Chapter 2906

But the indwelling catheter was wrapped too tightly; Zhu Liangchen exerted a little more force in two moves. Yet just that bit of strength, under X‑ray, he suddenly saw the indwelling catheter break.

Damn! Zhu Liangchen didn't dare move this time.

The indwelling catheter should have been removed in 3–6 months, but the patient kept it for a full 14 years. The plastic had long since aged; the reason it remained in place was the sludge‑like stone attached to it.

As a result, with just a bit more force, the indwelling catheter broke inside the bile duct.

Zhu Liangchen stared for a moment, then felt his hand go numb; looking at the catheter's image, he froze for a few seconds and then cleanly stopped the Shou Bing.

An unexpected situation had arisen—one he wasn't confident handling—so he certainly couldn't insist on proceeding. At this point he had to call friends and relatives to ask if anyone had similar experience.

Zhu Liangchen was experienced, but there were always conditions he hadn't encountered, such as now.

"Wait a moment." Zhu Liangchen didn't explain to the assistant, removed the sterile gloves, tore off the sterile gown, put on the lead clothing, and hurried away.

In a storage room off the Operating Room, Zhu Liangchen took out his phone, found Zheng Lao Ban's number, and hesitated the moment he dialed.

The indwelling catheter had been in the patient's bile duct for 14 years—such a long time that back then Zheng Lao Ban was probably still in high school or college.

He certainly wouldn't know; better to ask Old Kong.

He moved his finger away from Zheng Lao Ban's phone number, pressed the back key, and started looking up Director Kong's number.

The phone rang twice, and Director Kong answered.

"Boss, I've run into a problem; may I consult you?" Zhu Liangchen said solemnly.

"Yes, a patient who had an indwelling catheter placed during an emergency 14 years ago now has a bile‑duct stone wrapped around the catheter, blocking the duct." Zhu Liangchen briefly explained the situation: "I'm doing the Shou Bing, I've grabbed the catheter, and it snaps at the slightest move. Boss, have you ever seen this?"

"Um… let me think." Zhu Liangchen felt deflated hearing Director Kong say he'd never encountered this either, sighed, and said: "If not, I'll just explain the situation to the patient's family and do an open‑abdomen removal."

"Alright, I'll get back to work, Boss."

Having said that, Zhu Liangchen hung up the phone, feeling dejected.

He himself had never seen it, and Old Kong had never seen it either.

Medicine is an empirical science; for situations no one has encountered, nobody can predict what changes will occur.

One slip, and the outpatient Shou Bing would turn into an emergency. The bile duct could rupture, still containing pus, leading to infection, shock, death…

Zhu Liangchen felt somewhat at a loss.

He put the phone down; Old Kong had never encountered this either, so he could only rely on himself.

He quickly summarized the patient's condition, and Zhu Liangchen began to consider a solution. Bringing in the surgeons for a consultation was mandatory; this was no time to rely on strengths just to save face.

In Di Du, the hepatobiliary surgery is strong—that's where Zhu Liangchen's confidence comes from.

The key was how to speak to the patient's side; Zhu Liangchen felt vexed, gripping the phone tightly with his right hand, and in the quiet storeroom he could faintly hear creaking sounds.

The patient had no money, so he never came to the hospital to have the indwelling catheter removed. How much would removing a little catheter cost? Such a minor Shou Bing, yet it turned out like this.

Lately everything's been going wrong; Zhu Liangchen once again felt vexed thinking about this. The patient had no money, and after the surgery he'd need ICU, costing over ten thousand a day… Just thinking about it made Zhu Liangchen's head buzz with pain.

A call came in; the phone vibrated violently, startling Zhu Liangchen.

But this also pulled him out of his despondent mood—was it his lover calling him home for dinner? Probably not, since he'd said he had work in the department. Who could it be, then?

He picked up the phone, glanced at the screen, and saw it was Old Kong.

"Boss."

"Um… okay, I'll wait a moment on my end before telling the patient's family."

"Do we need the surgeons to come for a consultation?"

"Fine, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up, knowing Old Kong was on his way, he felt a warm glow inside.

Having someone to help out, discussing it together, would surely be far better than fumbling alone. Zhu Liangchen sighed; at the crucial moment, his own boss was dependable.

……

……

Zheng Ren had finished his meal, took Yi Ren and Heizi out for a stroll, then returned and sat by the coffee table to braid the red string.

He had grown numb to it, and even found that braiding the red string while chatting with Yi Ren wasn't bad—it kept his hands from feeling empty and uncomfortable.

"Chief Zheng, the patient in bed six requests self‑discharge." Chang Yue said after taking the Inpatient Chief's call, addressing Zheng Ren.

"Huh? Why?" Zheng Ren asked.

"We talked this afternoon; I told them to figure it out themselves—if they want to leave, let them go; we can't stop them." Chang Yue's attitude was a bit cool; she looked displeased.

"What's going on? Did you clash with the nurses?" Zheng Ren asked while braiding the red string.

"No, they think our attitude is too earnest, that our technique is no good and unreliable." Chang Yue said.

"…" Zheng Ren froze, then said, "Earnest? Unreliable?"

"Well, everything was fine, we were preparing for the Shou Bing. The patient's son supposedly asked around and everyone said the TIPS Shou Bing is very difficult." Chang Yue said.

"Surely it is; it's natural for the patient to have concerns."

"The problem isn't there; this afternoon I gave the patient a red string, saying Professor Zheng personally braided it. Usually patients and their families are pleased, but today the family chatted happily for a while, then half an hour later came to me asking to be discharged."

Zheng Ren didn't interject, just listened quietly. In the hospital you see all kinds of people, and nothing that happens is surprising; Zheng Ren felt nothing unusual.

"I asked repeatedly; at first the family wouldn't say, just claiming there was an urgent matter at home they had to return to immediately."

"Later I pressed them for the truth; supposedly, after years of daily hospital runs, they'd worked out a rule: the shabbier the rooms and the more patients, the worse the doctors' and nurses' attitudes, the better the hospital."

Su Yun lay lazily on the sofa, one hand stroking Heizi's head, and said, "That's right."

Zheng Ren smiled a little, because he had given the red string; the patient's family thought his attitude was a bit overly attentive.

"So when the patient's family said they wanted to leave, I asked them if they knew about this year's Nobel Prize matter; you guess what they said?"

"Faking it, who in academia doesn't know this trivial matter?" Su Yun said disdainfully.

Chang Yue remained silent; it seemed Su Yun had hit the mark.

Zheng Renye didn't take it to heart; you can't just hold the patient and not let him leave. The patient's family has their own judgment—who can say for sure about such things?

【They said hurry up and write……】