This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Even with the current situation of the Health Clinic, it might be empty for three hundred sixty days a year after expansion, but Du Heng felt it was necessary.

When he brought the patient’s wife into the consultation room, Du Heng didn’t rush to speak. The mess left behind was too big. Not transferring the patient to the Municipal First Hospital in time was, by itself, enough for the patient’s family to raise a fuss.

After pondering for three seconds with his eyes closed, Du Heng took out his cell phone under the puzzled gaze of the patient’s wife. He dialed Zhou Yixian’s number, activated the speakerphone, and placed the phone on the table.

The phone rang for a long time and was about to stop ringing when Zhou Yixian finally picked up, ”President Du, what’s up?”

”It’s like this. I have a patient with brucellosis here. He has a dilated whole heart, ventricular premature beats, Heart Function Level IV, Heart Failure Level III, a small amount of pleural effusion, aortic lesions, liver function impairment, hypoproteinemia, generalized pitting edema, and testicular swelling. He just had a cardiac arrest. We haven’t done other tests due to lack of equipment. Should I arrange to transfer him to the Municipal First Hospital now?”

Zhou Yixian was silent on the other end of the phone.

The patient’s wife looked at Du Heng with doubt. She had heard Du Heng use a title for the person on the phone and realized it was the Director of the Emergency Department at the Municipal First Hospital. Still, after hearing the symptoms, the other party suddenly stopped talking, making her feel uneasy.

Du Heng shook his head at her, signaling her not to speak and just keep listening.

As expected, five or six seconds later, Zhou Yixian spoke again, ”You can send him over, but based on the symptoms you just mentioned, transferring him here won’t achieve much. At most, we could maintain him for three to five days, but we still wouldn’t be able to save him.

Based on what you said, the patient’s heart, liver, and kidneys must be completely damaged by now. And given it’s brucellosis, his body must be infected and inflamed.

The medications used to treat and control brucellosis all have side effects causing some degree of liver damage. In his current condition, the patient simply can’t tolerate such medication.

If we were to treat the heart failure first, the infection in his body would remain uncontrolled. Medication for that wouldn’t help; instead, it would increase the burden on his heart and accelerate the patient’s death.

Besides, he’s already had one cardiac arrest; we wouldn’t be able to control another.”

He paused for a moment and said, ”The patient is with you now. If even you can’t stabilize him, what makes you think I could if you sent him here?”

Although there seemed to be some flattery in his words, Du Heng was still pleased to hear them from Zhou Yixian.

”Of course, if it’s the patient’s request, then you can send him over.”

”Alright, thank you, Director Zhou. I’ll talk to the family.”

”Yes, you should explain it in detail. That’s the situation on my end. To be honest, given his current condition, sending the patient to any hospital will yield the same result.

His heart, liver, and kidneys are all failing. Especially with what you described—dilated whole heart, ventricular premature beats, Heart Function Level IV, Heart Failure Level III, generalized pitting edema, and testicular swelling—his heart and kidney functions are at rock bottom. If the medication is too light, the patient won’t absorb it; if it’s too heavy, his heart won’t be able to bear the burden.

Bringing him here would only prolong his suffering and cost the family more in emergency treatment fees.

If you really decide to send him over, give me another call then.”

After listening to the busy tone on the phone, Du Heng picked up his cell phone and put it away.

”I was just on the phone with the Emergency Department Director of the Municipal First Hospital. You’ve heard your husband’s situation. What are your thoughts now? If you decide to keep him here, we’ll do our utmost to treat him. If you want to transfer him, we can arrange a vehicle immediately.”

The patient’s wife hesitated, not knowing what to do. ”Doctor, you were the one who diagnosed my husband’s illness last time. Will the medicine you prescribe this time save him?”

Du Heng wanted to say yes, but Qi Cai’s case suddenly flashed through his mind. Qi Cai was the first patient he had treated who was counted as a valid disease record, yet ultimately didn’t survive. Suddenly, he didn’t dare to make promises as confidently as before.

”Here’s the thing: given his current situation, the prescription I’ve prepared should be effective. However, as you know, his heart could give out at any moment. I can’t be sure if he’ll last long enough for the medicine to take effect.

