My Medical Skills Give Me Experience Points

Being on duty at night definitely required staying by the pregnant woman's bedside.

There was no need to constantly stare at those monitors; just a glance every so often would suffice. Because if there were any major changes in the patient's vital signs, the monitoring equipment would sound an alarm.

Furthermore, tasks such as changing intravenous drips, adjusting ventilator settings, and so on, all required Zhou Can's personal attention.

However, he hadn't even left the hospital when his cell phone rang.

Upon checking, it was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, may I ask who's calling?"

Zhou Can answered the call.

"Dr. Zhou, Dr. Zhou, this is Dr. Pang! The patient's blood oxygen suddenly dropped, please come over quickly."

There was a hint of nervousness and panic in Dr. Pang's voice.

After all, she was the attending physician with experience working in an intensive care unit; could a sudden drop in blood oxygen scare her this much?

As Zhou Can quickly turned around and dashed to the resuscitation room, he contemplated inwardly.

Dr. Pang's professional level was not bad; such a scare could only mean two possibilities. Either she had been negligent and something had happened, or that after the patient's blood oxygen levels dropped, she had taken measures, but they had been ineffective.

Bursting into the resuscitation room, Zhou Can saw Dr. Pang and Nurse Chen Qingling both engaged in rescuing the patient.

There were three doctors and nurses from Xinxiang Women and Children's Hospital standing by, watching.

"Wasn't everything fine when I went to have my meal? How could the patient's blood oxygen level suddenly drop so drastically?"

Zhou Can observed the patient's vital signs calmly; there was no significant drop in blood pressure.

This meant the situation wasn't as bad as he had feared.

The patient's breathing was short and labored, her face cyanotic.

After all, her lungs had shown diffuse infiltrative shadows after a fat embolism, so their function certainly couldn't compare to a healthy person's.

But after being placed on a ventilator, her condition had stabilized.

What had caused this sudden deterioration?

To save this pregnant woman, Zhou Can had guarded her the entire day.

He did not want to see all their efforts go to waste.

"I had gone to use the restroom at the time. When I returned, I found the patient's blood oxygen index dropping," replied Chen Qingling.

In an intensive care unit, patient care often operates on a one-to-one nurse-to-patient ratio, and a one-to-three doctor-to-patient ratio.

What does this mean?

It means at least one nurse provides care to each patient on a one-to-one basis. A doctor is responsible for no more than three patients at the same time.

Actually, the most appropriate course of action would have been to transfer this pregnant woman to the intensive care unit, but considering her family's financial circumstances, as well as the fact that she had not yet passed her critical period, Zhou Can was offering high-quality four-to-one service.

The crisis management team consisted of a total of five medical personnel, and Deputy Director Shi was only there in name.

The ones truly at work were Zhou Can, Dr. Pang, and two nurses.

Since Zhou Can and Ji You were scheduled for the night shift, Dr. Pang and Chen Qingling were left to keep watch temporarily.

Nature calls, and nobody could blame Chen Qingling for using the restroom during her shift.

The incident occurred while Dr. Pang was alone on the scene.

Zhou Can's gaze turned to Dr. Pang.

"I... I was standing by the bedside the whole time. When I noticed the patient's blood oxygen index dropping, I immediately took a series of emergency measures."

Her eyes were somewhat evasive.

Clearly, she wasn't telling the truth.

This Dr. Pang, unsatisfied with Zhou Can being appointed as deputy group leader, was now even so neglectful in her work, Zhou Can immediately felt a surge of anger.

"You called me as soon as you noticed the drop in blood oxygen index; how could the patient's oxygen saturation plunge below 70%?" There was anger in Zhou Can's voice.

A nurse from Xinxiang Women and Children's Hospital muttered softly, "I saw her on the phone the whole time!"

Dr. Pang, unable to quibble, had no option but to confess honestly.

"I was by the bedside when my family called. My mother has been bedridden, and I was worried about her, so I talked for a bit longer. At that moment, I might have been too focused on the conversation, and since the pregnant patient hadn't shown any signs of trouble all day, I admittedly let my guard down. It wasn't until Nurse Chen Qingling returned from the restroom that she discovered the patient's oxygen saturation had dropped to 85% and the monitor was alarming. That's when she urgently called for me."

