This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

Fang Hang made a phone call to the cardiologist for consultation.

The call was finally answered, and a steady male voice came through: "Is this the emergency room? This is Chen Ming, the chief resident in cardiology. I just received your consultation request. How is the patient?"

"Hello Dr. Chen! The patient is a male in his sixties who complains of chest tightness. He just had a chest CT scan, which diagnosed him with pericardial effusion, which is moderate to large. His blood pressure is 95/60 mmHg, his heart rate is 98 beats/min, and he has a history of coronary heart disease."

"We'd like to inquire whether there are any available beds in the cardiology department, and whether we can admit you to the hospital, as we may need to perform a pericardiocentesis."

Fang Hang quickly explained the patient's condition.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Chen Ming's apologetic voice said, "I'm sorry, Dr. Fang, the cardiology department is completely full. Even the extra beds in the corridor are booked until tomorrow. We really can't accept any more patients."

"However, your judgment is correct. The patient has a significant amount of fluid accumulation, accompanied by a drop in blood pressure, and there is a risk of cardiac tamponade at any time. We cannot wait."

Upon hearing this, Fang Hang frowned and asked, "Professor Chen, what about this patient...?"

Chen Ming paused, his tone becoming serious: "I suggest you have a pericardiocentesis performed directly in the emergency department to drain the fluid and relieve the pressure. Otherwise, if the fluid continues to increase, the risk will be too great. Get ready as soon as possible, and call me anytime if there are any problems."

Fang Hang held the phone, his face instantly darkening.

Is pericardiocentesis being performed in the emergency department?

He'd only seen it a few times, so he definitely wouldn't do it.

After hanging up the phone, he turned to Zhou Cheng and said, "Junior brother, Director Chen from the cardiology department is here. He said there are no beds available and we need to do the biopsy in the emergency room."

Hearing this, Zhou Cheng frowned: "Didn't Director Chen say he would send a doctor to assist? Pericardiocentesis is quite risky!"

Fang Hang shook his head helplessly: "Director Chen said that the doctors in their department are all busy with surgeries and can't spare the time. He told us to find a senior doctor in the emergency department who can perform the puncture."

Zhou Cheng glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 12:30. He not only had to continue working that afternoon, but also had to write the complaint materials. In addition, this was Fang Hang's first patient, so he couldn't interfere too much.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Senior, why don't you go find Teacher Li or Teacher Chen and ask them who can arrange the puncture? It's time for me to get off work, and I need to hand over the shift to Zhao Rui, who was on duty at noon."

Fang Hang nodded: "Okay, Teacher Li is in the department today, I'll contact him right away."

"Okay, I'll go home now."

After speaking, Zhou Cheng picked up his casual coat, walked to the nurses' station, and handed over the patients' conditions in the observation room to Zhao Rui, who was on duty in the observation room at noon.

He specifically mentioned that patients with pericardial effusion may need to have a puncture performed as soon as possible.

Zhao Rui nodded. He didn't say much to Zhou Cheng; he was still a little embarrassed by what happened the night before last.

Zhou Cheng changed out of his white coat in the duty room and then turned to walk towards the cafeteria.

After a whole morning of running around, he was starving and just wanted to eat something quickly, then go back to his rented room to rest before going back to work in the afternoon.

……

At 2 p.m., Zhou Cheng returned to the emergency department on time.

After changing into his white coat, he went straight to the emergency room.

He assumed that after the midday incident, the patient with pericardial effusion had already completed the puncture, and would either be stable and continue staying in the emergency room, or be transferred to another department once a cardiology bed became available.

Upon opening the door to the emergency room, one could see the patient lying half-reclined on the bed, without any drainage tubes on their body.

On the bedside electrocardiogram monitor, the patient's heart rate has increased from 98 beats per minute in the morning to 105 beats per minute now!

Blood pressure is stable at 100/60 mmHg!

