Chapter 2905: 2705: If You Can't Get an Appointment, Go to the Medical Department

Zhu Liangchen still remembers that it was a medical accident where he wiped someone's butt; at the time, the rural hospital cut the gallbladder and severed the gallbladder duct.

He placed the biliary drainage tube when he went to save the patient; later the patient recovered smoothly and was discharged home.

They said to let the patient come to the hospital in six months to have the gallbladder stent removed, but the patient didn't come, and Zhu Liangchen didn't think much of it.

As he put it, he sees so many patients each day; who could keep remembering a single patient.

Perhaps it could happen in a small prefecture-level hospital, but in Di Du it's utterly impossible. Over ten years, tens of thousands of patients—if I could recount each case's outcome, would I still need to do anything else?

Moreover, this patient was someone I operated on when I went to a nearby rural hospital to save them; I wouldn't even remember their name or illness.

"Let's first take a look at the film." Zhu Liangchen said in a low voice.

"Director Zhu, the patient's family means they came to me because they couldn't get an appointment with you. Either you take a look, or I'll bring her back to your ward?" Liu Dexiang asked.

Zhu Liangchen didn't respond, but instead asked: "Where is the patient now? What's wrong?"

"He's at a guesthouse outside, feverish, unable to get out of bed. I've been giving him IV drips at home for over twenty days, but it hasn't helped." Said patient Sun Xiwang; the woman, grief-stricken, spoke while wiping her tears.

With a course of over twenty days accompanied by fever, this is suppurative cholangitis. Zhu Liangchen picked up the film on the desk and held it up to the light.

The patient has cirrhosis, likely secondary to chronic cholestasis; how long has this condition lasted? Zhu Liangchen glanced at the film and found it quite thorny.

The bile duct is blocked, and one can see the image of accumulated pus.

Surgery is feasible—just remove the biliary drainage tube; Zhu Liangchen made that judgment. Whether to place another stent depends on the intraoperative situation.

Conservative treatment failed; only surgery can help, otherwise we'd just wait for death.

"Why only now think to check?" Zhu Liangchen had already decided on surgery, but he said coldly.

"We don't have much money..." the woman said, wiping her tears: "Old Sun has been enduring it; his stomach has hurt for three to five years, and it's only gotten worse."

"Old Zhu!" the deputy director of the Medical Department stood at the doorway waving.

Zhu Liangchen glanced, then stood up and walked out.

He went to the next room; the deputy director of the Medical Department lowered his voice: "If surgery can be done, do it and get rid of him quickly."

"Director Xiao, does that mean from now on we can register at the Medical Department?" Zhu Liangchen said with a stern expression.

"Sigh, I know you're upset; I just heard it. The patient is at a small guesthouse outside—if he really died, wouldn't that cause trouble out of nowhere?" Director Xiao advised.

"That doesn't mean everyone should come to the Medical Department to complain just because they can't register." Zhu Liangchen said, still feeling resentful.

"Calm down, how confident are you about the surgery?"

"No surgery has a hundred percent guarantee." Zhu Liangchen said.

"Don't speak in vague terms like when talking to a patient's family; just say whether the surgery can be done." Director Xiao was also somewhat annoyed; this Zhu Liangchen, dragging his feet and backpedaling—what's going on!

"It can be done." Zhu Liangchen said in a low voice.

"Old Zhu, take him back and hurry up with the surgery." Director Xiao said, "It's already year-end; various checkups might not catch anyone—don't eye-drop at this time."

Zhu Liangchen felt that lately everything has been going wrong, how annoying! But he didn't dare defy Director Xiao and refuse to admit the patient.

After all, the patient is someone I operated on fourteen years ago; if death results from bile duct blockage, the matter won't be clear. If the family kicks up a fuss—even if it's not a professional medical disturbance—I'd at least have a month of unrest.

Most importantly, I can't say I can't do the surgery when I actually can, just to watch someone die.

In the end, Zhu Liangchen held his nose and admitted the patient.

Pre-op checks and instructions went smoothly; it was already 7:30 in the evening. Doing the surgery, getting home post-op would be just before 10 p. m. —who have I provoked?

Zhu Liangchen especially helplessly scrubbed up and went on stage.

Although he felt indignant, as a doctor there's nothing he can do about such things. Perform the surgery, let the patient leave the hospital fine—there's really no way to stay angry with them. Zhu Liangchen was a thousand times unwilling, yet he still had to go into surgery.

"Director, how will today's surgery be performed?" Zhu Liangchen's assistant asked.

After Liu Xu zhi left, he found a diligent little doctor to help him with the surgery. Though diligent and well-spoken, his skill is inferior to Liu Xu zhi's.

However, doctors who can perform surgery are few; as a director, as long as I can find someone to do the work, that's fine—I can't be too picky.

"Do a cholangiogram, check the position of the drainage tube, then just take it out. Hopefully the adhesions aren't too severe; we'll see as we go." Zhu Liangchen said.

He said it simply, but he also knew the surgery still had some difficulty. After all, the biliary drainage tube has been in place for fourteen years… just thinking about that number gives Zhu Liangchen a headache.

Who knows what condition it's in inside, he thought. Although the tube is likely to be removed, there's still a small chance of a sudden complication.

Moreover, so much time has passed that Zhu Liangchen can't even recall the brand and model of the tube he placed back then.

Sigh, maybe good people shouldn't do it—back then I wiped buttocks for a township hospital, and the matter ended up falling on me.

Zhu Liangchen entered the Operating Room with a stern face, full of displeasure.

Scrubbed up and on stage, he began the cholangiogram.

The cholangiogram image appeared, and Zhu Liangchen stared in disbelief. The stent was embedded in a 5‑cm long, lollipop‑shaped stone, lodged rock‑solid.

Such a long stone—Zhu Liangchen felt a bitter, astringent taste in his mouth.

MD! He silently cursed.

But he was already on stage; what could he do? Zhu Liangchen gazed at the stone like a lollipop, and many memories surfaced.

Fourteen years ago, ERCP wasn't yet established; few could perform it, and biliary stents were usually placed percutaneously under X‑ray. Moreover, the patient's family said they had no money; I kindly placed not a stent but a plastic drainage tube instead.

Using proper technique for internal biliary drainage, waiting half a year for the duct to heal before removing it.

After the operation the patient recovered; Zhu Liangchen now clearly recalled telling the patient and family to come back in six months to have it taken out. After all, it's a plastic product—it can't stay in the body forever. Cheap goods and expensive rare‑metal stents are still two different things.

Who would have thought a stent meant to last half a year to a year would actually be endured by the patient for a full fourteen years.

Zhu Liangchen sighed and focused intently on the surgery.

Grasping the forceps, he advanced retrograde into the bile duct, but the stent, due to its long dwell time and the stone, sat firmly in the duct—pulling it out did nothing.

After several attempts, Zhu Liangchen grew somewhat irritable.