2 was maintained around 80%–85%. That poor fellow seems a bit too late; I've looked at the relevant tests…'

'And then?' Zheng Ren didn't want to hear Johannes Mandi talk about other things; his focus remained on the patient.

'Later, we had the patient shift to a semi-recumbent position, gave oxygen via a reservoir mask, administered intravenous methylprednisolone for symptomatic treatment; breathing difficulty eased somewhat, and SaO2 stabilized around 93%.'

'On the third day of admission, under semi-recumbent position with 2% lidocaine local anesthesia, we attempted bronchoscopy; when the bronchoscope was about to enter the glottis, the patient could not tolerate the breathing difficulty.' Johannes Mandi sighed and said, 'Then there's nothing we can do—if the airway stent can't even go in…'

Saying that, he shrugged his shoulders, making a helpless expression.

'At the very least we must ensure breathing to proceed to the next test. Poor fellow, he can't even manage the first step. Damn recruiters—I want late-stage cancer patients, not people who will die as soon as they arrive at Bota! Dead people can't use new drugs; all our prior work would be wasted! Those idiots!' Johannes Mandi said angrily.

Zheng Ren recalled Johannes Mandi's earlier words; after a few seconds, he said in a low voice, 'Has the genetic testing been completed? How is the evaluation of the related drug?'

Johannes Mandi hesitated upon hearing Zheng Ren's question.

'The boss is merely interested in the patient's condition, not coveting your technology.' Su Yun said coldly, 'I believe Thus term: Thus term: Kelisidian has already told you that.'

Upon mentioning Thus term: Thus term: Kelisidian, Zheng Ren sensed a shift in Johannes Mandi's aura.

'That's right, Doctor Zheng, Doctor Su.' Johannes Mandi quickly said, 'Genetic sequencing and the corresponding work still need 24 hours to finish; this is already the fastest speed. But the patient absolutely cannot last 24 hours, even if…'

Zheng Ren knew the so-called drug wouldn't work instantly upon ingestion, but after all, it was a hope.

As long as there is a thought, a faint hope—even if it's so weak it's almost invisible—if there are enough of them, they can sustain a raging fire and light up the horizon.

'Mr. Johannes Mandi, I'd like to see the patient's relevant data.' Zheng Ren said in a low voice, 'Perhaps I can find a way to solve the patient's breathing difficulty.'

'Oh, no! That's impossible!' Johannes Mandi blurted out, 'We can't even intubate; the patient's condition is too severe. His presence at Bota is a mistake; now we must correct that mistake.'

Zheng Ren frowned, glanced at Johannes Mandi. Mandi felt he'd said too much, quickly smiled to ease the awkward atmosphere.

'Boss, what do you want to do?' Su Yun asked in Mandarin.

'In recent years, tracheal stent placement via bronchoscopy has been increasingly used to relieve airway stenosis. Because of its high safety, simple operation, rapid effect, and few postoperative complications, it has become one of the preferred treatments for airway stenosis.' Zheng Ren said while thinking, while speaking to Su Yun.

Su Yun knew the boss's seemingly meaningless opening remarks were just him organizing his thoughts.

If Bota Private Hospital can't handle something, it's surely extremely difficult; even if the boss had an idea, it would likely be incomplete.

'However, the choice of anesthesia and ventilation during bronchoscopic intervention limits treatment for some severe airway stenosis patients. For patients with severe airway obstruction, the procedure carries certain risks, possibly even causing cardiac and respiratory arrest.' Zheng Ren continued in a low voice.

His speaking speed seemed unchanged, neither fast nor slow.

'The patient's mid-tracheal mass blocks the lumen; tracheostomy or intubation cannot relieve the breathing difficulty, making it seem like treatment should be abandoned. If I encountered a similar patient in 912, I'd think even dying of illness is better than suffocating.'

'Boss, do you have a solution?' Su Yun asked.

'Hypoxia is the biggest challenge in performing intervention on airway obstruction.' Zheng Ren said, 'Solving hypoxia, increasing cardiac oxygen supply—what method?'

'EMCO?' Professor Rudolf Wagner suddenly exclaimed, 'Oh my god, boss, can this thing work?!'

'ECMO is an expansion and extension of extracorporeal circulation technology; ECMO can provide effective respiratory and circulatory support for critically ill patients needing external assistance for respiratory and circulatory function.' Zheng Ren said, 'For the patient before us, don't focus on his tumor; it's easy to think of a solution.'