Practicing Medical Skills in a Small Clinic-Chapter 284 - 161: Respect Disease? Lower Limb Trauma Death Case Study_3

Chapter 284: Chapter 161: Respect Disease? Lower Limb Trauma Death Case Study_3

Doctor Xu’s proficiency in Bone Setting is already incredibly strong, how strong must his teacher be?

Li Jingsheng, upon meeting him, should call him Grandmaster.

But now, although he has the reality of a disciple, he doesn’t have the title.

"Oh right, there’s another case that makes me particularly anxious. It’s a little girl with bone cancer in both legs, only 11 years old, and she has already undergone amputation treatment. After the amputation, the cancer cells have metastasized to her shoulder bones, and she’s currently undergoing chemotherapy. Do you think there’s a hope for a miracle?"

If there’s any way, Li Jingsheng desperately hopes to save that brave and strong little girl.

"It’s a slim chance of survival! There have been cases where a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy has cured the condition, but generally, it’s only in the early stages. The cancer cells have metastasized to the little girl’s shoulder; what worries me is not just the bone metastasis, but the possibility of cancer cells invading the organs or other tissues."

Doctor Xu holds a pessimistic view about this little girl’s outcome.

"For treating bone cancer, are there any effective medicines or treatments in traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Traditional Chinese medicine never had the concept of cancer. I only specialize in Bone Setting techniques; I might know a thing or two about treating bone injuries, but I’m an outsider to bone diseases. You can focus on learning the manual realignment techniques first, and then you’ll naturally have the chance to meet true masters of traditional Chinese medicine."

It’s unclear from whom Doctor Xu learned his Bone-setting Skill.

He says it this way, surely he’s encountered more formidable masters in traditional Chinese medicine.

Manual Bone Setting itself is just a minor branch within traditional Chinese medicine.

It seems he can’t help that little girl either.

"Teacher, today I also encountered a bone injury patient who twisted her knee playing basketball. I can’t quite articulate it, but I have a gut feeling that her condition isn’t as simple as it seems. She didn’t let me examine her and just left with a bottle of safflower oil. For cases like this, where does the risk generally come from?"

As the conversation continued, Li Jingsheng decided to ask more questions.

"It’s hard to say, but if serious, it can be fatal. If it’s relatively minor, it might heal on its own, but if the structure of the knee joint is injured and not treated correctly in a timely manner, disability is possible."

Doctor Xu said seriously.

"A knee sprain can be fatal? Don’t scare me, okay!"

Li Jingsheng believes that even if a person’s limbs are severed, as long as bleeding is stopped and infection is prevented, they can still survive.

"Scare you? Even a small fracture of a foot’s toe has led to a patient’s death three days later. Let me tell you, as a doctor, we must respect diseases, not dogmatically respect life."

Doctor Xu’s mindset is completely different from that of ordinary doctors.

No wonder many people at the Second Hospital secretly call him Xu Feng.

Respecting life is what’s written in medical textbooks, and teachers often repeat it.

But here with Doctor Xu, how does it translate into respecting diseases?

"Don’t look at me with those eyes, there’s nothing wrong with my mind. As doctors, who do you think we’re fighting against? We’re fighting against diseases, do you understand? Respecting the opponent and maintaining a constant sense of awe will keep you grounded and prevent mishaps. Sometimes, even a small disease or oversight can result in a patient’s death. There might not even be a chance to save them."

At this moment, Li Jingsheng surprisingly agreed with Doctor Xu’s theory.

Even though he knew it was heretical and against conventional wisdom, it still seemed reasonable to him.

"How did that patient with the fractured toe die?"

Li Jingsheng’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

He must admit that, despite his few years of clinical experience, he’s unfamiliar with many diseases and risks.

He’s still very inexperienced.

"That patient was a retired foreigner, formerly a high-ranking official, very wealthy. He liked adventure, and during a mountaineering journey, he stubbed his left big toe on a stone, which resulted in swelling and pain. At the time, he just rubbed it off and didn’t pay much attention to it. After returning home, he asked his family doctor to check it, who said it wasn’t a big deal. The old man felt reassured.

But on the second day, it was still very painful, and the toe got quite swollen.

At that time, I was gaining some fame, and he came to see me for an opinion. After feeling his bones, I discovered he had injured his toe bone and had a minor fracture. Moreover, his blood vessels were slightly damaged. I advised the old man to seek treatment at a medical center.

Don’t be fooled, some foreigners aren’t short on money, but they’re stingy.

Of course, some of the medical fees over there are indeed very expensive.

The old man didn’t heed my advice and didn’t go for any further checks.

Then, around five o’clock on the third morning, he suddenly felt short of breath and discomfort all over his body. He immediately called his family doctor over, and reportedly, his face was somewhat cyanotic by that time.

He was rushed to a medical center, but he couldn’t make it to further examination and died of respiratory arrest directly.

Despite over an hour’s resuscitation efforts, we couldn’t save him."

The case Doctor Xu described left Li Jingsheng feeling incredulous.

It gave him a glimpse into some of Doctor Xu’s past. Listening to his words, it seems Doctor Xu may have spent some time abroad and even gained some reputation.

That makes sense; with his skill level in manual Bone-setting Realignment, he wouldn’t have to worry about making a living anywhere.

Making money overseas should be easier.

After all, there are many manual bone-setting clinics in the country, but none overseas. They are all traditional Chinese medicine clinics operated by our country’s doctors.

Abroad is so vast; forget about eating up in a state, even a city would be enough to have a comfortable life.

"How did that person end up dying? Did a thrombus form in the deep vein of the lower limb, then travel retrogradely to the lungs, leading to death?"

The answer Li Jingsheng could think of seemed to be just that one.

If the patient suffers a lower limb injury and fails to handle it properly in time, opting to be sedentary or lie flat to wait for the injury to heal, it becomes very easy for a thrombus to form in the lower limb.

Once a deep vein thrombosis forms in the lower limb, it tends to travel upwards against the bloodstream.

Upon entering the heart, it’s quite easy to reach the pulmonary vein, resulting in a pulmonary embolism.

If the thrombus isn’t dissolved in time, the person can die quickly.