Chapter 303: Chapter 303

Liu Banxia wasn’t seen at noon. After Pengpeng and his parents settled into the ward, they came as a group to thank him again. After receiving a deluge of thanks, Liu Banxia’s mood became even more delightful.

This was truly a life-saving deed. If a defibrillator hadn’t been implanted for this condition, it was uncertain if Pengpeng could have survived another attack. Moreover, Pengpeng wasn’t the only one benefiting from the help; his parents were as well.

This was a dominant genetic inherited condition. Although the prevalence rate wasn’t very high and both his parents had passed the peak age of onset, that statistic only referred to the peak period; the condition could manifest differently in everyone. However, the family didn’t have much money at the moment, so curing the child first was paramount. If his parents truly fell ill in the future, they would at least have a definite diagnosis and avoid undergoing aimless treatments.

"You’re happy because you were complimented again, huh?" Liang Xiaolin said.

"I think you should be the happy one. You must have benefited a lot from observing this surgery, right?" Liu Banxia retorted.

Liang Xiaolin nodded. "That’s true. Director Zheng is really impressive. Plus, the subcutaneous defibrillator will be implanted tomorrow, and he said I can scrub in too."

"That’s good," Liu Banxia said with a smile, nodding. "After we move to the new building, it’ll be a bit harder to cross departments to perform surgeries, unless the other department has too many patients and gets overwhelmed."

"Qiaoqiao came by at noon. She asked me to tell you to go to her spa with her when you’re free. Qing Kewa is getting pretty impatient. I don’t get why you girls love those big bathhouses so much."

Liang Xiaolin shot him a look. "Are we just ’taking baths’? We’re going for skincare and pampering. We don’t live as crudely as you men."

"The spa in the women’s section of her place is really good. Qiaoqiao might be playful, but she’s serious about her business, invests a lot, and is very capable."

"Her spa originally catered mainly to men, but now it’s shifted to women. They have two large lounges, and one is exclusively for ladies."

"Did you ask how much a full package costs?" Liu Banxia asked with a smile.

"So what if it’s a bit pricier? You get to enjoy the service. Anyway, when I have time, I’m definitely going again. A good sleep after a spa session is so refreshing and relieves fatigue," Liang Xiaolin said.

"Go on, go on. It’s not like I can stop you anyway," Liu Banxia said. "I’d better go do inventory with Sister Wang. Even though this place isn’t huge, there are still a lot of items. I can’t afford any mistakes on my watch."

The inventory check was also very important. Some of the equipment here could be moved to the new building for continued use. What couldn’t be moved would be left for the upcoming physical examination center. This reform at the Second Affiliated Hospital was truly significant. Establishing the physical examination center was also a way to keep up with current trends. People were more concerned about their health these days. Spending a few hundred or even a thousand yuan for a comprehensive physical examination package was a popular choice. This would also allow the hospital to better utilize its existing equipment and recoup some of its investment.

"Banxia, these IV lines are really no good. I’ll report it again later," Wang Ying said, holding up an IV line.

"No need. I heard the hospital administration already discussed it in a meeting. They’ll improve the quality in the next batch," Liu Banxia said.

"We should be more careful when we use them. Once we move, managing these consumables will be up to you, Sister Wang. Especially things like povidone-iodine, povidone-iodine cotton balls, and debridement kits. They’ll be accounted for separately by finance, so there’s a lot of pressure."

"Good that you know. You’re usually the most wasteful when using them," Wang Ying said with a smile.

"I’ll reflect on that. I promise it won’t happen again," Liu Banxia said.

When he debrided wounds, to ensure better results, he often irrigated them by directly pouring physiological saline from the bottle. It was indeed a bit wasteful. He would have to correct that habit in the future.

"By the way, Han from upstairs had another blood test today. His white blood cell count is a bit high. Did you see the results?" Wang Ying asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "It’s nothing serious, he just needs to stay in the hospital for a couple more days. It seems driving for Didi Taxi really takes a toll on the body. He used to be a boxer, you know, but his health has declined a lot."

This was a normal occurrence. Typically, a patient could be discharged three days post-surgery. However, if a patient’s physical condition was poor and inflammation developed, treatment had to continue. Some might mistakenly think the hospital was keeping the patient longer than necessary, insisting on a few extra days, but that was nonsense. Especially in busy departments with high bed turnover, that would be even more unlikely. Even if some beds in the emergency department appeared empty, they truly didn’t dare discharge patients casually. After all, everything was documented in the patient’s records. If a patient’s various test results didn’t meet discharge criteria, Liu Banxia would be held responsible for any issues that arose after discharge. Especially after the incident with the patient suspected of having an adverse reaction to metronidazole, this aspect had to be managed meticulously. These records were evidence, preventing him from falling into a metaphorical pit. That was the unique nature of working in a hospital: every action carried responsibility. And this responsibility wasn’t trivial; it concerned human lives. To say the responsibility was greater than one’s own life might be an exaggeration, but to say it was heavier than a mountain was no mistake. This thread of tension could never be loosened; it had to remain taut at all times. It was about being responsible for oneself and, equally, for the patient.

