Chapter 88 Young Doctor Questions Traditional Chinese Medicine

Sun Xiaoming's high fever continued for the fourth day.

Jiang Meilan stood outside the glass of the intensive care unit, looking at her son lying on the hospital bed and crying at the top of her lungs.

"Son, you have to work hard. You are my only child. You can't abandon me. If you leave, I won't be able to live either~~"

Sun Shu, the father, lost his composure at this moment. He looked coldly at Director Jin of the Surgery Department next to him and asked:

"Doctor Jin, my son only has a minor case of appendicitis. Why is he being rushed to the ICU?"

Director Jin was a little embarrassed. After all, the blame should have been placed on the Anesthesiology Department, but the patient was admitted by the Surgery Department, so he was the only one who came forward on behalf of the Surgery Department to appease the family.

"The thing is, malignant hyperthermia is a complex disease. 70% of cases are related to the patient's RYR1 gene mutation. Then, under the action of inducing drugs, the calcium ion concentration in the muscle cytoplasm increases rapidly, causing muscle contraction, a sharp increase in heat production, and a rapid rise in body temperature.

As body temperature rises, large amounts of lactic acid and carbon dioxide are produced, leading to a series of changes such as acidosis, hypoxemia, hyperkalemia, and arrhythmia. This condition is very serious and truly life-threatening, so you still have to sign this critical illness notice."

Sun Shu got furious when he heard this:

"What do you mean? What about this acid and that potassium? I don't understand. Are you trying to shirk responsibility? Anyway, I understand what you mean. My son's development is not good, so he deserves it, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, some relatives from the Sun and Jiang families gathered around and cursed.

Director Jin was sweating, knowing that this was going to be a troublesome matter. After all, this was a 14-year-old boy, the apple of his parents and relatives' eyes. He was in critical condition just because of appendicitis. It was really hard to accept emotionally.

But no matter how hard it is to accept, this is the fact.

"Well, the patient's current condition is not what we want to see, but from a medical point of view, it is indeed the patient's own genetic defect."

"You eat shit!"

A relative next to him couldn't help but curse:

"You just said that 70% is related to gene mutations, but that's not 100% correct, right? The other 30% is caused by other factors. Why don't you talk about the reasons in this regard?"

"We came to your hospital perfectly healthy, and now our lives are unknown. Could it be that you killed us by misusing the medicine?"

"That's right, hospitals are always deceiving people. If Xiao Ming is fine, it's fine. But if Xiao Ming is in trouble, we will never be free!!!"

"This is definitely not over. My eldest brother has only one child. If Xiao Ming dies, you will pay for his life!!!"

"My Mingzai!!!"

There was chaos outside the ICU. Director Jin was pushed around by the family members but he had no choice but to continue explaining.

In the intensive care unit, ICU director Li Ruiqi was also discussing the patient's condition with a group of experts including Anesthesiology Director Xu Huanghui.

As a doctor, one certainly does not want the patient to die. Huadu First Hospital also took Sun Xiaoming's malignant hyperthermia very seriously and the entire hospital was trying to rescue him.

Director Xu Huanghui frowned and asked:

"Old Li, the patient has had a fever of 40°C for four days. He's in a state of delirium, with occasional convulsions. Looking at these data, if this continues, he'll die from circulatory failure. Is your ICU capable?"

Xu Huanghui is a female doctor and tends to speak more directly to male colleagues of the same age.

Li Ruiqi was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry:

"Old Xu, what you said is true. I have given priority to your patient. Look, the two best doctors in our department are guarding your bedside 24 hours a day. How much more attention can you give me?

Not only is the body temperature resistant to cooling, but there are also symptoms of heart and respiratory failure. And if you look at the kidney function, it's on the verge of renal failure. We've already used the special dantrolene injection early on, and we've considered every possible solution."

Xu Huanghui glanced at the glass of the intensive care unit. Outside the glass, the family members were arguing with Director Jin Limin.

Thinking about the huge blame that belonged to the Anesthesiology Department, she felt powerless again. If this little patient died, not only would she feel guilty, but it would also mean that the Anesthesiology Department's bonuses this year would be greatly reduced.

Although medical dispute compensation is covered by insurance, hospitals often impose heavy penalties on relevant departments and individuals. The extent of the penalty depends on how aggressive the patient's family is.

It would be bad enough to cancel the evaluation of excellence and advancedness, but they also have to impose a huge fine or have their wages deducted from all employees. Who can bear this?

So Xu Huanghui changed her usual serious look, clasped her hands together and pleaded:

"Old Li, Director Li, Brother Li, please, please don't let anything happen to this patient. He's only 14 years old and hasn't enjoyed his prime years yet. It's too pitiful. Besides, the family can't explain this to them."

Director Li Ruiqi also sighed:

"All the necessary medicines have been used, and the only option left is ECMO. However, the cost of maintaining ECMO is tens of thousands of yuan a day. Whether the family is willing to bear the cost is a question. Moreover, even if ECMO is used, it is only a temporary solution and not a cure for the disease.

But Huang Hui, I have another idea. Since Western medicine is powerless, why not try Traditional Chinese Medicine? What do you think?

Several young doctors nearby couldn't help but question:

"Director Li, Chinese medicine? That's all a lie. What else can we do?"

"Yes, Chinese medicine is very toxic to the liver and kidneys. The patient is already in circulatory failure. I'm afraid Chinese medicine will only make the condition worse, right?"

Several young doctors were discussing this, and in a nutshell: they were not optimistic about traditional Chinese medicine and did not believe in Chinese medicine.

Generally speaking, doctors who graduated from regular medical schools and are engaged in Western medicine clinical practice do not believe in traditional Chinese medicine very much. Some of the extreme ones equate traditional Chinese medicine with scams.

Xu Huanghui seemed to be thinking about something...

Director Li was unfazed by the young doctor's objections:

"For us doctors, the debate between Chinese and Western medicine is meaningless. It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can cure diseases, it is a good cat..."

Before he could finish his words, Sun Xiaoming on the hospital bed suddenly started convulsing again. His muscles were tense, his face turned black, he foamed at the mouth, and his whole body was shaking violently.

The family members outside became even more agitated when they saw what was happening, especially the child's parents, who were crying and making a fuss, almost hysterical.

Xu Huanghui watched the ICU doctors immediately start the rescue, and then looked at the increasingly worse numbers on the monitor, knowing that she didn't have much choice.

So she squeezed Li Ruiqi's hand tightly and asked anxiously:

"Old Li, let's try Chinese medicine. Who should we ask? Which Chinese medicine doctor in our hospital is the best?"

Li Ruiqi thought for a moment:

"Dr. Mao Yichen of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department is a specialist in treating typhoid fever. It's a skill passed down from our ancestors. Xiao Zhang, go to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department right away and ask Dr. Mao to come for a consultation. Tell him it's an emergency and there's no time to delay."

(End of this chapter)