Facing the angry questioning from the patient’s family, Xu Ze forced himself to stay calm, suppressing his own nervousness. He responded in a steady voice, “Dr. Zhang will be here soon. Your father’s condition is extremely critical right now. Let me check him first, or it might be too late!”
The family member was initially reluctant to let Xu Ze, who clearly looked like a young apprentice, handle the situation. But with Dr. Zhang not present, they had no choice. They reluctantly agreed, while shouting at Nurse Luo, “Hurry up and get Dr. Zhang! If something happens to my dad, I’ll make sure you regret it!”
“Alright, Dr. Zhang is on his way. Let Dr. Xu take a look first!” Nurse Luo replied anxiously, knowing that the pharmacy had likely already called Dr. Zhang. As a nurse, she couldn’t leave the patient’s side at such a critical moment.
Xu Ze rushed to the old man’s side and began examining him nervously. The old man’s face was pale, drenched in sweat, and he was gasping for air, coughing violently as if he might stop breathing at any moment.
Seeing this, Xu Ze’s heart sank. He quickly used his stethoscope to listen to the old man’s chest. The heart rate was extremely fast, possibly around 120 to 130 beats per minute, and there were loud wheezing sounds throughout the lungs.
While continuing the examination, Xu Ze tried to suppress his panic and called out to Nurse Luo, “Start oxygen therapy for the patient!”
At the same time, his mind raced. What could have caused such severe shortness of breath? Why is there so much wheezing? And why is he coughing so violently? Does he have a history of bronchitis? Is this a bronchitis attack? Or is it heart failure?
Xu Ze quickly looked up and asked the family member, “Does he have a history of bronchitis?”
“No, my father only has coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. He’s never had bronchitis!” the family member snapped.
Xu Ze didn’t have time to dwell on their tone. No history of bronchitis? Then what’s going on? Heart failure usually doesn’t cause such severe coughing, does it? He frowned deeply, his mind working overtime to figure out the cause so he could decide on the appropriate treatment.
But no matter how hard he thought, Xu Ze couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue. He hadn’t formally studied internal medicine yet, and he had never encountered a case like this before. He was at a loss.
Seeing Xu Ze’s furrowed brow, the family member’s face darkened. “Are you even capable? Hurry up and call Dr. Zhang! If something happens to my father, I’ll make sure your clinic pays for it!”
The other patients in the room began murmuring among themselves. Dr. Zhang isn’t here, and this young doctor doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. This old man might not make it. The clinic is in big trouble this time…
Xu Ze sighed, about to respond, when suddenly an idea flashed in his mind. He quickly thought, System, activate X-ray vision.
Beep… Following Xu Ze’s command, a faint, invisible light flashed across his glasses, revealing a clear image of the old man’s chest.
Xu Ze examined the lungs and noticed that, aside from some slight texture irregularities and increased brightness, there didn’t seem to be any major issues. However, the heart was noticeably enlarged and beating rapidly.
This left Xu Ze even more confused. It’s definitely a heart problem, but what exactly is causing it? Is it heart failure? But why is he coughing so much? What’s going on?
As he pondered, another thought struck him. An echocardiogram could show what’s happening inside the heart. He quickly commanded, Perform an echocardiogram scan!
Beep… Insufficient permissions. Unable to activate.
Xu Ze was utterly frustrated. X-ray vision works, but the echocardiogram requires higher permissions? Is it a level two or level three function? What am I supposed to do now?
Idiot… Just as Xu Ze was panicking, the familiar voice of Xiao Dao echoed in his mind. The patient is experiencing sudden severe shortness of breath, accompanied by violent coughing. Physical examination shows a pale complexion, profuse sweating, and obvious wheezing in both lungs. X-ray vision reveals an enlarged left heart with a heart rate of 148 beats per minute. This is clearly acute left heart failure!
Xiao Dao added, with a hint of sarcasm, You’re embarrassing me. Good thing you’re just a trainee medic, or I’d be ashamed to be associated with you.
Acute left heart failure?! Xu Ze ignored Xiao Dao’s jab, his heart leaping with relief. What’s the treatment?
You’re the doctor, not me! I’m just an auxiliary system. If you can’t figure it out, what’s the point of being a doctor? Xiao Dao sounded exasperated but knew he couldn’t just stand by. If Xu Ze got into trouble, it wouldn’t benefit him either. Reluctantly, Xiao Dao continued, Fine, consider this payback for a past life. The system doesn’t have medical data from your era, but Tao Jun happened to study ancient medicine and stored a lot of Earth’s medical knowledge from the 13th to the 23rd century. There are treatment methods and medications that should be applicable now…
Data search and analysis complete. Based on 21st-century Earth standards, the recommended treatment for this condition is: oxygen therapy… sitting position with legs hanging down… intravenous injection of 20mg furosemide… intravenous drip of 25mg sodium nitroprusside… intravenous injection of 0.4mg cedilanid…
Xiao Dao added with a chuckle, I hope this data matches your era. Otherwise, I’m out of ideas. May God, Buddha, and Allah bless this old man… Amen, Omituofo…
Xu Ze didn’t have time for jokes. Although his exchange with Xiao Dao happened in a flash, the family member was already fuming. If Xu Ze didn’t act soon, things could get ugly.
Furosemide and cedilanid… the clinic has both. Xu Ze’s mind raced. Looks like luck is on my side. The data matches. He took a deep breath and said firmly to Nurse Luo, “Administer 20mg of furosemide intravenously!”
Nurse Luo hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she should follow Xu Ze’s instructions. After all, Xu Ze was just a part-time apprentice without a medical license, and he was still a student. If the medication was wrong, the consequences could be disastrous.
But then she thought, If we don’t do something, the patient might not make it. Who knows when Dr. Zhang will be back?
Xu Ze didn’t give her time to hesitate. He barked, “Hurry up! We don’t have time to waste!”
Under Xu Ze’s urgent tone, Nurse Luo bit her lip and decided to trust him. She quickly prepared a syringe of furosemide and injected it into the patient’s IV line.
Seeing the furosemide administered, Xu Ze thought for a moment and added, “Prepare a 250ml 5% glucose solution with 25mg sodium nitroprusside and 7ml 10% potassium chloride. Administer it at 6 drops per minute to dilate the coronary arteries and reduce the heart’s workload. Monitor the blood pressure closely!”
This time, Nurse Luo moved swiftly. Seeing Xu Ze’s calm and confident demeanor, she felt more assured. I hope these medications work. She quickly prepared the solution and connected it to the patient’s IV.
The family member, seeing Xu Ze handling the situation methodically, began to calm down slightly. With no one else available to help, they placed all their hopes on Xu Ze.
