Practicing Medical Skills in a Small Clinic

Chapter 383 - 194: Going All the Way in One Step, Joint Consultation (Part 3)

A moment ago, I got a call saying that the outpatient hall of the hospital was closed, and her daughter’s condition was very poor.

I think as long as we can find the cause of this illness, it shouldn’t be hard to treat.

Can you think of a way to get the child admitted for treatment first? That little girl is very thin, and her mother is taking care of her alone, lacking food and clothing; I’m especially worried they might run into trouble as the weather turns cold at night."

Li Jingsheng explained the whole situation from start to finish.

This matter definitely needs to be explained in advance, otherwise, Lian Tao wouldn’t even know how to help.

If there is a misunderstanding and it’s thought that Li Jingsheng deliberately concealed some truths, it would be detrimental to his character.

"You’re familiar with both the gastroenterology and thoracic surgery departments; have you examined the child? Does it belong to either of these fields?"

Lian Tao asked.

"At that time, I was in a hurry to go to the outpatient clinic, so I only roughly glanced at the child’s examination report; I really couldn’t diagnose it. The child had just the routine blood tests done more than ten times, I’m honestly tired of those hospitals."

Li Jingsheng would only vent like this to a friend like Lian Tao.

"It’s really hard to handle this without being able to lock down which medical field it belongs to! I have friends in gastroenterology and thoracic surgery, but if the child’s illness is in gastroenterology and I ask a thoracic surgeon to take over, wouldn’t that be harming them? It would also be detrimental to the patient and delay the treatment."

Lian Tao has always been particularly rational in his work.

He can help with this, but he needs to know which field the child’s illness belongs to.

Otherwise, the only option would be to go through the normal procedure and wait to register in the outpatient department tomorrow, either in thoracic surgery or gastroenterology.

If the right department is seen, the child will be admitted.

If it’s the wrong department, it’s the same outcome— getting bounced around.

"Doesn’t your People’s Hospital have a general medical department? Can’t we first admit the child to this department?"

Li Jingsheng felt that the priority was to admit the child to the hospital.

At the very least, appropriate treatment measures could be taken to stabilize the child’s vital signs.

"This department has just been established and is only a skeleton. Not only on our side, but even Qiaobang Hospital is also just in a trial operation phase. General practitioners might not even be as good as those in the emergency department. You say the child’s condition is quite serious, letting her into the general medical department would be harming her. Besides high costs, their diagnostic and treatment level is far inferior to our specialists."

Lian Tao holds a mid-level position at the People’s Hospital.

He knows quite a bit about the inside stories.

Hearing this, Li Jingsheng clicked his tongue privately, not expecting the general medical department to be in such a condition.

"Then let’s do this, I’ll head over right away, and you also help out; the two of us can diagnose the child together. Consider this as me owing you a favor, call on me if you ever need anything in the future."

After a brief thought, Li Jingsheng genuinely couldn’t bear to see a young life wither away like that.

He decided to go there.

He had no confidence in diagnosing the specific cause, but he thought he could at least try to determine which field the illness belonged to.

"What do you mean, owe a favor! Do you think I’m someone who’s that petty and selfish? I’m still at the hospital, working overtime, haven’t left yet. You come over quickly!"

Lian Tao felt a bit insulted by Li Jingsheng’s words.

Was he really that kind of person?

Saving lives is a doctor’s duty; truly making Li Jingsheng owe him a favor would make him lose face.

"Haha, Brother Lian Tao, you are noble and generous, I truly admire you. I’ll be right over, it might take about half an hour."

Li Jingsheng laughed and then headed straight to the People’s Hospital.

For the sake of a stranger’s child, he took a cab at his own expense in the middle of the night, sacrificing his rest time and using his connections.

For what?

Nothing at all.

Just for that bit of compassion as a doctor in his heart.

Of course, he isn’t a savior; he helps others only within his capabilities.

Faced with such a rural female family member, utterly confused and unaware, what can be done?

If Li Jingsheng didn’t help her, it’s very likely this woman would take her child home early the next morning.

And she would still think, how could the doctors in this big city be so cold-blooded and heartless?

They didn’t even want to admit her child.

The child’s fate would then be predictable because the local hospital simply couldn’t treat it.

When he arrived, he found that Lian Tao had already found the woman and was reviewing the child’s examination data.

However, they were not taken to gastroenterology but instead remained on the square in front of the outpatient hall.

"Brother Lian Tao, I didn’t expect you to act so swiftly! How is it, have you figured anything out?"

Li Jingsheng walked over quickly.

"Gastroenterology is my strong suit, but I’m not proficient in thoracic surgery. However, from the patient’s chest X-ray, I believe the child’s illness is likely in the thoracic cavity, not the digestive tract."

Lian Tao provided his preliminary diagnostic conclusion.

"You think so too? At that time, when I looked at her chest X-ray, I also felt something was off. Although her routine blood test, liver function, and kidney function are all normal, I suspect there’s a problem with the pericardium area."

On the way over, Li Jingsheng repeatedly pondered over the girl’s illness.

One could clearly see an enhanced chest CT showing a thickened pericardium, and the pericardial area exhibiting an eggshell uniform density increase with clear edges.

This is the evident CT manifestation of pericardial calcification.

"Should we find a thoracic surgeon to admit her?"

Lian Tao sought Li Jingsheng’s opinion.

He had no personal connection to the family member, and only took the precious time to come and help evaluate the X-ray purely out of respect for Li Jingsheng.

"Let’s wait a bit first! I’ll check the child. But from the CT scan, the pericardium thickening and calcification are apparent, yet it’s still hard to say if the abdominal ascites is related to this."

Li Jingsheng’s diagnostic level in thoracic surgery is at least at the level of a junior attending physician.

He didn’t believe that pericardial thickening and calcification would result in abdominal ascites.

"Sister, have you and your child had dinner?"

"I bought a bread roll for her, but she may not feel well; she only ate a little bit and stopped."

One could still see a bread roll in the woman’s handbag with its packaging torn open, with more than four-fifths remaining.