Dr. Pang knew she was at fault and her attitude was quite acceptable.

Now is not the time to assign blame, urgently identifying the issue and rescuing the patient is most crucial.

"How long was it from the moment you noticed the patient's oxygen alarm until you called me?"

"It was probably less than five minutes. After Dr. Pang took some emergency measures and didn't see any improvement, in fact, the oxygen saturation fell even faster, she quickly called you."

Chen Qingling added from the side.

"In just a few minutes, the oxygen saturation dropped so severely; what emergency measures did you take?"

As Zhou Can searched for the cause, he asked Dr. Pang.

"I increased the oxygen concentration and the oxygen flow..."

Dr. Pang recounted her actions during the rescue.

Zhou Can was suspicious of Dr. Pang's rescue actions, and after listening, he meticulously checked the ventilator settings and had an epiphany.

He quickly tried reducing the nebulization and adjusted several parameters of the ventilator.

He then rechecked the patient's intubation for any issues.

The rapidly falling oxygen saturation gradually stabilized and then began to rise slowly.

After about twenty minutes, the patient's oxygen saturation had risen above 95%, and the alarm was silenced.

The cyanosis on the pregnant woman's face had also returned to normal.

Only her fingertips remained slightly purple.

Dr. Pang felt like she had just survived a life-and-death crisis, letting out a long breath of relief, her originally tense and grayish complexion finally regained some color. A hint of joy after escaping disaster appeared on her face, and the panic in her eyes vanished.

If something had happened to the pregnant woman just now, Dr. Pang would likely have been held responsible.

Considering Tuya Hospital's strict stance on medical safety, her career would have been effectively over. To be able to stay at Tuya Hospital and make it to retirement as an attending physician would be incredibly fortunate.

"Dr. Zhou, why is it that by adjusting the ventilator parameters, the patient's oxygen saturation stabilized and then went back up?"

Dr. Pang, as an attending physician, addressed Zhou Can, a resident doctor, with respect for the first time.

It was both out of gratitude and genuine admiration for Zhou Can's abilities.

"Firstly, your hasty decision to increase the oxygen concentration and flow was not quite right. Too much haste leads to poor results, ever heard of that? In the future, Dr. Pang, when rescuing such patients, it's better to consider the patient's condition comprehensively. Moreover, when you saw that increasing the oxygen concentration and flow didn't work, blindly giving the patient nebulized inhalation actually made matters worse."

"The basic principle is, when someone's airway is already flooded, adding a man-made downpour will only choke her airway further, won't it?"

Zhou Can didn't keep his knowledge to himself but patiently explained the principles to Dr. Pang.

She might understand these concepts, or perhaps only have a vague idea.

At that moment, because she was occupied with the phone call, causing the patient's oxygen saturation to drop to 85% before noticing, instinctively, she must have panicked.

In a rush and in a panic, it's easy to lose one's sense of proportion, leading to potentially erroneous decisions.

The saying 'illness leads to desperation in seeking doctors' applies not only to patients but to doctors as well.

After listening to Zhou Can's explanation, Dr. Pang carefully contemplated the underlying pathology and physiological mechanisms. It took her a good seven or eight minutes before she finally grasped it.

"So that's how it is... Ah, it was all because I was in a panic! I almost made a grave mistake."

Once she understood the pathological mechanisms, she repeatedly smacked her forehead.

"Thank you, Dr. Zhou, for your guidance, thank you!"

Her thanks to Zhou Can this time came from genuine submission and gratitude.

This actually made Zhou Can feel uncomfortable about pursuing the matter further. He had even considered reporting to Director Zhang and giving her a severe lesson. Considering her age and that she was middle-aged with a bedridden mother at home.

If he were to get her fired, it would seem somewhat cruel.

"Thanks are unnecessary. The most important thing in medical work is safety. Being able to save the patient this time doesn't mean we'd be so lucky if an accident were to happen again. I sincerely hope Dr. Pang properly values the job as a doctor. When patients entrust us with their lives, how great is that trust? Right?"

Zhou Can did not harshly criticize her, but gave her a few tactful reminders.