"Did you think Dr. Chen was laughing a bit strangely just now?" Liang Xiaolin asked on their way to the orthopedics department.
"Strangely? I didn’t notice. I actually thought Dr. Chen was holding back some anger and supporting me," Liu Banxia replied.
Liang Xiaolin blinked, looking worried. Instinctively, she felt she’d made another wrong decision. Why did I have to follow him? He could have come alone if he wanted to.
When they arrived at the orthopedics department, they saw the female companion of the patient from earlier waiting outside. After asking, they learned he had already been taken into the operating room for a biopsy.
"Hello, Director Xu."
Just as they were wondering whether to head toward the operating room, Xu Peichen walked over.
Xu Peichen paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "What’s this? Have you come to our orthopedics department to poach patients now?"
Liu Banxia blushed. Apparently, the commotion I caused in the pediatrics department was quite significant.
"Director Xu, I just saw a patient who has now been sent to the operating room for a biopsy. I thought I’d see what the final result is and also admire your handiwork," Liu Banxia said.
"If you’re really interested, come and watch. We have a patient with a dislocated shoulder," Xu Peichen said casually.
What else could Liu Banxia say? Not just him, even Liang Xiaolin eagerly followed Xu Peichen.
The treatment room wasn’t very large. The patient was sitting on the hospital bed, and an X-ray film was clipped to the lightbox beside him, showing the shoulder joint had slipped out of its capsule.
Xu Peichen merely glanced at the X-ray upon entering the room before walking over to the patient. He lifted the patient’s left arm with his right hand and placed his left hand on the shoulder joint.
Liu Banxia was also currently studying joint reduction techniques, so he understood Xu Peichen was assessing the actual condition of the joint. His own hands began to mimic the director’s movements.
Even by Liu Banxia’s understanding, Xu Peichen would typically need to distract the patient. But then, he saw Xu Peichen give a twist and a push—CRACK!—the joint was reset.
It was just that smooth and effortless. The patient, wincing for only a moment, tried to move his shoulder slightly and then broke into a wide smile.
The patient stood up and said gratefully.
"You still need to be more careful. Try to lift heavy objects as little as possible to prevent a recurrence," Xu Peichen advised.
The patient could only nod enthusiastically; the feeling of a dislocation was truly awful.
"Have you actually studied this?" Xu Peichen asked, looking at Liu Banxia.
"I’m just making a fool of myself. I only studied it a bit in my spare time," Liu Banxia quickly replied.
Just then, another patient walked in, bent at the waist and supporting himself with one hand, walking with some difficulty.
"You two, take turns examining him by hand," Xu Peichen said after taking the X-ray films the patient handed over.
The two residents he was supervising took turns examining the patient’s lumbar region, both reaching the same conclusion: a protrusion of the third lumbar vertebra.
Liu Banxia watched with envy. This is what it means to be a brilliant student from a renowned master. Neither of them took very long for their diagnosis; they were clearly very experienced.
"You try it too," Xu Peichen said at this moment.
Liu Banxia was surprised, then a little excited. Director Xu is such a good person! Normally, no one would lie there and let me practice examining their joints.
After palpating for a moment, he frowned, then carefully felt the area again. His expression became hesitant.
"What is it?" Xu Peichen asked.
"Um, I can’t feel it very clearly, but it seems like the facet joint of L3 might also be slightly displaced," Liu Banxia said hesitantly.
Xu Peichen glanced at him, walked over, and palpated the area himself a couple of times, then nodded. "The displacement isn’t large. Your sense of touch is very good."
DING! +10 EXP, +10 Diagnostic Skill Proficiency.
"Just a guess, pure luck. I was just guessing blindly," Liu Banxia said quickly.
"No wonder it’s more painful than before. Director, can it be treated?" the patient asked, turning his head.
"The facet joint can be reset, but a lumbar disc protrusion can only be resolved with surgery. Your symptoms aren’t very severe right now. If you’re careful in your daily life and do some appropriate traction, it should provide some relief," Xu Peichen said.
"Then... please help me with that first. As long as it’s not so painful, I’ll hold off on surgery for now," the patient said after thinking for a moment.
"Lie on your side with your right side up, and lift your right leg," Xu Peichen instructed.
Hearing Xu Peichen’s words, the patient positioned himself as requested.
Xu Peichen stood behind the patient, first kneading the patient’s lumbar and hip area a few times. Then, he placed his left hand on the patient’s shoulder and his right hand on the hip.
"Don’t worry, this won’t hurt. Take one deep breath, breathe in forcefully," Xu Peichen said with a smile.
The moment the patient inhaled, Xu Peichen’s hands moved swiftly in a reciprocal motion. CRACK! CRACK! With two crisp sounds, the procedure was complete.
Liu Banxia started clapping reflexively. It was precisely because he had studied it that he knew how much experience was contained within that seemingly simple action.
DING! +10 EXP, +30 Bone-setting Skill Proficiency.
"Hmm... wear a waist brace when you get home for protection. Next time, you two should look at the films first. I just acted out of habit and went straight to it," Xu Peichen said, his face stern.
The two residents following him were clearly trying to suppress their laughter. For Xu Peichen, X-rays weren’t really necessary for such patients.
Liu Banxia also found this interesting. This is the true bearing of a director. Comparing Old Qin to Director Xu, they’re truly worlds apart.
After the two patients were seen, Liu Banxia also stepped outside.
"I’m very sorry, but the pathology results show it’s a flesh-eating bacteria. We need to amputate the index finger now," Qi Wentai’s voice drifted over.
"Isn’t it just an infection? Didn’t you say it would be fine if the pus or necrotic tissue was cleared out?" the patient’s female companion asked anxiously.
"Flesh-eating bacteria are more aggressive, and currently, there’s no way to control them. If we don’t amputate quickly, it will develop into necrotizing fasciitis, which is life-threatening," Qi Wentai explained.
"We also didn’t expect an infection by flesh-eating bacteria; the situation is very critical right now. Even in the mildest scenario, if it progresses, we might have to amputate the hand."
"But we just got married! Without his index finger, he won’t be able to work on the assembly line anymore; he’ll only be assigned to a menial position. I’m newly pregnant... Doctor, I’m begging you, as long as you can save his finger, we’re willing to pay whatever it costs," she pleaded.
Hearing this, Liu Banxia realized they were newlyweds.
"Director Xu, in this patient’s situation, if we meticulously debride the infected tissue, is it possible to save his finger?" Liu Banxia asked, raising his voice slightly.
He wasn’t one to take a loss lying down. As long as there was even a sliver of a chance, he wouldn’t let Qi Wentai have an easy time.
His words immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby. What he had just said was incredibly bold.