Time was of the essence. Whether or not there was hope, he had to try. He looked up at Old Wang and said solemnly, “Old man, I can try, but since his heart has already stopped, the chances of saving him are very slim.”
“Please, try! Please!” Hearing that Xu Ze was willing to try, Old Wang’s heart leapt with hope.
He had thought his grandson was already gone, and calling Xu Ze over was just a formality to help his daughter-in-law accept the reality. He hadn’t expected Xu Ze to say there was still a chance.
The fact that Xu Ze was willing to try meant there was still some hope. Old Wang was overjoyed and didn’t care about anything else. The town hospital was still five or six miles away, and by the time they got there, it would be too late.
Their only hope now was this young man in front of them. He quickly nodded and said, “Dr. Xu, please save him! Whether or not you succeed, we won’t blame you. If you save my grandson, our whole family will be forever indebted to you!”
The onlookers, including Uncle Wu, also understood Xu Ze’s concerns. They all chimed in, “That’s right, Ah Ze!, just do your best. Even if you can’t save him, Old Wang won’t blame you. We’ll all vouch for you!”
Hearing this, Xu Ze didn’t dare delay any further.
Saving a life was like putting out a fire-every second counted.
The first step was to try to dislodge the meatball stuck in the child’s throat and clear the airway. Only then could further treatment be attempted.
Xu Ze quickly reached into the tricycle, flipped the child over, and pulled him up from behind. He wrapped his arms around the child’s upper abdomen, pressing him tightly against his chest. With a loud shout, Xu Ze tightened his grip, forcefully compressing the child’s abdomen.
After the first attempt, Xu Ze repeated the action. The child’s life now depended on whether this method would work.
This technique used abdominal pressure to push air from the lungs, dislodging whatever was stuck in the airway. Xu Ze had seen Dr. Zhang at the clinic use this method before, and it was also described in detail in medical textbooks. This was why Xu Ze was willing to give it a try.
Everyone watched anxiously.
They weren’t doctors, but they understood that Xiao Jun was already not breathing. Whether he could be saved depended entirely on Xu Ze’s next actions.
Even Xu Ze himself had no idea if this would work. He was just doing his best.
Then—
“Pffft!”
A small, round, brownish-red object flew out of the boy’s mouth.
The meatball!
A collective cheer erupted from the crowd.
Xu Ze exhaled, but he didn’t celebrate.
Step one was done. The airway was clear.
But the real challenge was just beginning.
The boy had been suffocating for too long. His heart had already stopped.
Now came the most critical part—CPR.
Xu Ze quickly laid the child down.
But just as he did, the boy’s mother rushed forward in excitement, thinking her child was saved.
Xu Ze immediately blocked her with his arm, glaring.
“He’s not safe yet! Stay back!”
The woman froze, her face turning pale again after the initial flush of excitement. Realizing she had been too hasty, she quickly stepped back, not daring to disturb Xu Ze as he worked to save her son.
Old Wang, on the other hand, was barely containing his excitement and hope. He thought to himself, “This young Dr. Xu really knows his stuff. He managed to get the meatball out in just a few tries. Maybe there’s still a chance to save my precious grandson!”
Xu Ze’s mind raced. Now that the obstruction in the child’s throat had been removed and the airway was clear, the next step was to perform CPR. The sooner CPR was started, the better, especially for a child whose heart had already stopped. Every second counted.
Without hesitation, Xu Ze tore open the child’s clothes.
He placed his left hand over the child’s chest, right over the heart.
Then, with his right hand, he clenched his fist and—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three forceful compressions.
As Xu Ze’s fists struck the child’s chest, a program in his mind seemed to detect something. It began to run rapidly, and a mechanical voice echoed in his head:
“Basic CPR function activated. Bioelectric shock assistance initiated!”