Check-in at the Hospital: The First Surgery Shocked the Nation!-Chapter 303 - 197: Infant Liver Failure, Rare Genetic Disease
Early the next morning,
Qin Feng had just arrived at the hospital. After finishing a meeting with Zhao Yitian and others, he returned to the office.
He had just sat down, not even warmed his seat, when the phone in front of him rang.
"Hello, this is Qin Feng."
"Qin Feng, it’s Wang Yue from the obstetrics and gynecology department."
"Director Wang?"
Hearing the voice on the other end, he was stunned for a moment, and instinctively thought of the woman with the ruptured corpus luteum admitted last night,
"What’s the matter? Is there a problem with the patient from last night?"
"No, no, you’ve misunderstood."
Wang Yue quickly explained upon hearing this,
"It’s like this, our department received a small patient last night, a little over three months old, and the situation isn’t very good. Both internal medicine and I are having trouble making a judgment, so we’d like you to come take a look.
Are you available now?"
"Oh? Sure! I’ll head over now."
Qin Feng’s eyes lit up at the invitation, and he immediately agreed.
It had been a long time since he encountered a case involving infants and young children.
The main point is that Director Wang Yue is incredibly capable, having worked in the obstetrics and gynecology department for twenty to thirty years and has dealt with all sorts of patients.
If other departments’ assistance was needed, they would be contacted directly, rarely involving him.
Unlike Director Zhang Fan from cardiology, who frequently called to discuss cases or surgical procedures together.
Moreover, since Qi Fang became the dual-department director, the number of surgeries and consultations seemed to decrease significantly.
This made him somewhat uncomfortable, as if it were cutting off his livelihood.
The system rewards were heavily reliant on these!
But there was no choice, as more attention was now on establishing the general outpatient center, and the work leaned more toward administration.
Besides, his team was composed of elites, and unless it was a complicated and difficult case, it seldom reached his hands.
After hanging up the phone,
Qin Feng grabbed his stethoscope, hung it around his neck, and eagerly headed to the obstetrics and gynecology department.
"Hello, Director Qin."
"Hello."
"Director Qin, where are you headed?"
"The obstetrics and gynecology department!"
"Director Qin seems to be in a good mood today!"
"Hahaha~"
...
When he got off the elevator, just on the obstetrics and gynecology floor, as the elevator door opened, Wang Yue was standing outside waiting for him.
"Qin Feng, you’re here!"
"Director Wang, you’re greeting me in person? You’re too kind."
Qin Feng laughed in surprise.
"The situation is urgent, let’s talk while we walk."
Wang Yue showed a faint bitter smile and quickly led him,
"Here’s the situation: this infant came to the emergency last night and was directly sent to the obstetrics department. The baby is very small, only 3 months and 3 days old, and the jaundice has not subsided.
The baby’s parents said that three days ago, the baby suddenly turned yellow, showed obvious sluggishness, kept vomiting, and lost weight..."
"Then they went to the local county hospital, where tests showed the baby had obvious liver function damage, elevated bile acid, and anemia symptoms.
Due to limited conditions locally, after two days of treatment, they realized something was wrong and quickly came here."
After hearing the brief introduction, Qin Feng’s expression calmed as he thought through the symptoms mentioned by Wang Yue.
Now, carrying a wealth of top Western and Chinese medicine experience in obstetrics and pediatrics, he quickly filtered through a dozen diseases that matched the current situation.
However, guesses can’t be the basis for diagnosis; medical practice requires at least some rigor!
"Are there any examination reports?"
He immediately asked.
"Yes, I reviewed the county hospital’s report and suspect hemolytic anemia."
Wang Yue nodded.
Hearing this, Qin Feng didn’t say much because there was a possibility.
The clinical symptoms of hemolytic anemia entirely matched the baby’s current condition: jaundice, liver function damage, and so on.
Hemolytic anemia occurs due to accelerated destruction of red blood cells, which means a reduced lifespan, exceeding the compensatory capability of the bone marrow, leading to anemia.
However, this is merely a symptom, not the cause!
What needed to be determined is, if it is confirmed as hemolytic anemia, what exactly caused it?
If the cause isn’t found, further treatment can’t proceed.
But this is just one possibility; further detailed examination is necessary.
"Have all the other tests been done?"
The two sped up significantly, Qin Feng continued.
"They were done last night when the baby was sent here. The report came out this morning, and the results are basically the same as the county hospital’s, only the situation has worsened."
Saying this, they arrived at the ward.
As soon as they walked in, they saw several familiar figures standing by the bed, including the chief of internal medicine, Sun Sheng, the deputy chief of internal medicine, Cheng Hongwu, and the chief of hematology, Ji Zhonghe.
"Qin Feng, you’re here too."
"Director Qin, we’ve been waiting for a while."
"Hello, Director Qin."
The three greeted Qin Feng as he entered.
"All the directors are here, it startled me."
Qin Feng was genuinely startled, but his heart sank simultaneously.
With the four department directors present, along with himself, it meant the directors of six major departments were assembled.
This lineup was too overwhelming for a three-month-old infant!
The situation is probably not very optimistic!
"Are you Director Qin Feng? Oh, thank goodness!
Please, you must save my child!"
Sitting by the bed, the child’s parents, who didn’t look much older than Qin Feng, hurriedly stood and grasped his hand upon hearing his name, pleading.
"Rest assured, rest assured, don’t panic, let me check the baby first."
