Chapter 654: Chapter 272: This Young Doctor is Extraordinary, the Obese Woman’s Breathing Pauses_3
“Find a sturdy chair for that woman and send it over. If she breaks the stool, that’s a minor issue. If she falls and gets hurt, a few people may not even be able to help her up!”
Dean Tian had been standing in this second-floor office watching the outpatient hall.
When he saw the female patient attempting to sit on the plastic stool, he was quite startled.
Luckily, the female nurse on the scene was quick-witted and swiftly advised the overweight woman to stand for a while, immediately seeking out a chair for her.
Soon, a hospital orderly brought over an iron chair.
It seemed quite sturdy.
The overweight woman leaned on it as she sat down, and the people around her watched with concern. Everyone was worried about the chair, fearing it might break under her.
In fact, the chair made a “creaking” noise as she sat down.
It was Du Leng’s first time treating such an extremely overweight patient, and he was obviously intimidated by her ‘presence’, displaying a lack of confidence.
“Hello, can you tell us when the sudden pauses in breathing during sleep began to occur?”
“I can’t quite remember, it probably started about three or four years ago! We’ve also taken her to major hospitals for numerous examinations and medications, but with no effect.”
The patient’s family was a couple in their fifties, with the man placing the document bag he was carrying in front of Du Leng. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Nove1Fire.net
There were various examination reports inside.
Du Leng took them out and went through them.
“The sudden pauses in breathing during sleep might be related to her obesity rather than a neurological issue. Due to excessive obesity, the cross-sectional area of the throat decreases, and the neck circumference significantly increases. As fat accumulates in her neck, it leads to the upper airway becoming narrower and narrower.
After falling asleep, the muscle tension in the throat changes, causing the airway to be blocked and breathing pauses to occur.”
After reviewing the examination materials and conducting a cursory check-up of the patient, Du Leng reached a conclusion.
It was undeniable that his medical knowledge was extensive, and his competency was not lacking.
The explanation he provided made a lot of sense, even the surrounding medical staff were nodding in agreement.
However, this time the family seemed unconvinced.
“Dr. Du, the reason you mentioned, doctors at other hospitals said the same thing. Moreover, she has undergone surgery to improve the airway. There has been some improvement in my daughter’s condition, but she still experiences pauses in breathing at times.”
The family explained.
“I didn’t see any surgery-related documents or medical records in your document bag!” Du Leng had quickly glanced through the documents in the bag, and would have noticed if there were any surgical records of the patient.
“Um… the surgery was done almost four years ago, and the relevant documents have long been lost.”
The woman’s mother quickly explained from the side.
“I see! I’ll take another look for her!”
Du Leng fiddled for a while, obviously unable to find a second cause apart from obesity.
“How about this, I’ll arrange for an enhanced CT and bronchoscopy. After the results come back, we can make a further diagnosis. It’s also possible that the surgery did not achieve the desired effect, or that she continued to gain weight after the surgery, causing the airway to narrow again.”
The family, trusting him, readily agreed.
So they went to get the examination requested.
Zhou Can and Deputy Director Shi didn’t have any patients seeking treatment at the moment, feeling utterly idle and had been watching Du Leng treating the woman.
Judging from the illness described by the family, the wheezing sound when the woman walked, and her thick neck, Zhou Can felt that the woman’s sleep-related breathing pauses were unlikely to be closely associated with the airway.
There are many potential causes of this symptom, and if one is misled by the superficial symptoms of obesity, it can be like candlelight that fails to reveal the truth.
After she undergoes the bronchoscopy, the results should clarify.
Whether it’s the patient with an ovarian tumor undergoing gastroscopy or this obese woman undergoing bronchoscopy, they need to fast for four to six hours.
Bronchoscopy generally uses local anesthesia, posing a lower risk.
The results are likely to be available by the afternoon.