The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 416 Strange Pneumonia

Time was always so tight; when the number of patients was high, you really had to grasp every moment for meals.

After waiting for a while, Wei Yuan and Wang Chao returned.

"Sorry to ask you two to hang on for a little longer," Liu Banxia said.

"It’s not too bad; the surgery was very successful," Wei Yuan said.

"President Liu, don’t you feel like every day is getting longer?" Wang Chao asked.

"I miss the old days in the Emergency Department. The day would pass leisurely, and the next day would arrive after a good night’s sleep. Now it’s not the same; it really feels like each day is a year long."

"Well, there are more patients now, and more surgeries are needed, so naturally, it’s a bit more tiring," Liu Banxia said.

"You guys have it okay, but how am I going to get through this? Fortunately, I had some time to slack off before. The next six months will be really hard."

"Haha, I wonder who will take over your shift next," Wang Chao said with a smile.

Hearing his words, Liu Banxia and Wei Yuan also smiled at him.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Wang Chao asked, worried.

"It’s obvious, isn’t it? The next chief resident will be either you or Qi Wentai," Liu Banxia said.

"Currently, the only resident doctors are the three of us. To become an attending physician, one must have experience as a chief resident, so the next one has to be chosen from you two."

"Even if the interns stay on, they’ll have to be resident doctors for a year or two. But if they become attending physicians before you guys... tsk, tsk... well, it’s none of my business."

"Damn, I completely forgot about that!" Wang Chao exclaimed, suddenly energized.

He had been so busy recently that he really hadn’t had time to think about this. But he couldn’t *not* think about it; he had to progress. His next goal was to become an attending physician.

The Emergency Center wasn’t like the Inpatient Department and Outpatient Department; it was a place with special treatment. Once one completed their term as chief resident, a contract as an attending physician was practically secured.

Otherwise, even if one passed the exam to become an attending physician, the contract with the hospital would still be that of a resident doctor.

"Don’t worry. After the Spring Festival, our departments here will definitely become more specialized. By then, the chief residents will be in charge of their respective departments, and they won’t have to manage everything like I do," Liu Banxia said.

"No one expected our Emergency Center to develop so quickly. Most of our patients here are trauma cases, which is why we have more general surgery doctors."

"Wang Chao, keep it up. Although I don’t have any conflicts with Qi anymore, our bond as brothers is closer. I have high hopes for you—very high hopes."

Hearing Liu Banxia’s praise, Wang Chao was almost moved to tears.

Being a chief resident is really tough. Who else has Liu Banxia’s energy to shuttle between different departments?

"Dr. Liu, the diagnosis is confirmed. It’s GPA." Just then, Chen Hongyang came over.

DING! Chen Hongyang’s consultation request task completed.

Gained 200 EXP, 300 Diagnostic Studies skill proficiency.

This task’s rating is Perfect. Gained 500 EXP, 500 Diagnostic Studies skill proficiency, 10 Glory Points.

"Ah... This family will have a lot to endure in the future," Liu Banxia sighed.

"Thank you." After saying this, Chen Hongyang turned and left.

"What does that mean?" Wang Chao asked, somewhat confused.

"I helped him with a consultation for a young patient after returning from the operating room. It’s GPA. There was a minor misunderstanding with the child’s parents during the initial diagnosis process," Liu Banxia explained.

"Alright, Dr. Shi is back too. You guys go get some food. You can eat slowly; we don’t know if there will be any surgeries this afternoon. You guys are the main force."

"To help Wang Chao smoothly take over as chief resident, I’ll give him more opportunities," Wei Yuan remarked before leaving.

Wang Chao looked sullen. He had originally been looking forward to eating, but now he had lost his appetite.

"Are you staying here to rest a bit longer?" Liu Banxia asked Qiaoqiao, who had returned with Shi Lei and the others.

"No, if I stay, you won’t have time to chat with me. I’ll go home first," Qiaoqiao replied, shaking her head.

"Don’t rush, I..."

"President Liu, a patient with difficulty breathing is being brought in soon! It’s a sanitation worker," the dispatch nurse called out.

Liu Banxia scratched his scalp. "Drive slowly," he told Qiaoqiao.

There’s no helping it, he thought. He had hoped to at least spend a minute or two being affectionate with Qiaoqiao.

Qiaoqiao playfully stood on her tiptoes and pinched his nose, then skipped away cheerfully.

"Hang in there. It’ll be over in another six months," Shi Lei comforted him.

"At least I have something to look forward to. When are you going to sort out your personal life?" Liu Banxia asked while putting on his mask and gloves.

"We have no common ground for discussion," Shi Lei retorted, turning and walking away.

Liu Banxia chuckled. This was also Shi Lei’s Achilles’ heel.

"The patient is 58 years old, blood pressure 90/140. He had sudden difficulty breathing while cleaning the road. His condition improved somewhat after receiving oxygen in the ambulance." After a moment, the paramedics rushed in, pushing the patient on a gurney.

