When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

There were fewer people at the entrance of the ICU.

The bench still bore the dents left by the family members who had just sat on it. The access card was held in Liang Shumin's son's hand, and the crease on the corner of the card had not bounced back.

Lin Ye pulled out the page about Liang Shumin's emergency room blood gas analysis.

The paper was creased from being turned over, and the corners still smelled of disinfectant from the emergency room's red zone.

Lactic acid 4.6%.

Hemoglobin is 78 grams per liter.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient's blood pressure was 76-44.

These numbers, displayed under the corridor lights, offered no solace whatsoever.

Liang Shumin's wife stood beside him, her eyes not daring to linger on the paper for too long.

The nephrologist took it and checked the time first.

"Was this before going into the operating room?"

Lin Ye nodded, keeping his voice very short.

"The last group before entering the operating room. The intraoperative and critical care data are recorded on their end."

He kept his words brief.

He didn't offer any further explanation.

The nephrologist clipped the paper into the consultation folder.

"Okay. Let's go in and see the person."

Liang Shumin's son stood beside him, his eyes following the piece of paper.

"Does decreased urination mean my kidneys are failing?"

The nephrologist paused for a moment.

"It's too early to say the kidneys are damaged. It's common and dangerous for someone who has just recovered from shock and massive bleeding to have reduced urine output. We need to monitor creatinine, potassium, and acid levels, but most importantly, we need to see if the blood pressure can hold up."

The man only half understood what he was hearing, his hand still clutching the access card, his thumb pressing against the crease on the card.

"Should we use the machine?"

The intensive care doctor affixed the access card to the sensor area.

"It's not as simple as just saying you need to pee and then putting yourself on the machine."

He turned to look at the man.

"If continuous renal replacement therapy is truly necessary, it's because of electrolyte imbalances, acid-base imbalances, volume overload, or insufficient kidney function. We will inform you separately when it comes to that point."

The man's Adam's apple bobbed.

"It's for helping the kidneys?"

The nephrologist put it more bluntly.

"That's roughly the idea. If it really comes to that, we'll have the machine temporarily take over for his kidneys. Regular dialysis is too drastic, and his blood pressure might not be able to handle it. It's not time to make a decision yet."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liang Shumin's wife grabbed her son's sleeve.

"Listen to the doctor. Don't guess."

The man looked down at her.

He didn't push it this time.

"Um."

This "hmm" was uttered very softly.

He switched the access card to his other hand, his fingertips still pressing on the crease.

The intensive care unit doors are closed.

The only sounds in the corridor were the access control lights and the muffled machine noises from the monitored area.

Liang Shumin's son put his phone on ringer mode and then put it in his coat pocket with the screen facing up.

Zhou Min put the contact information back into the folder and casually tucked the pen back into her breast pocket.

"The wife should be the primary contact person, and the son should be the backup contact person. When the doctor comes out to explain the condition, only these two people should listen. In the emergency room, only allow time for resuscitation; don't let a dozen or so family members relay information one by one."

Qin Hai glanced at her.

"I'm writing this so clearly not for aesthetic purposes."

Zhou Min pressed the pen cap back on.

"I know. It saves the family from having to ask each other repeatedly, and by the time the patient is stable, the family members might have already spread the wrong information."

Liang Shumin's son looked up when he heard this.

"I'll tell my family. My mom and I will listen to the doctor."

Qin Hai didn't praise him.

"no sooner said than done."

Nurse Zhao's phone rang at that moment.

She answered quickly.

"You'd better let us know you're safe, or Director Qin won't be able to get into the elevator tonight."

The person on the other end of the phone was the circulating nurse who had treated the patient with the dental infection.

There's the sound of bed wheels being pushed in the background.

"The patient has been transferred to the emergency intensive care unit. The endotracheal tube is still in place, the blood oxygen is 95, and the heart rate is over 120. The drainage tube is in place, and anti-infection treatment continues. The oral and maxillofacial surgery department said they will monitor airway edema tonight, and keep track of body temperature, white blood cell count, procalcitonin, and lactate."