Qin Feng quickly calmed the parents down, then walked to the bedside to examine the infant lying there.
After about three to five minutes, he straightened up, having done a brief physical examination.
The baby’s skin all over the body appeared pale waxy yellow, with obvious jaundice!
Moreover, the physique is significantly thin, only about 3.5 kilograms at 3 months old, clearly showing some developmental issues.
However, he did not conduct the inquiry himself, believing that Wang Yue and several directors had already asked once.
Repeatedly questioning the patient’s family is not a good thing, as it easily stirs up the family’s irritation and anger.
Wang Yue also briefly explained this to him, and the problem was not significant.
"Qin Feng, how is it?"
Ji Zhonghe from the hematology department looked at him and couldn’t help asking.
"I can’t make an accurate judgment right now, let me hear your opinions."
Qin Feng shook his head, his mind rapidly filtering countless possibilities and symptoms, performing matching.
"Then let me speak first."
Sun Sheng was the first to speak,
"According to the examination, the main possibility for the patient’s liver damage and other complications is hemolytic anemia.
We also conducted a comprehensive examination of the patient’s condition, but could not find the exact cause, and this is also the point we can’t figure out."
"Yes, Director Qin, I agree with Director Sun’s views, and it might not be very optimistic."
Director Cheng Hongwu beside Sun Sheng also spoke, nodding in agreement,
"According to the current examination report, if the condition continues to deteriorate, it will soon lead to liver failure." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
After speaking, the expression on the parents’ faces became more tense, and the baby’s mother kept shedding tears.
But Qin Feng fell into contemplation upon hearing their words, his brows tightly knit.
"Director Ji, do you think so too?"
The next second, he looked up at Ji Zhonghe and asked in a deep voice.
"Me?
Actually..."
Ji Zhonghe was taken aback by the words, and the next second he also felt a bit troubled.
"Don’t be hesitant, just speak frankly."
Qin Feng waved his hand, encouraging him to speak boldly.
"Alright, then I will speak.
Actually, my view is a bit different from theirs, but I currently have no evidence."
Ji Zhonghe nodded, opening up,
"Although the patient’s signs and symptoms all point to hemolytic anemia, I always feel something is wrong.
Or perhaps, although the symptoms are similar, the cause may not be due to hemolytic anemia; is there a possibility it’s another blood disorder?
Of course, this is just my speculation."
After the words fell, the ward fell silent.
However, Ji Zhonghe’s words suddenly enlightened Qin Feng, a spark of insight flashed instantly in his eyes, and a syndrome almost identical to hemolytic anemia emerged in his mind.
[Citrin Deficiency]!
"Director Ji, your perspective might not be wrong!"
The next second, he looked at Ji Zhonghe, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, slightly nodding, then turned to Wang Yue,
"Director Wang, arrange for a genetic metabolic test for the baby."
"Genetic metabolic test?"
Wang Yue was momentarily stunned by these words, her eyes suddenly lit up, and almost simultaneously with Cheng Hongwu from the internal medicine department blurted out,
"Citrin Deficiency!"
Hearing this, Qin Feng nodded towards the two with a smile.
That’s right!
This is a relatively rare congenital genetic metabolic disorder, and most hospitals simply do not have the prediction capacity or ability to test for this.
Just like some specialized illnesses, those with accurate judgment of this syndrome are basically concentrated in first-line large hospitals.
In a place like Jiangcheng City First Hospital, although the gynecology department is decent, without previous cases, doctors also find it hard to judge.
Lack of experience!
In general, newborns with Citrin Deficiency exhibit intrahepatic cholestasis, dark urine, jaundice, malnutrition, and severe cases might even have life-threatening risks.
And a genetic metabolic test is a necessary means to diagnose [Citrin Deficiency]!
"Genetic... genetic?"
Hearing this word, the baby’s parents were also taken aback, surprised.
"No way, Director Qin, we don’t have any hereditary diseases, how could the child have any genetic disease?"
The baby’s father also became more nervous, looking at him somewhat flustered.
Qin Feng smiled lightly and said, "Don’t worry, we’re just doing an elimination check, we haven’t confirmed anything yet, so don’t get anxious..."
Upon hearing his explanation, the parents nodded in agreement.
Blood was drawn and sent for testing immediately.
"Qin Feng, it seems there might not be enough time for this test result to come out!"
Wang Yue leaned in, speaking with some concern.
"Yes, I know. In this case, perform preliminary treatment first, and wait for the results in 15 days."
Qin Feng nodded, looking at her and Cheng Hongwu,
"For now, stop breastfeeding and use extensively hydrolyzed protein formula, combined with liver-protective nutritional support.
Director Cheng, I must trouble you for the next few days; I believe there’s a high chance of Citrin Deficiency, so we need to control the baby’s condition to prevent acute liver failure."
"Alright, no problem."
Cheng Hongwu immediately nodded in agreement.
After resolving everything, Qin Feng temporarily left.
...
However,
things never go as smoothly as one would like!
On the fourth night, Qin Feng, who had just fallen asleep, was suddenly awakened by the phone.
"Director Wang, what’s up?"
He glanced; it was a call from Director Wang Yue.
"Qin Feng, the condition of the Citrin baby doesn’t seem right, I’ve sent you the image."
On the phone, Wang Yue’s voice was noticeably low and serious.
Qin Feng opened WeChat, saw a newly sent test report image from her, and couldn’t help but sit up with a jolt.
"Damn!
Wait for me, I’ll be right there!"
