Healing Doctor

Chapter 556 Pancreatitis complicated by acute left heart failure

The elderly man in the next bed ate extremely quickly. It might be his usual habit, or it might be that he felt guilty for going against the doctor's orders in the hospital, like a child who had done something wrong, and he was trying to finish his food as quickly as possible so that the medical staff wouldn't see him.

He said he wasn't afraid, but his actions showed that he was still somewhat concerned.

In less than ten minutes, the old man had eaten more than a pound of fatty meat and patted his belly with satisfaction.

Ji Xiang felt fortunate that he had chosen to participate from an observer's perspective rather than to empathize with the patients from their point of view.

Leaving aside the diseases that eating more than a pound of fatty meat might cause, Ji Xiang simply couldn't stand the act of eating meat.

Ji Xiang didn't think he had such a good appetite.

Despite the discomfort of the gastric tube in his nasopharynx, Ji Xiang had no energy to communicate with the patient or their family in the next bed.

He had already anticipated that eating large amounts of meat during the fasting and water restriction period would lead to many complications.

I've tried to persuade myself and talked to them, but it's all been to no avail.

Moreover, I'm not a doctor now, but an ordinary patient. Am I really going to go up and snatch the fat off the patient in the next bed and throw it away?

You can throw it once, but not ten or eight times.

"It's all fate," Ji Xiang thought to himself.

After dozing off for a while, Ji Xiang woke up feeling utterly bored. The time spent recuperating was difficult; he spent most of his energy fighting the discomfort caused by the feeding tube.

Although the stimulation of the oropharynx by the gastric tube is not painful but rather aching, which can be endured, Ji Xiang's nerve reflexes are quite sensitive, and tears are always flowing from time to time.

"Damn it, if only I had a different illness," Ji Xiang thought to himself.

But then, Ji Xiang suddenly burst into laughter.

After a car accident, the ambulance takes away the critically ill patient, leaving you lying on the cold ground waiting for the next rescue – that's not a pleasant experience either.

I can only force myself into a forced position; the slightest movement feels like a knife is stabbing inside my body.

The ground beneath me was icy cold, and at that moment I felt as if the whole world had abandoned me.

In comparison, things seem to be better now.

If there is any difference, it is that this knife is now stabbing me all over, while the knife that caused the broken collarbone in the car accident has become a memory.

Just bear with it, what else can you do?

Ji Xiang began to try to find a way to make himself feel less uncomfortable.

Similar problems are frequently encountered in clinical practice. Patients with nasogastric tubes feel uncomfortable and "willfully" pull the tubes down.

During my internship, my teacher told me about a patient who had undergone esophageal cancer surgery. On the second day after surgery, the gastric tube was pulled down. Because the local anastomosis was in a period of congestion and edema, it would be extremely difficult to push it down again. So, after communicating with the patient and his family, we decided to give up on that idea.

After that, the patient lived in constant anxiety, fearing that a mouthful of gastric acid reflux would "burn" the esophageal anastomosis and cause it to leak.

This feeling of being on the verge of life and death is particularly unpleasant; anyone would find it extremely distressing.

Fortunately, the patient remained seated for 10 days and was eventually discharged after the stitches were removed. Upon discharge, the patient presented a banner praising the doctor's miraculous healing skills.

Ji Xiang's mentor during his internship knew that this was an emotional projection of the patient's terrified state after narrowly escaping death.

After a long period of adjustments, Ji Xiang still couldn't find a suitable position. His eyes would water whenever the feeding tube was moved, regardless of the posture or position.

Ji Xiang also expressed his helplessness regarding this.

He gradually came to understand those disobedient patients.

As night deepened, some patients' family members, unable to sleep, would turn off the lights and kill time by holding their phones. The light from the phone screens would reflect on their faces, creating a bizarre and surreal scene.

"Ouch~"

Ji Xiang vaguely heard the old man in the next bed hum.

He immediately sat up and turned his head to look.

The elderly man lay motionless and silent on the hospital bed, as if the sound he had just heard was his imagination.

"What's wrong with you? Are you uncomfortable with the feeding tube?" the daughter of the patient in the next bed mocked.

"I really want to hear the old man cry out in pain."

"Hey." The daughter of the patient in the next bed chuckled, the light from her phone reflecting on her face in the darkness, her disdainful expression clear.

Just as she was about to say something, the old man in the next bed suddenly arched his back, quickly turned to the side, and stretched his head to the side of the bed.

His movements were agile, unlike those of an elderly person, which startled the patient's family.

"Ugh~~~"

The elderly person began to vomit violently.

In the darkness, Ji Xiang could vaguely see undigested pieces of fat being vomited up.

The sour, foul smell immediately spread, but before Ji Xiang could complain, he kicked his "lover" awake.

"Go find a doctor!" Ji Xiang roared.

"What?!"

"Find a doctor!"

"Why do you need to see a doctor?"

"..." Ji Xiang looked helplessly at his "lover", then turned around and got off the ground. He slipped on his shoes, held the negative pressure bottle in his hand, and ran to find the doctor.

The patient was vomiting violently, and Ji Xiang suspected it was acute pancreatitis caused by overeating. Instead of going to the doctor's office, Ji Xiang went to the duty room and knocked loudly on the door.

The doctor, still half-asleep, was startled by Ji Xiang, who explained the patient's condition as they walked over.

"They ate fatty meat! A whole plateful! Don't they care about their health?!"

After hearing Ji Xiang's brief description, the doctor immediately perked up and said indignantly.

He ran to the ward, not noticing that one of his slippers had flown off and he was only wearing one slipper.

The elderly man in the next bed was experiencing abdominal pain, accompanied by severe nausea and vomiting. Forget about leftover food; Ji Xiang felt like he was about to throw up his entire digestive system.

It is rare to see a patient vomiting so violently.

An urgent blood and urine amylase test revealed levels approaching ten thousand. Laboratory tests confirmed Ji Xiang's suspicion—acute pancreatitis.

At this point, the patient's family stopped arguing and stood dejectedly to the side. The doctor then inserted a feeding tube into the elderly patient and administered octreotide.

Next, Ji Xiang witnessed firsthand the entire process of acute pancreatitis progressing to acute left heart failure.

When external chest compressions proved ineffective, an anesthesiologist performed endotracheal intubation and, holding a balloon, transported the person to the intensive care unit.

Unfortunately, the old man's condition seemed extremely serious. He had been on a ventilator for less than three hours when, before dawn, Ji Xiang heard crying in the corridor.

After a while, some people that Ji Xiang had never seen before came to pack up his things, which meant that the old man had probably already passed away.

Acute severe pancreatitis leading to acute left heart failure is an uncommon but occasionally occurring condition. It is extremely serious and very difficult to save a patient.

But... it's unbelievable that a plate of fatty meat and a folk remedy could lead to the death of an elderly person whose condition wasn't serious.

Ji Xiang silently watched the family members packing up the old man's belongings, unsure of how to offer any advice.

This empathy experience ended badly, and Ji Xiang felt a little regretful. He wondered if the death could have been avoided if he had chosen to experience it from the patient's perspective.

Even if they are just a memory, a piece of code, in Ji Xiang's mind they are living, breathing people.

With flashes of light and shadow, Ji Xiang returned to the system's operating room.

(End of this chapter)