Five Years of Studying Medicine, Three Years of Flirting With Guys - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Although the patient Gao Da was overweight and part of the “Three Highs” population, fortunately, his cardiovascular condition was not that bad, and the surgery truly ended very quickly.

Since Tang Linsheng’s official post was still at Baxi, if Baxi was short-handed, he remained in a state of “running between two places.”

During the National Day period, Tang Linsheng went on holiday along with the entire operating room staff. He originally thought he could happily spend the seven-day National Day holiday, but unexpectedly, his teaching mentor, Teacher Wang, sent a text message asking him to return to the ward to help cover a shift.

Thinking that he had nothing else to do, Tang Linsheng readily agreed and returned to Baxi on the last day of National Day to work a “night jump” shift (afternoon to midnight). Once Tang’s father learned that his night jump shift started at 4:00 PM and lasted until 12:00 midnight, he quickly prepared a meal and packed it in lunch boxes for him to take to the hospital. Tang’s mother, worried he might get hungry in the middle of the night, told Tang’s father to prepare more, packing two bento boxes for him.

Perhaps because the operating room had been too busy lately, or maybe because seeing the Senior almost every time he worked caused his “internal fire” to overflow, Tang Linsheng had developed an ulcer in his mouth, meaning he had to eat very bland food.

Tang Linsheng huffed and puffed as he carried his bag to the hospital; the weight of two fully packed bento boxes was quite significant. He shook his aching hand and opened a lunch box as expected! Every time he got an ulcer, his father would make such bland dishes, practically insulting his title as a master chef of Hunan cuisine!

Tang Linsheng couldn’t help but curl his lip upon seeing the food inside, looking disgusted: potato shreds that were neither sour nor spicy, stir-fried greens with tofu skin rolls, and “stir-fried pork” that was almost entirely cabbage.

He sighed, closed the lunch box, and put it in the food locker. He’d better go to work first… and come back to eat when he was hungry.

However, by the time he was hungry, he no longer had time to eat. He didn’t know if he had some kind of “night shift bug,” but as soon as he started work, he was incredibly busy. The ER suddenly sent over several new patients; he had to admit new patients while also providing nursing care for those already hospitalized, resulting in him and the night shift teacher being so busy they were practically flying, without even a moment to drink water.

He had just settled a new patient and his butt hadn’t even warmed the chair yet when he heard the phone at the nurse’s station ring. The night shift teacher sighed and said, “It couldn’t be another ER call, could it?”

Tang Linsheng watched her nervously as she answered. The time on the hallway clock was already past 11:00 PM; if another new patient came, he certainly wouldn’t be going to sleep on time. He prayed silently in his heart: Everyone, please don’t come to the hospital. It’s the last day of the holiday, just celebrate the Motherland’s birthday peacefully and safely!

But things went against his wishes. The night shift teacher took the call, her expression gradually becoming serious. She hung up hurriedly and said to him, “Xiao Tang, quickly go to the Chief’s office and find Professor Tang. The ER sent a group of young people, and Director Wei is too busy in the ER to cope. He needs Professor Tang to go down and help!”

Hearing this, Tang Linsheng hurried to the Chief’s office. He remembered the Senior wasn’t on duty today; could he still be in the office?

When he ran over, Tang Linsheng (the senior) was focusing intently on a computer. Hearing the movement at the door, he looked up: “Xiao Tang? What’s wrong, why the hurry?”

Tang Linsheng took a few breaths and quickly told him about Director Wei needing him to go down and help. Upon hearing this, Tang Linsheng (the senior) snapped his laptop shut, grabbed his white coat hanging nearby, put it on, and immediately rushed to the ER.

The night shift nurse heard the ward bell ring and, while heading toward a ward, shouted to Tang Linsheng as he was about to return: “Xiao Tang, go to the ER with Professor Tang. Once the patients are brought up, enter their information into the computer. I’ll leave the new patients to you, I’m going to be busy.”

Tang Linsheng quickened his pace to catch up with the Senior ahead of him, and the two of them rushed to the Emergency Room.

When they arrived at the ER, Director Wei had his brows furrowed, staying in the observation room to perform an auscultation on a comatose male patient. As soon as Director Wei finished the auscultation, he saw Tang Linsheng (the senior) arrive. He quickly called out: “Professor Tang, come and take a look. The patient is 25 years old and suddenly fainted while at a party with friends. Although he regained some consciousness when the ambulance brought him in, he is still confused and complains of chest pain and palpitations…”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) walked over, and after listening to Director Wei’s handover, he put on his stethoscope and began auscultating. While auscultating, he glanced at the person already wearing an oxygen mask and moved the stethoscope toward the lungs. A few minutes later, he frowned and said to Director Wei: “Director, his third and fourth heart sounds are distinct, and there is a blowing murmur at the apex…” He paused, pointing at the patient’s neck. “Jugular venous distention. I just heard wet rales in the lungs; it might be myocarditis complicated by heart failure.”

Director Wei nodded and handed him the test reports from the side: “X-ray shows an enlarged heart shadow and a flask-shaped change. This person also has pericardial effusion in his heart.”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) flipped through the reports. Looking at the final ECG report, he suddenly pointed to a spot: “There is an atrioventricular block.”

Director Wei was signing the transfer papers for the patient. “Yes, it is very likely to turn into a high-degree atrioventricular block.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere became heavy. The patient was now in a state of syncope; the blood test reports hadn’t come back yet, so the cause of the illness was unclear and the medication plan was still under debate. However… the composure on Tang Linsheng’s (the senior) face had vanished. He looked solemnly at Tang Linsheng (the junior) helping the ER nurse push the person out and said to Director Wei: “Director, he might not make it in time for a temporary pacemaker.”

Director Wei looked up in surprise: “Not in time?!”

Tang Linsheng (the senior) nodded: “Based on what we have, we can tentatively diagnose it as myocarditis merged with heart failure. Even with the oxygen mask, he is having difficulty breathing, with an oxygen saturation of only 89. Although the trigger is unclear, his myocarditis is fulminant.”

Director Wei’s heart sank. This boy was only 25 years old, the same age as his own child. Fulminant myocarditis progresses rapidly with a high mortality rate. Could he really not be saved?

Director Wei was on duty in the ER today and had other patients to manage; even though he felt deep regret, he couldn’t follow this male patient the whole way. He handed the patient over to Tang Linsheng (the senior) and ran off to be busy elsewhere.

The group pushed the bed toward the elevator. Tang Linsheng (the senior) looked at the patient’s condition, frowned, and told everyone to quicken their pace; they needed to get the patient to the CCU and on a ventilator as soon as possible.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, they were blocked by someone. Tang Linsheng (the junior) was focused solely on getting this critically ill patient to the ICU and said hurriedly, “Take the other elevator,” and tried to close the doors.

However, that person forced his way in. Tang Linsheng (the junior) glanced at him, thinking: Does this person have no sense of crisis? We are resuscitating a patient here, why must he force himself into this elevator? But looking at him, he realized the person wasn’t old, appearing to be in his twenties as well. As soon as he got on the elevator, he broke into a cold sweat, staring down at the hospital bed without saying a word.

Tang Linsheng (the junior) subconsciously glanced at the Senior, finding him busy auscultating. The boy who had squeezed onto the elevator was close to him, so he lightly patted the person and asked, “Are you okay?”

At his feet, the boy looked up, his face deathly pale and his eyes red as he choked out: “It’s me… it’s my fault!”