The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 564: Readmission of Difficult Clostridium Patients
The operation was very smooth, and the patient was pushed out with a smile on his face.
But the people in the operating room knew that the operation was fraught with danger. In the operating room, no one was truly idle.
Liu Banxia and Dr. Hu seemed idle, but their contributions were significant.
For such a long time, Dr. Hu distracted the patient by playing chess with him. Liu Banxia chatted with the patient, also distracting his attention. This was their contribution to the operation, no less significant than that of the chief surgeon, Chen Xuehai.
In an entire surgery, everyone has their own responsibilities, and each person’s role is critical.
"I was so scared at the time; I thought the patient might go downhill during the surgery," Liu Banxia remarked.
"Thankfully, the patient was talkative. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to say. But is there really soy sauce made from hair? I need to be careful when I buy it in the future."
"Such a possibility might exist, all for the sake of making money," said Chen Xuehai.
"Moreover, if counterfeiters put effort into adjusting the taste of the soy sauce and packaging it under other brands, how could you tell the difference? The quality might have already been compromised at the source, and many places aren’t supplied directly by the manufacturer anyway."
"I really need to rest well today; I’m exhausted. This operation was more nerve-racking than an emergency surgery. Doctor Li, you must feel the same way, right?"
Li Liwei nodded. "I barely dared to breathe and kept a close eye on the patient’s vital signs. As soon as there was any fluctuation, I’d start sweating and then have to alert President Liu."
"Especially after the third game of chess, the patient’s blood pressure and heart rate both went up. I was sweating profusely; it was terrible. Thank goodness they went down again. I was worried it would be too late to administer the medication."
"Awake surgeries are truly terrifying. Only now do I realize how incredible the neurosurgeons are," Liu Banxia commented.
Thinking about something is one thing, but actually doing it is another entirely. Many people can only truly understand after experiencing it firsthand.
Upon learning that the operation went smoothly, the patient’s family was overjoyed, and they thanked Liu Banxia and his team profusely. This was a life-saving surgery. They didn’t know about the risks involved, but knowing the outcome was enough.
Back in the lobby, they saw Wang Chao looking worried as he researched something on his computer.
Liu Banxia walked over to him. "What’s wrong? Working so hard?" he asked, then frowned as he leaned in and saw that Wang Chao was looking up materials on fecal transplants.
"Sigh... that patient with the Clostridium difficile infection has relapsed. He was just treated before the New Year. Now that it’s back, it must be considered severe, right?" Wang Chao lamented.
"That could really be troublesome. Are they thinking about trying a fecal transplant?" Liu Banxia asked.
Wang Chao nodded. "They’ve been looking into it for a while, hoping to give it a try. Otherwise, a subtotal colectomy will be necessary. At least there’s still some hope this way."
"However, no hospitals in Binhai City have successful experience we can draw upon, and the patient’s current condition doesn’t allow for long-distance travel. What do you think we should do?"
"What else can we do? Research it," Liu Banxia replied with a wry smile.
"The main problem is finding healthy fecal matter, then extracting the beneficial bacteria. If any part of the procedure fails, surgery must be performed before the patient’s condition worsens."
"This means the fecal transplant might be all for nothing and could place a heavy financial burden on the patient. The entire separation process costs money, and the patient will suffer throughout."
He had previously researched this. It wasn’t as simple as finding healthy human fecal matter, then separating and transplanting it.
Is healthy fecal matter really that easy to find?
The most fundamental point was that the donor must not have had any contact with antibiotics within the last six months. The patient’s Clostridium difficile outbreak was precisely the result of antibiotic overuse.
If the donor had been exposed, there would definitely be some level of residue in the fecal matter. Even the faintest trace could put the recipient patient in a more critical situation.
Then there was the donor’s immune system, which also needed to meet certain standards. If the donor had low immunity, the recipient’s immunity might also be compromised.
Finally, there was the screening for gastrointestinal diseases and related pathogens. If anything failed to meet the standard, it wasn’t healthy fecal matter.
Under the current general conditions in the country, never mind the later points, just the requirement of no antibiotic exposure for six months was already an almost insurmountable hurdle.
If someone had a headache or a fever, wouldn’t they casually take some medicine? Many people were also constantly in a sub-healthy state, so wouldn’t their immune systems be somewhat weaker?
