The Enhanced Doctor
Chapter 43 - 043 Orthopedic Master

Chapter 43: 043 Orthopedic Master

The standard configuration here today was Zhang Yun, Sun Fengjiao, and Qi Wentao on duty in the emergency room. Compared to Liu Banxia’s freedom, Qi Wentao had a bit more. Because Qin Hai directly supervised him, Qi Wentao, despite being a resident doctor, often had priority in the emergency room. When other attending doctors came to work, they would just turn a blind eye.

The current Liu Banxia was just hanging around, hoping to pick up a case if others got busy. But after an hour and a half of waiting, aside from chatting with the nurses, he really had nothing else to do.

"Banxia, we just got a patient with a dislocated knee. Do you want to witness the prowess of the orthopedic master?" Zhou Li, noticing Banxia’s boredom, came over with a smile.

"Are you telling me that Director Xu of orthopedics has personally come over? Is this for real? Isn’t there an orthopedic doctor on duty?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.

Director Xu of orthopedics was a treasure of the hospital. His bone-setting skills were renowned throughout Binhai City, and his presence made the orthopedics department one of the most popular ones in the Second Hospital. According to information Liu Banxia had previously received from Shi Lei, Director Xu was very skilled in handling dislocations and fracture reductions. Unless it was a comminuted fracture, most situations didn’t require X-rays; he could directly perform the reduction. Despite being the director of orthopedics at the Second Hospital, he also held titles in two orthopedic specialty hospitals.

"Luck is on our side today. An orthopedic doctor was called to the operating room for a tendon suture on the back of a hand. Apparently, a patient admitted last night is the child of a friend of Director Xu’s, and he’s currently in a ward upstairs. When orthopedics was paged, Director Xu came down himself," Zhou Li explained.

Liu Banxia nodded. "This is a golden opportunity. I must witness Director Xu’s technique. It’s never enough watching him work."

Just as he finished speaking, Director Xu came down from upstairs. He wasted no time and went straight over. Qi Wentao, who had also approached, glanced at Banxia. He seemed very annoyed but said nothing.

Banxia didn’t care. He knew there would undoubtedly be plenty of friction with Qin Hai and his faction in the future. Of course, that was contingent on him successfully securing a permanent position at the hospital. Otherwise, he’d be out within two months, with no chance for any such friction.

The patient was a man in his thirties, dressed in a sports vest and shorts, and sweating profusely. His left leg lay flat on the examination bed, and his breathing was somewhat heavy.

"Director Xu, the patient fell and dislocated his left knee. He also lost consciousness. His blood pressure is 60/80. A head examination showed no signs of injury," Xu Dan hurriedly reported.

Director Xu nodded. "Is he a fitness enthusiast or an athlete?"

"I’m a marathon enthusiast. Isn’t the Bin Marathon next month? I’m currently training," the patient said with a smile.

"Director Xu, did he faint due to low blood pressure?" Qi Wentao asked.

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. Was he trying to show off? But does he even have the competence?

Observing Banxia’s eye-roll, Xu Peichen asked with a smile as he began to examine the patient’s left knee, "Do you have a different opinion?"

"Director Xu, athletes generally have lower blood pressure. Considering the patient’s physique, his muscle mass, and the fact that he’s sweating heavily, I believe he fainted due to dehydration," Liu Banxia quickly responded.

Qi Wentao’s face flushed slightly. How could I have made such a basic mistake? And in front of Liu Banxia, of all people!

"Dehydration? Unlikely. I only ran five kilometers today and drank two bottles of water. I also ate two... AH... HISS... HISS..." _{fre(e)webnove.l.c.om}

Before the patient could finish, Director Xu made a quick movement with his hands. There was a sharp ’CLICK!’ and the dislocated joint was back in place.

It was that impressive. Liu Banxia had been watching intently. It seemed like Director Xu had merely touched around the knee a few times, then with a push and a pull, fixed it instantly.

"Put on a patellar brace and get an X-ray. Check his dehydration status; if it’s severe, administer appropriate fluids," Director Xu instructed casually.

"Young man, I suggest you get a thorough check-up. Although marathon running is a popular sport now, it can place a significant strain on the bodies of amateur athletes.

"Even if you love it, you must be well-prepared before each training session. This doesn’t just mean warming up, but ensuring your body itself is ready."

"Thank you, Doctor," the patient quickly responded.

"Director Xu, your skill is incredible! When I was rotating through orthopedics, I could never get enough of watching you work," Liu Banxia added.

"Incredible? Not really. I’ve just handled many cases and become experienced," Xu Peichen replied with a smile.

"You should all learn some basic orthopedic techniques. Although orthopedics is its own department, it’s still a branch of surgery. Simple dislocations like this can often be handled directly in the emergency room."

"Director Xu, I wish I had your skill. If we try to handle it, the patient is the one who suffers. Take your procedure just now—I understand the principle, but it wouldn’t be the same in my hands," Liu Banxia said.

"Who doesn’t start from scratch? There’s no such thing as a natural-born doctor. It’s just that you youngsters these days don’t apply yourselves enough; you’re not willing to delve deeper into these areas," Director Xu said, shaking his head.

"The increasing specialization of departments is beneficial for cultivating specialists—that’s what’s meant by ’specialized and refined,’ I suppose. However, many minor conditions don’t require so much time, and treating them this way is a waste of resources.

"Doctors these days are completely different from how we were. It’s as if they can’t diagnose illnesses without relying on instruments. Anyway, I must be going. Call me if anything shows up on the patient’s X-ray."

Liu Banxia refrained from his usual habit of flattery; it was clear Director Xu was speaking from the heart and perhaps with some frustration. But his words weren’t wrong. Modern doctors, Liu Banxia included, did indeed rely heavily on medical instruments. One reason was that instruments provided objective data, facilitating diagnosis. Another was that, in the event of a medical dispute, such data could clarify many things.

Otherwise, if you just make verbal claims, who’s going to believe you?

"Ah, I truly envy Director Xu’s skills. Not just in our Binhai City, but he’d have a prominent place even nationally," Liu Banxia sighed.

"Stop sighing. Qi Wentao has already left. Is the patient temporarily under your care now?" Zhou Li asked.

Liu Banxia turned his head to look. Sure enough, Qi Wentao had already slipped away to see other patients. What a slippery fellow, running off as soon as the main event was over.

He got a blanket for the patient to cover him. Since it wasn’t an urgent emergency case, they couldn’t jump the queue for an X-ray.

However, while covering the patient with the blanket, he noticed the man’s body temperature was slightly elevated. He didn’t pay too much attention, though. After all, the patient had just been running and was dehydrated; a rise in body temperature was to be expected.