Nurse Zhao turned on the speakerphone.

After listening, Qin Hai only asked one question.

"Where are the family members?"

"At the door. I saw the drainage bag earlier, but I didn't dare ask if it was because of a toothache."

Nurse Zhao responded softly.

"understood."

Lin Ye added this report to the record.

Patients with dental infections.

The airway has been established.

After incision and drainage, the patient was transferred to the emergency intensive care unit.

The risk of airway edema, infection spread, and sepsis still needs to be monitored.

Body temperature, white blood cell count, procalcitonin, lactate, and airway edema should all be monitored.

He paused his finger on the edge of the paper as he wrote the last word.

The blue text frame at the edge of the field of vision lit up slightly.

[Stage Feedback: Treatment of the source of dental infection has entered the process.]

[Liang Shumin: The risk of severe illness has not yet been eliminated.]

[Risk Warning: Neither of the two old lines has reached stability.]

Lin Ye closed the notebook.

The paper has two lines of patient names followed by one line: one line says "postoperative shock," and the other line says "airway edema."

Lin Ye didn't dare utter a single word about "stability".

Qin Hai noticed that his pen had stopped, so he raised his hand and pushed the notebook towards his chest.

"Don't just write pretty words on paper."

Lin Ye caught it.

"I didn't write it."

"You'd better not have it."

Qin Hai turned and walked towards the elevator, pressing his knuckles against his brow.

"Don't write 'peaceful'. 'Not stable' means 'not stable'."

That's not a big deal.

Liang Shumin's son overheard it.

He looked down at the access card in his hand, his fingertips slowly tracing the crease.

The elevator arrived.

The door opened.

As soon as Qin Hai stepped inside, the nurses' station called Nurse Zhao's cell phone again.

Nurse Zhao glanced at the number.

Emergency triage station.

Qin Hai stopped.

Nurse Zhao glanced at the elevator door and couldn't help but say something.

"See? I told you it couldn't take you away."

Nurse Zhao answered the call.

"explain."

It was chaotic on the other end of the phone.

Someone is crying out in pain.

The triage nurse's voice sounded anxious.

"Director Qin, a man in his fifties has come into the outpatient hall. He has lower back pain and a fever. His family says it's a chronic kidney disease and they want painkillers first. He was shivering in the chair just now. His heart rate is 130 and his blood pressure is 92.58."

Qin Hai stepped out of the elevator.

"body temperature?"

"39.1 degrees Celsius. The urine test results are not yet available. The family member said he has had diabetes for many years, felt chills last night, and has been urinating very little today."

Lin Ye tightened his grip on the clipboard.

Lower back pain.

fever.

A chill ran down my spine.

Blood pressure is on the edge.

Infrequent urination.

diabetes.

A blue text box popped up at the edge of my field of vision.

[Emergency Room Warning: Risk of Infection Progression.]

[Key Risk: Early stage of sepsis.]

[Misdiagnosis: Common kidney stones, lumbar muscle strain.]

[Consideration of symptoms: fever and chills, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, decreased urination, history of diabetes, and lower back pain.]

He looked at Qin Hai.

"We can't let him sit outside and wait."

Qin Hai had already started walking back.

"Keep the patient in the red zone. Blood gas analysis, complete blood count, liver and kidney function tests, electrolytes, urine tests, and blood cultures should be performed first. Urology and infectious disease departments should issue an early warning by phone."

The triage nurse on the other end of the phone responded immediately.

"I pushed him in."

The family members' voices came through the phone.

"It's just kidney stone pain, why do I need to go to the emergency room?"

Qin Hai lowered his voice towards the phone.

"The pain from the kidney stones wouldn't cause his blood pressure to drop this low. Bring it in first."

The elevator doors closed behind them.

Lin Ye followed Qin Hai and ran towards the emergency room.

Lin Ye looked up at the electronic clock at the nurses' station.

It had been less than two hours since the surgery for the dental infection was completed.

The lights in the red zone are on again.