The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 738: Will become the first case in the world?
(Thanks to I Love Lambs and Village Guards for the monthly pass encouragement.)
Liu Banxia might not have cared about Xu Qixin's preparedness, but the sudden influx of so many patients filled up the surgery schedule for the next three days, causing quite a stir in the emergency center.
Plastic surgery is somewhat different from other surgical departments; it has its unique features.
Patients undergoing plastic surgery are typically very picky about the surgeon performing the procedure. After all, the purpose of undergoing such surgery is to enhance their appearance or physique and to become more satisfied with themselves.
Cutting, augmenting, extracting, shaving, padding—these are currently the most in-demand surgical procedures. Many economically affluent people often go to renowned plastic surgery hospitals in South Korea or Western countries for treatment.
Of course, some simply think that foreign technology is superior and then get swindled by the doctors there. There are numerous cases of failure, and even more are reported in the news.
Some undergo surgery abroad for confidentiality reasons. Domestic plastic surgery hospitals often do not guard patients' information carefully. Many times, a casual snapshot or a trivial conversation can leak information.
Even in the emergency center, Liu Banxia was so influential he could seemingly hide anything, right? Yet, patients still felt the need to be discreet during their check-ups.
Plastic surgery generally costs more, and naturally, the cost increases with the number of procedures carried out. As it also concerns a significant part of one's future, those requiring such surgery would usually be more cautious.
For this reason, not all prospective patients will choose a surgeon simply because someone recommended them. At the very least, they need to look at previous cases handled by the doctor in question.
Compared to conventional surgeries in the hospital, reputation is even more crucial for plastic surgery.
The fact that so many patients had come and agreed to surgery was a testament to Xu Qixin's capabilities.
Unless Xu Qixin had some private, additional agreements with these patients, but for a doctor of Xu Qixin's level, that wasn't necessary.
It merely meant that he had prepared for his first day of work, and nothing much more.
Liu Banxia felt pleased with himself, which puzzled Wang Chao, who got the news. Along with Qi Wentao, they all thought this guy's focus was a bit odd.
"How's your patient?" Liu Banxia asked.
"The transplant process went smoothly; we'll see the results tomorrow. Brother Hui is on shift tomorrow; I've asked him to keep an extra eye out," Wang Chao said.
"Tomorrow I'm really taking a break, alright? Don't you have anything else you want to say? Our Old GrandMaster actually has some connections."
"Is there a need? Bro, what I have is unparalleled handsomeness," Liu Banxia said seriously.
Wang Chao rolled his eyes. "If you don't need it, I won't bother you about it. Just help me keep an eye on things. If the fecal transplant fails and he really needs a stoma created, how about you do it?"
"Okay, we'll see. But I think there should at least be some improvement, right? It's better not to give up unless it's completely hopeless," Liu Banxia said.
Wang Chao looked towards the door and said hesitantly, "That puts my mind at ease; I can finally take a real break tomorrow. Eh? Doesn't that person who just walked in look familiar? One of our old patients?"
Liu Banxia looked up and sighed inwardly. "Indeed, an old patient," he said, "but it seems he's become more of a risk."
The person who entered was none other than a patient they had treated before for auto-brewery syndrome. This time, it was his third hospitalization. Judging by his current condition, things did not look good.
"Did you eat too much again?" Liu Banxia asked as he approached the patient.
"Doctor, is there no other way to cure my father?" the patient's daughter asked.
"He's in a daze all day at home; it's that, um, brain fog. Even medication doesn't seem to help much. And my father's memory is getting worse; sometimes he even forgets he's ill."
"I'm sorry, but currently there really isn't any medicine or method that can cure this disease. Even internationally, the only available treatments just control the symptoms; they don't offer a permanent cure," Liu Banxia said.
"Here's my suggestion: consider sending him to a nursing home with appropriate care standards. That will be more effective than all of you spreading yourselves thin to take care of him." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
It was a harsh solution, but Liu Banxia had to state it clearly.
There is a saying, "No filial child remains present at a long-term sickbed." In Liu Banxia's eyes, this wasn't an entirely negative saying.
In the hospital, they frequently encountered such situations; many times, it was the desperation of the children.