Wang Ying and the nurses had already done most of the inventory work. Liu Banxia didn’t have to worry too much about it. Once he added his signature, all that was left was to wait for the move.

"Thank heavens! The police are finally here to deal with those people. Otherwise, just seeing the words ’Emergency Department’ gives me a headache," Miao Rui reported, returning from a quick look outside.

"Ignore them, and don’t let them affect you," Liu Banxia said. "Why are there suddenly so many patients needing IV drips in the department right now?"

"Some have colds, some have gastroenteritis. It’s probably because of the large temperature difference between day and night lately. Some people weren’t careful and caught something," Miao Rui replied.

"You all still need to step up your skills training. After we move to the new building, you can’t afford to perform worse than the interns from other departments. Otherwise..." Liu Banxia said with a smirk, "HMPH, HMPH, you’ll have a *very* ’enjoyable’ time." Orıginal content can be found at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽

Miao Rui shuddered. He knew Teacher Liu wasn’t joking.

Teacher Liu was known for being easygoing, but he was also strict and known for his pranks. That was undeniable.

"President Liu, could you come over for a consult?" Wang Huan called out.

"Coming!" Liu Banxia responded, quickly trotting over.

"This patient has a rectal stromal tumor. Here are the diagnostic reports. Do you think it’s operable?" Wang Huan asked.

"Let me take a look," Liu Banxia said, accepting the documents. "What are the patient’s thoughts?"

"The patient wants it removed, and there’s a good chance of preserving the anus. He’s thirty-seven, quite young for this," Wang Huan said.

Liu Banxia carefully reviewed the various diagnostic reports.

Thirty-seven was indeed young, but the patient’s tumor was quite close to the anus. Theoretically, the anus could be preserved, but that could only be determined after surgical exploration. The tumor was already quite large, and it was unclear how much it had spread to the surrounding tissues.

"Doctor Wang, it’s really hard to guarantee anything at the moment," Liu Banxia said after reviewing the reports. "The main tumor is too large, and there are actually two of them, not far apart. The other one, though smaller and located higher up, also needs our attention."

"Right now, I can’t definitively say if we can preserve the anus. If it turns out we can’t, we must inform the patient clearly beforehand."

"Honestly, I have a bad feeling about this one; it’s looking iffy. I’ve seen many rectal cancer cases with tumors in this location, and for safety, an abdominoperineal resection is usually performed—meaning, removing the anus."

"For some patients whose anuses were preserved, the recurrence rate within a year post-surgery is quite high. Even though modern medicine is very advanced, it hasn’t reached miraculous levels yet."

Wang Huan nodded. "I was hoping your skills might give us better odds."

"Brother Wang, you’re overestimating me," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile. "A tumor is really unpredictable, and its location is very awkward. If it were just two centimeters higher, I’d be much more confident."

"A friend of a friend came to us specifically because he doesn’t want to end up with a colostomy bag," Wang Huan said.

"If he truly chooses to have the surgery here, I can only say we’ll do our utmost. Besides, these test results look like they’re from over twenty days ago, right? He’ll need to redo some imaging scans if he comes to our hospital," Liu Banxia said.

"I understand. I’ll talk to them," Wang Huan said. "If he does decide to come to our hospital, you’ll do his surgery, right? In general surgery here, I only really trust Director Zhou and you. If you can’t preserve it, I don’t expect anyone else could."

"Look at you, flattering me again," Liu Banxia said with a smile. "It’s just a matter of how much to resect; anyone would face the same challenge. It really has been delayed a bit. If the tumor were smaller, the chances would definitely be better."

"Alright, you get back to your work. I’ll think this over carefully and figure out how to explain it to them," Wang Huan said, nodding.

With this patient, Liu Banxia truly felt powerless; a lot would depend on luck. The standard approach could be to attempt an anus-preserving surgery first, then take samples from the remaining rectum for pathological analysis. If cancer cells were found, a second surgery to remove the anus would follow. If not, the rectum could be reconnected. However, this raised issues of surgical fees and the possibility of a second major operation. Removing the anus (creating a colostomy) was also a major surgery. Even if the anus was initially preserved and multiple samples were taken, there was no guarantee that cancer cells hadn’t already spread beyond the sampled areas. Living with a colostomy bag would certainly affect the patient’s future quality of life, but it was often the safer option and could provide greater peace of mind in the long run. Ultimately, the choice of procedure would depend on the patient. It was clear that the doctors he had seen so far were conscientious; less scrupulous ones might have just pushed ahead with the initial surgery without fully explaining the risks. If it spread? Then they’d just perform a second surgery, treating it as unrelated to the first. Or, when discussing options, they might downplay the serious risks and focus on the less critical aspects.