Chapter 420: 412 Intracranial Steel Needles and Luck Value +8

Ma Jie, you better check it out; constant headaches aren't nothing. The person accompanying the patient for the check-up looks like her close friend or friend, advising from the side.

The patient looks about forty-something, somewhat worn out, appearing relatively old.

Holding an examination slip, it looks like they're going to pay and get the examination.

Zheng Ren hurriedly called out, "Hey, wait a moment."

The patient and her accompanying friend didn't realize they were being called; they chatted while walking toward the payment counter.

Zheng Ren quickly took two steps, stood in front of the patient, and said, "Big sister, I'm the Inpatient Chief of the Emergency Department; you're here for a headache?"

The patient was startled, then said, "Yeah."

"What examination are you going to do?" Zheng Ren tried to make his tone and expression gentler.

Perhaps it's because of the Luck Value, or perhaps the Charm Value increased, giving an impression of trustworthiness.

The patient, puzzled, handed the slip to Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren took a look; the examination slip was for a cranial MRI plain scan, exactly what he had been worried about.

Fortunately, he ran into them!

At this moment, Zheng Ren experienced the formidable aspect of Luck Value +8.

"I think this examination isn't suitable for you." Zheng Ren said, "I just overheard your conversation; it seems you're not well-off financially?"

"Yeah, an MRI costs over five hundred, it's expensive." The patient said, frowning.

"Come on, let's find the old director to have a look." Zheng Ren laughed and pulled the patient to Director Pan's office, knocking and entering.

Seeing Zheng Ren wink at him a few times, Director Pan realized something was off, and the two began an impromptu "performance" without prior discussion.

Physical examination, there are different ways to do it.

In the Emergency Department, physical examinations are usually brief, given that there are over a dozen or twenty patients outside; spending half an hour on one patient isn't practical.

If it's not a critical emergency, after a simple examination, send the patient for tests.

This way, patients can be effectively diverted, preventing them from all piling up in the Emergency Department hallway.

People's impatience is contagious, especially for those who are ill, they become very anxious.

Director Pan then gave the patient a more detailed physical examination; he is quite old, nearly seventy, with silver hair, a solemn and dignified expression, appearing more skilled at diagnosing than Zheng Ren.

This is also why Zheng Ren brought the patient to Director Pan.

While Director Pan conducted the examination, Zheng Ren explained the situation.

"Director, this patient has chronic headaches; this time it's more severe, so they came to our hospital for a check-up. However, due to family and financial reasons, I consider the cost of MRI relatively high, so I suggest a plain cranial CT."

Director Pan knew Zheng Ren had brought the patient to him, and there was some theatricality in this statement.

He pretended not to hear, continued the examination for five minutes, then slowly said, "It's nothing serious; just do a head CT, and after confirming, it'll only cost about 120 yuan."

The patient was very grateful; although they overruled the internal medicine doctor's examination from the Emergency Department, Director Pan seemed like an authority, and Zheng Ren also seemed trustworthy, so the two happily took the CT order Zheng Ren wrote and went for the examination.

As they were leaving, Zheng Ren also left his phone number for them, so they could call him directly after the examination.

After the patient left, Zheng Ren finally exhaled.

Director Pan, puzzled, asked, "Zheng Ren, what are you up to?"

"Director, for patients with chronic headaches, I suggest starting with a head CT." Zheng Ren said seriously, "Just in case there's metal inside the skull, doing an MRI could cause a serious accident."

Upon Zheng Ren's reminder, Director Pan immediately realized.

Metal inside the skull? How could that be?

Ordinary people might not understand, but Director Pan has practiced medicine his whole life, from the battlefields of Nanjiang to the northern frontiers; he's seen everything.

He nodded and said, "Zheng Ren, your reminder is spot on. I'll think it through and have each doctor personally notify."

Talking with Director Pan is smooth; he won't feel his authority shaken just because I offer an opinion.

What Zheng Ren said, though rare—maybe not seen for years—if it does occur, a mishandled response could directly cause a major disaster.

After saying goodbye to Director Pan once more, Zheng Ren took out his phone, notified Chang Yue and Su Yun that there was a dinner gathering that evening, and they were going to drink heavily.

Such non-medical means and methods, Zheng Ren cannot do.

But Director Pan and Zheng Ren, this grandfather-grandson duo, work together seamlessly, each with their own strengths, just like that female patient earlier.

Zheng Ren returned to the Emergency Department ward, and as expected, he was drenched in dog blood by Su Yun.

Everyone chatted; less than an hour later, Zheng Ren received a call: the two had finished their head CT scans and were waiting for the images.

Zheng Ren told the patient the exact location of the Emergency Department ward, so that after she got the images, she wouldn't need to wait for the report; she could just say she needed them, borrow them first, and give them to him to look at.

More than ten minutes later, the patient came to Zheng Ren with the images.

Placing the images on the viewer, Zheng Ren suddenly saw three steel needles inside the patient's skull!

The images showed it clearly, like devil's fangs, full of malice, making one feel chilled.

"Oh my..." Su Yun, seeing this kind of image for the first time, had just been mocking Zheng Ren for overreacting, but upon seeing the image, she was completely dumbfounded.

Professor Rudolf Wagner glanced at it, then went on to write extensively about the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of TIPS surgery. Such an intra‑body foreign object held no attraction for him.

Chang Yue and the others were also stunned.

If they were to do an MRI...

The magnetic field would affect metal, and metal would likewise affect metal.

During an MRI, it is not allowed to bring any metal objects that would be attracted by a magnet inside.

At City First Hospital, there was once an incident where a patient's wheelchair was sucked onto the machine, and it took tremendous effort to pull it free.

Some patients, especially those with early cardiac stents, fracture internal fixations, or other implanted surgeries, cannot undergo MRI examinations.

Current nickel‑titanium alloy appears to have little effect.

For this female patient before us, if she underwent MRI, those several steel needles implanted sometime ago in her skull would be attracted by the magnetic field and would sway.

The patient's brain tissue...

One dare not imagine it; anyway, all the doctors present were drenched in cold sweat.

"Chief Zheng, how did this get in?" Chang Yue's palms were slick with cold sweat as she asked.

"It probably went in when he was a child." Zheng Ren said coldly.

The human skull undergoes a developmental process; when a person is a few months old, the skull is thinner and softer, like parchment, making it easy for a needle to penetrate.

Decades ago, girls in the countryside were not well regarded; inserting steel needles like this, although Zheng Ren had never personally witnessed it before, he had occasionally heard of it.

Although the patient couldn't understand the image, those few needles lay plainly before his eyes, especially noticeable.

"When did your headache start?" Zheng Ren asked.

"I've had it since I was little." The patient felt somewhat bewildered, panicked, and at a loss.