Chapter 339: 332 Unnecessary check?

332 Unnecessary check?

The captain politely sent Zheng Ren and his party out of the traffic police detachment.

The provincial department stepping in surely isn't just because of a rear-end collision; it must involve a criminal case.

Director Pan knew his worry was unnecessary.

Saying that Zhou Bai drove to block the ambulance, that conduct is truly heinous. But such incidents happen all over the country every year, most of them are just smoothed over.

As for this time…

Director Pan didn't want to say anything, letting Zheng Ren work in peace; he just drove home to find out the situation.

Since Lawyer Ge turned against him, Ding Zhongtai has been in a dazed state.

I've already paid enough attention to Zheng Ren, but looking now, it seems still not enough.

Director Ding carefully reflected on his attitude when speaking with Zheng Ren in the emergency ward—not warm enough, not gentle enough, seeming a bit hurried, but fortunately he didn't rush out and blame Zheng Ren.

It should be fine, it should be fine.

Director Ding drove absentmindedly, sending Zheng Ren back to the Emergency Building.

Inviting Zheng Ren to have a meal, he unsurprisingly refused. Zheng Ren said he still needed to make rounds and check post-op patients.

That excuse really can't be refused. Ding Zhongtai, helpless, could only leave Zheng Ren behind and then report the incident's details to Dean Xiao.

……

Zheng Ren got out of the car, not rushing to the ward, he breathed a few gulps of dry cold air, feeling his spirits lift.

Crowded places just make people irritable, Zheng Ren thought.

Back at the hospital, his whole spirit perked up.

Zheng Ren first went to the Emergency Department; the chaotic environment there oddly made him feel especially at ease.

Surgical patients were few, medical patients many, especially those with gastroenteritis and flu.

This winter, the northeast saw little snow; most of it fell farther south.

Thus the flu ran rampant; once infected with the flu virus, a slight fever on the first day, then the second day it would spike to around 40 degrees, terrifyingly high.

Outpatients receiving IV drips already filled the corridors; treating ordinary colds and fevers at the community level was fine, but when faced with this situation, everyone was pushed to tertiary hospitals.

The nurses' legs were about to give out from running, juggling IVs and dressing changes, busy as a hive.

After walking a ways in and turning a corner, voices of an argument came from the hallway. Zheng Ren frowned, wondering what was happening.

Arriving at the emergency internal medicine department, he saw several family members angrily arguing with the doctors.

Security was trying to mediate, and Zheng Ren saw Fan Tian Shui standing in the hallway, looking even more robust.

Fan Tian Shui and Zheng Ren exchanged a smile, and Zheng Ren walked into the emergency internal medicine department.

Seeing Zheng Ren walk in in casual clothes, the emergency internal medicine doctor looked as if seeing a savior: 'Chief Zheng, I was just about to call you.'

'What's going on?' Zheng Ren asked.

Several family members glared at Zheng Ren, full of discontent.

'The patient is a 52-year-old woman who came to our hospital this morning with periumbilical pain accompanied by nausea and vomiting.' The emergency internal medicine doctor said: 'No clear trauma history or other major illness. Physical exam showed a soft abdomen, mild tenderness around the umbilicus, no rebound pain or muscular rigidity. Blood work showed a slight increase in white blood cells.'

Zheng Ren listened to the emergency internal medicine doctor's report while looking at the patient.

The patient was rather overweight, sitting on the exam table clutching his stomach, face twisted in pain.

'At the time, to rule out bowel obstruction, I suggested the patient do an upright fluoroscopy or abdominal CT. The patient said the check would involve radiation and refused all imaging studies. The diagnosis was gastroenteritis, with a question mark.' The internal medicine doctor was helpless.

'It's not a serious illness, why insist on a CT? Isn't that an unnecessary check? CT has radiation—don't you know? If they get cancer, whose fault is it?' a family member shouted.

Zheng Ren actually didn't understand the family members' mindset.

The patient is already in this state, yet still has the mind to talk about unnecessary checks—truly helpless. And the patient too: ordinary people get a few radiation exams a year without bodily harm.

If there were really a problem, the doctors doing interventional procedures would probably have vanished long ago.

'Stay calm, treat the illness first; we can talk about other things later.' Zheng Ren urged.

'Who are you?' the family member glared at Zheng Ren.

'The patient is diagnosed with intussusceptive bowel obstruction; the intestines haven't yet shown necrosis. Emergency surgery is needed to correct the intussusception. If you delay further, you may have to resect a segment of bowel.' Zheng Ren said.

The emergency internal medicine doctor was also startled, seeing Zheng Ren's stern, serious expression, thinking Chief Zheng's talent for dramatics had been fully uncovered.

Just to scare the family members a bit, there's no need to say it so heavily.

Hearing Zheng Ren say that, the family members were also startled.

'Did they sign the refusal form when they came in this morning?' Zheng Ren asked the internal medicine doctor quietly.

Refusing examination requires a signature; it's standard procedure, so if anything happens it can be explained.

Doctors who regularly deal with all kinds of emergency patients in the Emergency Department naturally wouldn't violate this process; otherwise they'd not just get wet shoes, but be soaked through.

'Signed.' The internal medicine doctor said righteously: 'Refusing abdominal CT and upright fluoroscopy, they accept responsibility for any consequences. The patient signed it themselves, and I just locked the refusal form in the cabinet.'

'Let's do an abdominal CT; I'll take the patient for the scan.' Zheng Ren felt relieved, as long as there's no medical mistake—other matters can wait until after surgery.

Hearing Zheng Ren and the internal medicine doctor's conversation, the family members' anger gradually faded.

Unnecessary checks—such things generally don't happen in large tertiary hospitals under normal circumstances. Many tests are ordered because patient volume is high, turning rare diseases into common ones.

Especially now, with doctor-patient tensions sharpened by some people's meddling, a little carelessness could quickly lead to a lawsuit.

The internal medicine doctor quickly wrote out an abdominal CT order; Zheng Ren took it and handed it to the family members, saying: 'Pay the fee, go to the CT room for the scan—I'll change clothes and then look at the images.'

'Doctor, it's okay, right?' the family members' attitude visibly softened.

'I've told you, bowel obstruction with intussusception needs surgery—meaning the intestine loses blood, necroses, and without surgery it will rot.' Zheng Ren said sternly: 'Do you think I'm joking with you?'

The internal medicine doctor also froze, thinking: 'Chief Zheng isn't joking, is he? Could it really be true?'

In an instant, the internal medicine doctor broke into a sweat.

Acute intussusception and bowel obstruction, as time goes on, will lead to intestinal necrosis.

In that case, a minor illness becomes a major one.

The patient's family also had no time to argue; one person took the slip and went to pay, while the others helped the patient onto a stretcher and pushed it all the way to CT Shi.

"Chief Zheng, really or not?" The internal medicine doctor still thought this was Zheng Ren's way of solving the problem; after all, the patient's symptoms… didn't look like it.

"Indeed. Did you ask the patient what they ate yesterday?" Zheng Ren asked.

"Um…" The internal medicine doctor was stunned for a moment.