Let’s put it this way: if he can hold on for twenty-four hours after taking the medicine, then his life will no longer be in danger.”

After comparing Du Heng’s words with what the director on the phone had said, the woman looked at Du Heng pleadingly, ”Doctor, we’ll have him treated here. Please, let him be treated by you.”

Du Heng took a breath and pulled out several forms from the drawer. ”Your husband’s condition is quite dangerous, so the dosage of medication required is quite large. We need your signature on this Informed Consent Form before we can administer it.”

”I’ll sign.”

Her hand was shaking badly, but she still signed her name at the bottom of the form after Du Heng read the Informed Consent Form to her.

Once all the paperwork was completed, Du Heng also received a notification of a valid disease record. It seemed Wu Buwei had already delivered the medicine.

Because of Qi Cai’s case, Du Heng had become much more cautious. He instructed Yu Haiting and Xiao Li not to leave, and he himself dared not leave either. He wouldn’t dare go anywhere until he saw a significant improvement in the patient.

The patient took the medicine. By evening, his spirits had slightly recovered. He sat up in bed for five minutes and then fell back into a deep sleep.

By the next morning, there was a light sheen of sweat on the patient’s forehead. His mind was clear, and he was able to speak softly.

Moreover, since taking the medicine, he had experienced only one episode of palpitations right at the beginning. After that, up until the morning, the patient had not experienced any more palpitations or cardiac arrest. This indicated that the critical period had passed.

But from yesterday morning until now, a full twenty-four hours, the patient had not urinated. Even when he tried, it would only be a few drops. He still could not eat. This indicated that there were still unforeseen complications.

Du Heng instructed Yu Haiting and the others not to stop the medicine, to continue with the same dosage and administration method as yesterday. They were to inform him when the patient felt like eating or was able to urinate.

After making the arrangements, Du Heng finally felt relieved enough to go find Li Jianwei.

As for Yu Haiting and Xiao Li, who had stayed by the patient’s bedside all night, Du Heng didn’t let them rest, instructing them to continue watching over the patient.

This patient had been Yu Haiting’s responsibility from the start, and the current situation was entirely due to his carelessness.

The patient had nearly died; it was only right for Yu Haiting to lose a night’s sleep.

After spending the whole morning with Li Jianwei taking care of all the school matters, Du Heng declined Li Jianwei’s invitation and dashed back. He was still a little worried.

When he rushed back to the Health Clinic, it was almost time for the afternoon shift.

Several doctors who had been shooed away the previous day were standing at the entrance of the hospital room, peering inside and whispering amongst themselves.

Du Heng coughed heavily behind them. When they turned and saw it was Du Heng, they immediately greeted him and then scurried away.

Yu Haiting, dozing off in the hospital room, now served as a cautionary tale for them.

A Vice Dean had personally administered medicine to the patient all night and still hadn’t left the hospital room. If Du Heng wanted to deal with these small fry, it would be effortless.

Watching them run off, Du Heng paid them no mind. He directly pushed open the hospital room door and went inside. Seeing the two of them sitting on the edge of the bed, drowsy, Du Heng’s anger subsided a bit.

Although his approach might have hurt Yu Haiting’s pride, Yu Haiting had indeed become arrogant. Especially after becoming Vice Dean, he was nothing like the person he had been when he first arrived the previous year.

He was a Western medicine practitioner, not a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, yet he had become so careless that he dared to be negligent with a patient’s check-up. If the Health Clinic were to expand further, wouldn’t he get completely out of hand?

The problematic work attitude of the outpatient doctors was definitely partly Yu Haiting’s fault.

Doing this also served as a way of making an example out of him.

”AHEM.”

”Dean.”

The two dozing figures were startled awake. They swayed as they sat up from the bed, looking utterly exhausted.

”What’s the situation now?”

”At noon, the patient began to sweat all over, then ate a small bowl of noodles, and then went to sleep.”

”Still no urination?”

”No.”

”Sort yourselves out and go get some sleep. Yu, come find me this afternoon after you’ve rested.”

Upon hearing Du Heng’s words, both of them breathed a collective sigh of relief and nodded eagerly.