Healing Doctor

Chapter 372 Sudden Addison's Death

"What's going on?" Lu Gang was stunned for a long time before finally asking in confusion.

Meng Qingfei sighed deeply.

Ji Xiang's performance was more skillful than that of an experienced emergency room doctor, especially the last step when he leaped up, knelt on the patient's abdomen, and performed chest compressions. Even a seasoned veteran like Meng Qingfei was ignited with passion.

But the problem immediately came to Meng Qingfei: what exactly was the patient's condition?

"Director Lu, you didn't make a diagnosis either?" Meng Qingfei asked cautiously.

Lu Gang shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

He wanted to go and see, but as soon as he lifted his leg, he stopped and stared blankly at the empty end of the corridor in the distance, at a loss.

"Dr. Meng, are you aware of the patient's condition?" Lu Gang asked.

When he had some free time, Meng Qingfei recounted the patient's medical history to Lu Gang.

A middle-aged man ingested a large amount of floral water and experienced symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain within half an hour.

Everything corroborates that the cause was the floral water, and all that's needed is a stomach lavage; no abnormalities were found during the physical examination.

Similar patients are very common.

wrong!

A shooting star flashed through Meng Qingfei's mind, tearing through the darkness.

"The patient has a high temperature! His body is red and hot!" Meng Qingfei said in a deep voice.

He remembered something the emergency room doctor had casually mentioned. So that's how it is!

"Body temperature...irritability..." Lu Gang muttered to himself in confusion.

"Director Lu, do you remember..." Meng Qingfei only got to the beginning before Lu Gang continued, "Three years ago, an emergency in the gastrointestinal surgery department."

"right!"

That was an incident from three years ago.

A patient with abdominal pain, a body temperature above 40 degrees Celsius, nausea and vomiting accompanied by tenderness, but no rebound tenderness came to the emergency department.

Considering it was an acute abdomen, the gastrointestinal surgeon was unsure of the definitive diagnosis because the abdominal pain was getting worse. They could only explain the situation to the patient's family and then proceed with an exploratory laparotomy.

result!

When they opened her abdomen, there were no problems. They ran her intestines through to confirm that there was no strangulated intestinal obstruction and that the other internal organs were also fine.

Now that the consultation has been initiated, let's take advantage of this opportunity to have all the relevant departments come and take a look, so that things won't get unclear later.

The final problem was solved by Lu Gang—the patient was diagnosed with adrenal crisis. After symptomatic treatment, the patient's condition improved, and he was eventually discharged in stable condition.

That "medical accident" was due to insufficient technical expertise. The gastrointestinal surgeon communicated smoothly with the patient's family, and the family did not pursue the matter further. The matter was thus settled.

Meng Qingfei and Lu Gang both thought of this at the same time.

The patient presented with fever, rapid heart rate, and restlessness.

Digestive system disorders may also present with early symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.

Yes! And blood pressure too!!

Meng Qingfei and Lu Gang simultaneously realized that the patient's heart rate was rising while his blood pressure was dropping, and that when he was finally wheeled away, his systolic blood pressure had reached around 85 mmHg.

Drinking floral water will not cause hemorrhagic shock. The shock symptoms of increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure, along with other symptoms, are increasingly consistent with the diagnosis of adrenal crisis.

"I understand!" Lu Gang clenched his right fist and slammed it onto his left palm with a loud crack.

"It's Addison's disease!" Meng Qingfei said at the same time.

"Yes, it's Addison's disease. The sudden death just now was Addison's sudden death!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, as if they had solved an extremely difficult math problem.

But in an instant, both of them felt a little awkward.

This isn't an exam; it's a clinical emergency. A belated diagnosis is meaningless to the patient. Ji Xiang's immediate actions—defibrillation, chest compressions, and prior contact with the ICU—were crucial to solving the problem.

Without Ji Xiang, even if the correct answer could have been obtained, the patient would probably have been beyond saving, let alone whether the correct diagnosis of Addison's sudden death would have been possible.

Meng Qingfei chuckled awkwardly, "Xiao Ji is really amazing."

Lu Gang was still somewhat unconvinced, but the successive setbacks over the past few months made him feel a bit dejected.

The only strand of hair on his head drooped down, looking listless.

The bald head had lost its shiny shine and was now gray and dull.

Lu Gang hesitated for a few seconds, then said resentfully, "I was late this time. The patient's condition worsened as soon as I arrived at the emergency room. Next time, I definitely will!"

Meng Qingfei glanced at Lu Gang with slight surprise. He understood that Lu Gang was driven by competitiveness and wanted to compete with Ji Xiang.

Does it make sense?

Lu Gang's actions were completely meaningless.

"Director Lu, that's enough," Meng Qingfei said with a smile. "Let's rest, let's rest. I feel a bit sore all over right now."

This is a side effect of stress, and Lu Gang understands it.

"Wait a moment, I need to schedule an ultrasound," Lu Gang said. "Since it's an adrenal crisis, there must be a problem with the adrenal glands. Xiao Ji might not be able to tell."

As he spoke, Lu Gang took out his phone and made a call.

"icu yao".

There was a lot of noise coming from the other end of the phone, clearly indicating that emergency care was being provided.

Lu Gang understood that this was not the time to be long-winded; he needed to keep it brief.

"The patient was just brought in, and I suspect it's an adrenal crisis, so I immediately ordered a bedside ultrasound."

"Dr. Lu, the ultrasound is in progress. The patient... oh, the patient has calcification in the right adrenal gland, suggesting adrenal tuberculosis," the ICU doctor replied.

It was clear that he was on the phone while simultaneously watching the rescue efforts.

"Then you'd better get busy." Lu Gang hung up the phone, looking dejected.

Lu Gang knew that the Second Affiliated Hospital's critical care team was indeed among the best in the province, yet when a patient was brought in with a sudden and inexplicable cardiac arrest, they were able to detect an adrenal crisis immediately...

Cough cough, and the image of a certain person came to Lu Gang's mind.

That can't be right. If we're talking about timely rescue, we can explain it by saying that Ji Xiang is young and reacts quickly.

Adrenal crisis is extremely rare in clinical practice, and it is almost always misdiagnosed when it occurs. Each misdiagnosis will most likely lead to the patient's death.

In China, few families agree to autopsies, so patients who die mysteriously often go undiagnosed, which in turn leads to a lack of experience among clinicians.

It was because of that incident three years ago that Lu Gang had a general understanding of adrenal crisis, which is why he and Meng Qingfei were able to give a diagnosis in the first...second time.

What about Ji Xiang?

Where did he get his diagnosis from?

Where did he get his clinical experience from?

Lu Gang coiled his bald head, the drooping strand of hair making him look even more listless.

"Was it really Xiao Ji who made the diagnosis? That's incredibly fast." Meng Qingfei was somewhat surprised.

Although Lu Gang didn't say anything, his expression said it all.

Ji Xiang made the correct diagnosis in a split second and successfully performed emergency treatment.

"Damn it," Meng Qingfei cursed inwardly.

A patient who suffered cardiac arrest after drinking floral water was diagnosed with adrenal crisis by Ji Xiang during the resuscitation process. This requires a great deal of clinical experience.

(End of this chapter)