In the hospital room, Fang Zhiyan entered wearing his white coat and saw Zhu Zixiao fitting a patient with a breathing mask. Fang had a rough understanding of the patient's situation—an elderly person suffering from acute left heart failure, similar to a previous patient Fang had rescued.
Tonight, the attending physician on duty was Cao Chong, currently busy with surgery, so Zhu Zixiao was temporarily handling this case. Just as their shift was ending, the patient's condition suddenly worsened. However, with the breathing machine in use, the old man's blood oxygen levels stabilized and were starting to rise.
Zhu Zixiao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Fang Zhiyan, offering him a rare smile.
"Do you know why I became a doctor?" Zhu Zixiao asked.
"Why?" Fang Zhiyan responded casually, still watching the elderly patient, sensing something was amiss but unable to pinpoint it. Such intuition might seem unfounded, but it's invaluable in the emergency ward.
Zhu Zixiao continued the conversation, "When I was a kid, my grandpa was the one who treated me best."
"He fell gravely ill at home, and the village barefoot doctor couldn't cure him."
"The nearest hospital was far away, and in the heavy snow, there was no way to get him there."
"So we could only watch helplessly as my grandpa took his last breath and passed away."
"From that moment on, I was determined to become a doctor!"
Hearing this, Fang Zhiyan nodded slightly. It was inspiring, though he wondered if it were true. Having read too many motivational stories, Fang had grown skeptical of such narratives.
Zhu Zixiao seemed displeased. "What's the matter, Xiao Fang? Your brother is talking to you."
"I know, I heard you, Brother Xiao. You're really admirable," Fang candidly complimented. "So you became a doctor to prevent such regrets from happening again. You're truly a doctor with compassion."
Zhu Zixiao was satisfied, his mood brightened. He nodded and was about to speak further when suddenly—
"Beep beep beep beep!"
The heart monitor emitted its shrill alarm. Zhu Zixiao's eyes widened in shock, his face turning pale.
"What's happening? Why is the alarm going off again?"
"I followed Dr. Cao's instructions exactly; how could this happen?"
Fang Zhiyan turned towards the heart monitor, noting the irregular waveform. It was ventricular fibrillation, a severely malignant arrhythmia.
Zhu Zixiao's motivational words were now powerless; he couldn't save the old woman.
Ventricular fibrillation essentially means death. With the heart unable to pump blood to the organs, the only immediate action was external chest compressions.
Zhu Zixiao remained flustered. The elderly woman was losing consciousness, foaming at the mouth.
Now it was time for Fang Zhiyan to act. Quickly stepping forward, he replaced Zhu Zixiao's position.
"Brother Xiao, get the defibrillator!" he shouted, starting chest compressions on the old woman.
Zhu Zixiao panicked, "What? Defibrillator? Where?"
His extreme agitation left him bewildered and incoherent.
Fortunately, while Zhu was a trainee, the nurse wasn't. Shen Qingyue rushed over with the prepared defibrillator.
Fang Zhiyan called out, "Set for an initial energy of 200 joules."
Shen Qingyue complied with Fang's instructions, swiftly applying conductive gel to the electrodes.
Following the diagram, Fang Zhiyan selected the defibrillation sites.
"Everyone clear off the bed!" Shen Qingyue shouted, having enough experience with such situations.
Zhu Zixiao slowly regained composure, noticing Fang Zhiyan had taken over his task. He felt somewhat redundant. But with the urgency at hand, there was no time for reflection, so he stepped back.
"Bang!"
The old woman's body jerked. Fang Zhiyan checked the heart monitor.
The alarm ceased, and the patient's heartbeat stabilized to a normal rhythm.
"It's all right now, it's all right," Zhu Zixiao breathed a sigh of relief, casting a complicated glance at Fang Zhiyan. This young man was far more composed than he was. A true prodigy in medicine, unlike Zhu's own frantic self earlier. Should he really envy him? After all, Fang shined a bit brighter, but Zhu assured himself he wasn't narrow-minded.
Zhu Zixiao coughed lightly, pondering something. Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyan continued watching the heart monitor, sensing issues were not yet resolved.
Sure enough, within the blink of an eye, the elderly patient's blood oxygen levels began to plummet at a rapid rate.
Zhu Zixiao's expression froze.
"It's hopeless, hopeless!"
"What now? Why is it so difficult to save her?"
"Fang Zhiyan? What should we do? Intubation, yes, tracheal intubation!"
"I don't know how! I can't remember the first step, how do we intubate?"
Zhu Zixiao was thoroughly panicked, standing nearby with trembling legs.
Yet his suggestion was correct. With the blood oxygen levels dropping, tracheal intubation—an invasive ventilation measure—was the only solution.
However, most trainee doctors lacked this skill. Even if they studied it in school, during a life-and-death situation, there's no time for recall.
Hence, Zhu Zixiao's first thought was to seek help from his mentor.
"Dr. Cao, yes, Dr. Cao, where is he? I'm going to find him!"
With a shout, Zhu Zixiao dashed out of the emergency room like the wind.
As he crossed the threshold, he nearly slipped, inadvertently mimicking a cartoon-like chase.
Fang Zhiyan quickly regained focus and turned to Shen Qingyue. "Hurry, prepare for tracheal intubation!"
Shen Qingyue looked astonished at Fang Zhiyan. "Dr. Fang, you're still a trainee. Are you sure?"
Tracheal intubation is a skill not every doctor possesses. Without specialized training, it's hardly something a doctor could perform.
"Go ahead, the patient can't wait. If you're willing to watch the patient die, feel free to ignore me," Fang firmly instructed.
"But—"
Shen Qingyue hesitated, but during a fleeting moment, she stopped abruptly.
From start to finish, Fang Zhiyan was exceptionally composed, a stark contrast to Zhu Zixiao's panic. He seemed uncannily calm for a trainee doctor. Could he truly manage this?
Resolved, Shen Qingyue bit her lip, pivoted swiftly, and started preparing the intubation kit.