"To an exam bed! Sir, how are you feeling right now? Where does it hurt? Do you have chest pain?" Liu Banxia asked.

The patient waved his hand with some effort. "It’s hard to breathe... I feel suffocated," he gasped.

"Connect the monitor." After speaking, Liu Banxia began to auscultate the patient’s lungs and heart.

"There seems to be some inflammation in the lungs, but the heart sounds are normal. Temperature is 38°C, a bit high. Sir, have you felt unwell anywhere else recently? Do you have coronary heart disease or diabetes?" Liu Banxia continued asking.

"I don’t have any of those. My blood pressure wasn’t high before, and I’ve always been quite healthy. Last month, I had diarrhea. Does that count?" the patient replied after a moment’s thought.

"Mm, that counts," Liu Banxia nodded.

"Considering your current condition, we need to do a blood test and then take an X-ray of your lungs. The initial physical exam suggests some inflammation in your lungs, which might be the main reason you’re having trouble breathing."

"Oh, right, I also have rheumatoid arthritis in my right shoulder," the patient added.

"What medication are you currently taking for that? Is it related to your work?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I’m taking prednisone. It’s not a big deal, really. I can still earn some money, and the hours aren’t long," the patient said.

"Alright, let’s do the blood test first, then the X-ray. Hmm... Zhou Qian, please accompany this gentleman and handle the paperwork," Liu Banxia called out.

"Sir, I’ll draw your blood first, then we’ll go for the X-ray. Did you bring your ID card? I also need to help you register," Zhou Qian asked as she approached.

"Yes, I did. Do I have to pay first?" the patient asked, fumbling in his pocket for his wallet.

"You’re not feeling well right now. You can get your blood drawn first and pay later," Zhou Qian said.

This was a rather unique aspect of the Emergency Center. Normally, payment was required first. However, these patients were brought in by ambulance, often without family accompanying them, so special handling was necessary.

They were also looking out for this gentleman. After his blood was drawn and the paperwork completed, he waited there for his turn for the X-ray.

The reason was still the same: although they could do a portable X-ray, they had to consider the cost. Otherwise, what might be a kind gesture to save the patient time could very well lead to a complaint.

"How have you all found work these past few days?" Liu Banxia asked the interns.

"Very fulfilling. So fulfilling I feel like I’m in a daze," Xu Yino replied.

"Teacher Liu, are we considered capable of handling consultations independently now?" Huang Bo asked curiously.

"You could say this is your initial exposure. But don’t forget the task I assigned: communicating with patients’ families is a crucial part. You must adapt to it and master it," Liu Banxia said.

"Actually, no matter where you practice medicine in the future, you need to pay special attention to communication with patients. It helps with diagnosis and also helps to ease doctor-patient relations."

"Teacher Liu, can I ask a personal question?" Liu Yiqing ventured.

"Go ahead. I can choose not to answer," Liu Banxia replied.

"Oh, I’m not asking about you and your wife. I just mean, working here is so exhausting. Have you ever had any regrets?" Liu Yiqing asked.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "Perhaps it’s because I started from a lower point. Initially, my only goal was to stay at the hospital. It’s nothing like the excellent conditions you all have now."

"Being an emergency doctor is indeed exhausting. But by the time your cohort graduates, our general surgery team will have expanded. Then, you’ll have new interns to order around. Whether you can lead them well will depend on your own abilities."

The interns grimaced. Although that sounded impressive, they felt utterly unprepared.

"Teacher Liu, that patient’s X-ray is done," Zhou Qian reported, returning just then.

Liu Banxia operated the computer, pulling up the image. After scrutinizing it, he was stunned. There were no abnormalities. How is this possible?

"Are the blood test results out yet?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I’ll go check with the lab," Zhou Qian promptly responded.

"Liu Yiqing, you go instead. For the patient who was just brought in," Liu Banxia said.

He felt a bit troubled. His auscultation shouldn’t have been wrong. Could it be that the lesion was too small for the X-ray to detect?

He was very confident in his auscultation and palpation skills, a result of his enhanced physique. He definitely hadn’t misheard anything during the auscultation just now, yet the X-ray showed nothing.

After a short while, Liu Yiqing returned with the blood test results. The patient had slight anemia, and his white blood cell count was somewhat high. Everything else was normal.

A high white blood cell count and high body temperature, combined with his auscultation findings and the patient’s difficulty breathing, were ample proof of lung inflammation.

DING! Task Issued: Mysterious Pneumonia

The patient was brought in for emergency treatment. As the instrumental examination contradicts the host’s judgment, further diagnosis is required. Task rewards will be issued based on the diagnostic results.

Liu Banxia went back to the computer and carefully reviewed the patient’s X-ray images again. If he still couldn’t find anything, he would consider ordering a CT scan.