Chapter 24 - Doctor's Story

Chapter 24: Doctor’s StoryThe evening had arrived, marking the end of a busy day at the emergency department.

“Dr. Lin, let’s go. I’ll treat you today. Let’s head to Point Doodle and grab a meal!” Attending physicians Huang Ziqian and Song Ziming warmly invited Lin Feng to dinner. Lin Feng’s stomach was growling, and it had been a while since they enjoyed some dim sum, so he agreed.

The three of them hopped into a car and went to Point Doodle. After they settled in, they ordered a variety of dim sum dishes. While waiting for their food, the conversation among the three friends naturally gravitated towards the medical field.

“Last year, when I went to work at the county hospital in the northern district of Shaoshan, I had an experience that taught me a valuable lesson,” Song Ziming began, sipping his tea.

“At the hospital, a young doctor had recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree. He was energetic and enthusiastic, and many colleagues admired him.”

“One day, he treated a pregnant woman.”

“The pregnant woman explained that she didn’t know she was pregnant when she had a chest X-ray taken, which happened to be after she became pregnant. Worried, she rushed to the hospital and asked if the radiation could harm the baby.”

“At that time, the young doctor probably referred to the guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released in 2017. He knew that the minimum radiation dose that could harm the fetus was 50 mSv (millisievert), and as long as it didn’t exceed that, there should be no harm.”

“We all know that chest X-rays have very low radiation doses, only about 0.02 mSv, which is 2,500 times lower than the threshold of 50 mSv,” Song Ziming explained.

Lin Feng nodded, indicating his understanding of the situation.

“This is something I’m aware of,” Lin Feng replied.

Song Ziming continued, “So, the young doctor reassured the pregnant woman, telling her that the chest X-ray wouldn’t harm the baby. But…”

“In the end, something went wrong,” Song Ziming added.

“A few months later, the pregnant woman gave birth to a baby boy, but the child had deformities. The mother then began filing complaints, becoming a major issue in the country. Government departments, courts, and the hospital all got involved.”

Lin Feng and Huang Ziqian understood where the story was heading.

As expected, Song Ziming concluded, “In the end, the court ruled that the hospital was fined several tens of thousands of dollars, and the young doctor was also fined the same amount. Furthermore, the family members visited the hospital daily to criticize him. Unable to cope with such treatment despite his sincere dedication to patient care, the young doctor resigned.”

Lin Feng and Huang Ziqian couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness about the unfairness of the situation. The male infant’s deformity had many causes, but the blame fell squarely on the young doctor’s shoulders.

Was it fair? No, it wasn’t.

But that’s how the harsh reality unfolded. Lin Feng sighed, realizing that the medical profession indeed required extreme caution.

After the meal, Lin Feng returned to the hospital dormitory, freshened up, and prepared to sleep.

The conversation earlier had mostly revolved around the challenges of night shifts. Huang Ziqian expressed his lament about the demanding night shifts in the emergency department, comparing them to doing sit-ups repeatedly.

“It’s still the endocrinology department that has it good. Most patients there have relatively mild conditions. When can I transfer to the endocrinology department?” Huang Ziqian humorously wished for a less demanding workload.

Lin Feng learned valuable insights from his experienced colleagues during their chat. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøvᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

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Meanwhile, in the Cardiovascular Surgery ward of the inpatient department, attending physician Li Yuan was on night duty. He was responsible for patients in beds 1 to 8, with bed 4 being a particularly concerning case.

Patient in bed 4:

A male, 58 years old, presented with “sudden back pain for one day.” After a series of examinations, it was found that he had an aortic dissection.

“Aortic dissection” was a highly dangerous condition where the aorta developed a bulge and expanded, posing a constant risk of rupture and life-threatening internal bleeding.

Furthermore, the patient in bed 4 had a three-year history of hypertension, with blood pressure readings as high as 180/110 mmHg. He was irregular with his antihypertensive medications, keeping his blood pressure consistently elevated.

This situation made the aortic dissection even more dangerous, as it could rupture at any moment. Upon admission, the patient had a high fever, a distressed expression, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

In essence, this patient was like a ticking time bomb. After completing his rounds, Li Yuan decided to rest and dozed off. However, he was suddenly jolted awake by a dream in which the patient’s heart ruptured, and he died.

This dream left him in a state of fear.

Just then, an urgent call rang out, “Bed 4… Doctor, come quickly!”

“Doctor, hurry!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan was jolted into action and sprinted to the patient’s room in bed 4.

There, he found the patient clutching their chest in intense pain, curled up in extreme discomfort, and clearly in severe distress.

Could it be that the aortic dissection had ruptured? Li Yuan was deeply alarmed.