This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

Zhou Cheng frowned.

Chen Xi turned to look at Zhou Cheng. "Senior brother, what should we do?"

Zhou Cheng said slowly, "Let's proceed at our pace. Going too fast will easily lead to missed diagnoses. There are critically ill patients outside, and the triage nurses will let them go through the green channel."

"OK."

Seeing Zhou Cheng's calm demeanor, Chen Xi and Li Yang didn't pay any attention and continued with their own tasks.

……

Wang Jianguo is 56 years old this year, and he has been suffering from a chronic cough for almost two years.

Starting last spring, a cough appeared out of nowhere.

At first, he thought it was just a simple aftereffect of a cold, and after taking several bottles of cough syrup, his symptoms did not improve at all.

Later, the cough became more and more frequent, especially at night, when he would cough so much that he couldn't fall asleep as soon as he lay down.

In the past two years, he has visited hospitals of all sizes in Beijing, seen no fewer than ten respiratory specialists, and had five or six CT scans.

I had my lung function and allergens tested, but all the results showed "no obvious abnormalities".

The doctor prescribed different medications, from regular cough syrup to imported allergy medication, then to inhaled steroids, and even Chinese medicine that was so bitter it was hard to swallow, for more than three months. But the cough was like a weed that had taken root, and I just couldn't get rid of it.

A few days ago, the temperature dropped, and my cough suddenly worsened, making me cough so badly at night that I could barely breathe.

His family felt sorry for him and advised him to go to the hospital again, and if it didn't work, to be hospitalized for a full check-up.

Wang Jianguo arrived at the emergency department of the Municipal People's Hospital early in the morning.

He knew that the emergency room usually treated acute cases, but the respiratory department was too crowded and he would have to wait for most of the day, so he thought he should ask the emergency room doctor to issue an admission certificate first.

He's always done it this way, and he's gotten used to it.

After ascertaining Wang Jianguo's situation, the triage nurse registered him.

However, the doctors in the emergency room weren't very fast at seeing patients today.

He arrived very early and got number three, but it hasn't been his turn yet.

Some impatient people behind them started arguing.

"Number three, come in."

It was finally Wang Jianguo's turn. As soon as he entered the consultation room, he saw a young doctor sitting inside, with two even younger doctors standing next to him, who looked like interns.

The young doctor began asking him about his symptoms.

Wang Jianguo put his medical record on the table and got straight to the point: "Doctor, I've had a cough for almost two years, and I've been seeing doctors everywhere without any improvement. It's gotten worse these past few days. Could you give me an admission certificate? I want to be hospitalized for a thorough checkup."

He had expected the doctor to ask a few questions and write a prescription, like the ER doctors he'd encountered before. However, the doctor didn't respond; instead, they picked up the medical record and carefully flipped through it, asking questions as they went: "Uncle, is your cough worse during the day or at night? Do you have phlegm? What color is it?"

"It's worse at night. There's no phlegm, just a dry cough. Sometimes the cough gets so bad that I even wheeze." Wang Jianguo was getting a little impatient, but he still answered patiently.

Zhou Cheng then asked, "Do you have any underlying conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes? What medications do you usually take?"

"I have high blood pressure and have been taking it for five years. I can't quite remember the name of the medicine, but I think it's something like 'Priligy,' a white pill." Wang Jianguo tried hard to recall.

"Is it enalapril or perindopril?" Zhou Cheng pressed for details.

"It seems to be perindopril." Wang Jianguo became increasingly agitated. "Doctor, stop asking so many questions and just give me a hospital admission certificate. I really can't stand this cough anymore."

Zhou Cheng put down the medical record book and looked at Wang Jianguo earnestly, saying, "Uncle, don't worry."

"I have reviewed your previous test results. There are no obvious problems with your lungs or signs of infection. You do not meet the criteria for emergency hospitalization, so I cannot issue you an emergency hospitalization certificate."

"If you want to be hospitalized, you need to go to the respiratory department and make an appointment with a specialist so that the specialist can evaluate you and issue you a hospitalization certificate."

These words instantly ignited Wang Jianguo's anger: "Not up to standard? When I came to the ER before, other doctors prescribed it for me! I've been coughing for two years, isn't that serious? Are you just trying to avoid the hassle of prescribing it for me?"

Zhou Cheng wasn't angry; his tone remained calm: "It's not that I'm annoyed by the trouble. Although your cough has lasted a long time, it's not an acute attack, so it doesn't meet the criteria for emergency room hospitalization. Besides..."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, "I noticed you've been taking perindopril. This is an ACE inhibitor, and some patients experience a dry cough as a side effect. Did you mention to your doctor before that you wanted to try stopping the medication?"

Wang Jianguo was stunned for a moment, his face full of doubt: "Side effects? The previous doctors never mentioned that! They all told me to get my lungs checked, and no one said that the cough was related to the blood pressure medication."

"ACE inhibitors can cause a dry cough, especially in patients who take them long-term." Zhou Cheng picked up his pen and wrote two lines on the medical record. "Your cough may not be a respiratory problem; it could also be a side effect of cardiovascular medication. I suggest you see a cardiologist and have them adjust your blood pressure medication. That might help relieve your cough."

Looking at the words on the paper, Wang Jianguo felt both angry and suspicious: "You're an emergency room doctor, and you're handling cardiovascular issues? I've seen so many respiratory specialists, and none of them said it was related to the antihypertensive drugs. What makes you so sure?"

Zhou Cheng did not offer any explanation, but simply handed the medical records to Wang Jianguo.

Wang Jianguo was so angry that he picked up the medical record book and left, still muttering curses under his breath.

"What kind of young doctor is he? He doesn't even dare to issue a hospital admission certificate, yet he's giving random advice."

Once he's admitted to the hospital, I'm definitely going to file a complaint against this young doctor!

As he walked out of the emergency room lobby, Wang Jianguo glanced down at his medical record and hesitated again.

Since the cardiology department is right next to the respiratory department, why not go and ask them?

Gritting his teeth, Wang Jianguo went to the registration desk and registered for an appointment with a cardiology specialist.

There were many people seeking treatment at the specialist clinic, and he waited all morning before his number was called.

Upon entering the cardiology clinic, Wang Jianguo explained his situation to the senior specialist.

The elderly expert had gray hair and wore reading glasses. He was followed by three or four young doctors, and he looked more reliable than the doctors in the emergency department.

Before Zhou Cheng could even offer his advice, the senior specialist, after reviewing his medical records, suddenly asked, "Are you taking ACE inhibitors for blood pressure?"

Wang Jianguo was stunned, and subconsciously replied, "Yes, how did you know?"

"Your cough is very likely a side effect of this medication," the senior specialist explained. "ACE inhibitors can cause a dry cough in some patients, with an incidence rate of about 10%-20%. You've been taking it for many years, which isn't a short time. You should stop taking this type of antihypertensive medication and switch to valsartan. Come back for a follow-up examination in a week, and your cough should have improved."

Wang Jianguo stood there blankly, his mind buzzing.

The old expert said exactly the same thing as the young doctor in the emergency room!

He had been coughing for two years and had seen so many doctors. It turned out that the root cause of the problem wasn't in his lungs, but because he had taken the wrong blood pressure medication.