Zhou Cheng paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards the observation room. As soon as he reached the nurses' station, he saw Fang Hang sitting in front of the computer.

He quickly went over and asked, "Senior brother, why hasn't the pericardiocentesis been done yet?"

Fang Hang heard the voice, looked up, and said helplessly, "I looked for Teacher Li at noon. He had just finished an emergency debridement surgery and was preparing to perform a puncture on a patient when he received another emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen. He was immediately taken into the operating room and hasn't come out yet."

"Teacher Li told me to find Teacher Chen Biao, but the nurse said that Teacher Chen was off today and not in the department at all."

"What about Director Wang? Didn't you contact him?" Zhou Cheng pressed, a vague unease creeping into his heart.

The longer a patient with pericardial effusion delays treatment, the greater the risk, especially since the elderly man also has underlying coronary heart disease.

When Director Wang was mentioned, Fang Hang's tone became even more helpless: "I contacted him. Director Wang came to the emergency room around 2 p.m. and took a look. He said the patient's blood pressure and heart rate were relatively stable and the condition seemed okay. He said that the patient did not need a puncture for the time being. He told me to wait for a bed in the cardiology department, saying that a bed would definitely be available in the afternoon, and it would not be too late to transfer the patient to the cardiology department for the puncture."

Zhou Cheng frowned: "That's what Director Wang said? Didn't he see the CT report?"

He knew perfectly well that Director Wang had been busy with administrative matters.

Perhaps I had a lot of clinical experience before, but I haven't been doing clinical work for many years, so it's inevitable that I'll be a bit rusty.

Fang Hang sighed and said, "Director Wang looked at the CT report, but he said that the amount of fluid accumulation was not particularly large, and the patient has no obvious symptoms at the moment. There is no need to take the risk of puncture in the emergency room. He also told me to keep an eye on things and report back if there are any changes."

Since the director had already said that, Fang Hang naturally couldn't continue to request a pericardial puncture.

Zhou Cheng didn't say anything more; he turned and walked towards the emergency room.

At this time, the patient was still leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, and his complexion was slightly worse than at noon.

Zhou Cheng leaned down and asked, "Sir, how are you feeling now? Has your chest tightness gotten worse?"

The old man slowly opened his eyes and shook his head: "It's alright, a little stuffy, just a bit tired."

Zhou Cheng nodded, hoping that it was really as Director Wang said, that there was no immediate risk, and that it wouldn't be too late to deal with it after transferring to the cardiology department.

"Notify us immediately if there are any changes in your heart rate or blood pressure."

Zhou Cheng instructed the nurse next to him to pay close attention to the old man's condition and to notify him immediately if anything unusual happened.

The nurses in the emergency room nodded. They all record vital signs periodically, and it's basically a dedicated person in charge.

……

Back to the emergency department observation room.

Zhou Cheng continued to see patients referred from the outpatient clinic.

However, he would occasionally glance at the clock on the wall. From 2:30 to 3:00, and then back to 3:30, there was still no news from the cardiology department about available beds.

Fang Hang urged them several times, but the reply he received was always, "Wait a little longer, it will be ready soon."

At 4 p.m. sharp, the call bell in the emergency room corridor suddenly rang.

It's over there in the emergency room!

Zhou Cheng's heart skipped a beat. He stood up abruptly, grabbed his stethoscope, and ran quickly toward the emergency room.

Just as I reached the door, I heard a nurse's anxious voice shouting, "Dr. Zhou! Come quick! The patient's blood oxygen saturation has suddenly dropped!"

He rushed over and saw that the old man was lying stiffly on the hospital bed with his eyes closed, his face pale and his breathing rapid.

Beside me, the readings on the monitor began to fluctuate wildly.

His blood pressure dropped from 100/60 mmHg to 70/45 mmHg in just a few dozen seconds.

His heart rate soared to 130 beats per minute, and his blood oxygen saturation dropped to 83%!