Take this patient with auto-brewery syndrome: since he is currently suffering from brain fog, someone has to keep an eye on him at all times. Sometimes he forgets that there are certain foods he can't eat; all it takes is a momentary lapse, and he might eat the forbidden food.
Some people might suggest assigning someone to watch him constantly and not keeping any forbidden food at home. Sounds simple enough?
But think about it, is it really possible?
This patient has dietary restrictions, but as healthy family members, they also need these kinds of carbohydrate supplements. They could supervise his diet for a day or two, but what about a month or two?
Can you ensure 24/7 supervision? Does an old lady have that much energy? If they ask the daughter and son-in-law for help, are they supposed to just stare idly by? Don't they need to work to support the family?
This is a very real problem; often, the realities of life clash dramatically with lofty ideals. After all, life requires money.
Money doesn't fall from the sky; you can only obtain it through work.
They are all normal, ordinary working-class families; they aren't wealthy to begin with. If they lose their jobs because they have to take care of the old man, how will they get by in the future?
Looking at the current state of the family, including the son-in-law, they were clearly downcast, evidently already struggling to cope with the burden of the patient's illness.
If the old man ever found out about this situation during his lucid moments, what would his reaction be?
These are real issues, which is why Liu Banxia had given such advice. Even though there would be costs involved, they just had to work harder to earn money; there was no other way.
Illness has always required spending money for treatment.
In Liu Banxia's view, although the patient only had one daughter, their situation was far preferable to that of the elderly woman with numerous children he had once treated.
The whole family fell silent. They had considered this solution before but were worried about gossip. In the current social climate, sending an elderly parent to a nursing home while their children were still around was often seen as unfilial.
"Dr. Liu, is there really no other miracle drug or surgical method available?" the patient's daughter asked again.
Liu Banxia shook his head. "If there were, even if it was an extremely expensive drug or a complicated surgery, we would have recommended it to you."
"This disease takes time. Through long-term dietary control, the brain fog, at the very least, can be alleviated. Maybe after two or three years, when the gut flora returns to normal... Hmm... let me think for a moment."
Hearing this, the family's spirits lifted. Does this mean there's really a solution?
"Wang Chao, come here," Liu Banxia called out.
"President Liu, what's the matter?" Wang Chao asked, a bit puzzled.
"Wang Chao, you mentioned that the fecal transplant project has some effect on adjusting gut flora. What about auto-brewery syndrome? Would it also have some effect?" Liu Banxia asked.
"Uh... or perhaps, even if it can't completely control the condition, wouldn't it be good if it could alleviate it?"
Liu Banxia's words confused Wang Chao. What does he mean? Has he heard that fecal transplants are effective for this?
Facing the family's expectant gazes, Wang Chao opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.
"Fecal transplantation involves transplanting healthy, treated feces into the intestine," Liu Banxia continued. "The aim is to adjust the balance of the intestinal flora with the flora in the transplanted feces."
"But as of now, I don't know if anyone has used this treatment for auto-brewery syndrome. The conventional treatment has always been medication-based."
"Also, this transplantation method carries significant risks. The flora in our gut is complex and abundant, existing in a delicate balance. Introducing new flora will surely disrupt this equilibrium and could potentially lead to new intestinal diseases."
"Dr. Wang here is the leader of our emergency center's fecal transplant project. He can explain the relevant professional knowledge to you, and you all can consider the options."
After Liu Banxia finished speaking, he patted Wang Chao on the shoulder, giving him an encouraging look.
Wang Chao looked rather put-upon, but he nevertheless thoroughly explained the current achievements, advantages, and disadvantages of the fecal transplant project.
During his explanation, he also began to seriously consider whether this therapy could be useful in treating auto-brewery syndrome.
The more he talked about it, the more promising the idea seemed to him.
Liu Banxia had made this suggestion for this very reason. Since it's all about adjusting the gut flora, and others haven't made such an attempt, why can't we try it?
Even if fecal transplantation carries some risks and might cause some degree of chaos in the gut flora, it might still be worth a shot.
Comparatively, this patient's condition is much better than those suffering from Clostridium difficile infections or Crohn's disease. So why not take a bold step and try it?
Even if we can't completely cure the patient's disease, achieving a certain degree of control would still be considered a success.
The idea was audacious, but that didn't mean it wasn't feasible. If they truly succeeded, wouldn't it be a world first?