"President Liu, what do you think we should do? I feel really sorry for this young man," Wang Chao said.
"If the patient and his family have this idea, we should help them explore it. Then, we can contact hospitals with successful experience, either by inviting their experts over or asking for their guidance. It’s definitely doable," Liu Banxia said.
"The procedure itself isn’t particularly difficult, but, as we’ve worried about before, we don’t know which specific bacteria or groups of bacteria are effective."
"My feeling is that for this patient, a fecal transplant will either lead to improvement or deterioration."
"If you’re really considering trying this, I think you could apply to the hospital to make it a research project. Although it seems like an internal medicine issue, surgeons can certainly tackle it too."
"However, don’t expect to go it alone from the beginning; that definitely won’t work. It’s better to consult with experienced people. I can mention this to the Director."
"President Liu, do you think I can really research this?" Wang Chao asked.
"Why not? After all, if the fecal transplant isn’t successful, the rest of the work falls to us surgeons," Liu Banxia said with a smile.
"Alright, it’s settled then. When the Director is back at work tomorrow, we’ll go talk to him together. I think it’s worth pursuing. The main thing is you’ll need to overcome some psychological hurdles."
Wang Chao grimaced slightly. Indeed, he’d have to handle the donor screening himself; he couldn’t just leave it all to the lab.
This was his research project, after all. All relevant data would need to be meticulously recorded. This task seemed rather daunting.
Just then, the patient’s parents approached. "Dr. Liu, you’re back."
Liu Banxia nodded. "Doctor Wang just told me you’re considering a fecal transplant. However, you need to understand that this therapy is still experimental. The success rate is very low, and it could even pose a threat to the patient’s health."
The patient’s father nodded. "Dr. Liu, we’ve carefully considered all of this. Lately, we haven’t just researched fecal transplants; we’ve also studied Clostridium difficile."
"A colectomy might offer some benefit, but for us right now, we still want to at least give this a try."
"Even if this attempt fails, we can still resort to surgery. But what if it’s successful? The next few decades of his life would be completely different."
"We know there are risks, but we believe it’s worth trying. Rest assured, we will cooperate and sign all necessary documents before the treatment, so we won’t hold you responsible if it fails."
"Everything you doctors do is to treat patients and save lives. Both this time and last time, you’ve given us very clear warnings. We understand that."
"Dr. Liu, I also have a rather tentative idea. Could we seek help from the city’s schools? There are many children in schools; could they potentially be donors?"
Liu Banxia smiled and nodded. "You’ve said a lot, which shows you’ve given this deep thought. It’s a good idea; I was thinking along the same lines."
"Healthy donors are hard to find, but the chances are somewhat higher among children. Many adults in the workforce face greater stress and inevitably fall ill more often."
"Let’s manage his current condition conservatively for now; after all, finding a suitable donor will take some time. Tomorrow, I’ll report this to our Chief Director and have Doctor Wang Chao take charge of this matter."
"We all hope for a good result, but at the same time, we need to prepare for the worst. Let’s work together."
The patient’s father smiled and nodded, feeling much more at ease.
They chose to try the fecal transplant here because of the trust they had developed in the emergency center from their previous treatment experience.
They had received meticulous care last time, which gave them confidence in being treated here again.
Moreover, they had also done a lot of research and understood that, given the current state of the therapy, it was essentially a gamble. If they got lucky, it would work; if not, surgery would be necessary.
"Sigh, this won’t be an easy task. Chao, good luck," Liu Banxia said, patting Wang Chao’s shoulder.
"President Liu, seriously? I haven’t even fully decided yet, and you’ve already made it official?" Wang Chao said helplessly.
"What other choice is there? Can you just stand by and watch the patient suffer? Since it needs to be done anyway, why not turn it into a research project for you? Just like my small-incision appendectomy, it’s a really good opportunity."
"So, this research topic is settled then. You can also ask the interns if any of them want to assist you. I can help adjust their schedules if necessary; otherwise, you’ll have to find people on your own."
"As for the lab team, they’re already very busy with their regular duties, and this will be extra work, so make sure to buy them some extra snacks. The whole emergency center will support you. Isn’t that enough?"
Wang Chao gave him a resigned look. It all sounds very supportive, but this task is definitely not going to be easy.
