I Am Diagnosed as a Medical Titan

After leaving Du Xunsheng's room, Jiang He went on to check on his other patients.

Most of the patients were in relatively stable condition.

Except for the patient in Bed 17, whose condition was visibly poor.

Frowning, Jiang He stood by the bedside, waiting for the patient's data to come back.

Finally, Meng Shiyu returned, his expression grave. "Chief, the bloodwork for Bed 17 is back. Something's not right."

Jiang He took the report, his eyes quickly scanning the key data.

The amylase and lipase levels were rising steeply.

The white blood cell count and C-reactive protein were also beginning to exceed normal levels, and serum calcium concentration was showing a downward trend.

These were classic warning signs of progressing severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).

The patient in Bed 17 was a forty-three-year-old man named Guo Chengyu.

He had just been transferred up from a county hospital yesterday. His initial diagnosis was listed as acute gastroenteritis.

Guo Chengyu was now curled up on the hospital bed, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

"Mr. Guo, where does it hurt?" Jiang He stepped forward and lifted the corner of the blanket.

"My stomach... it feels like it's being twisted by a knife, and the pain is radiating to my back. Doctor, please give me a painkiller shot. I can't take it anymore..."

Guo Chengyu gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.

Jiang He rubbed his hands together to warm them, then began the abdominal palpation.

The moment he pressed on the upper abdomen, Guo Chengyu sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively tried to pull away.

There was clear tenderness and rebound tenderness.

His abdominal muscles were already beginning to tense up.

Jiang He turned to the nurse who had followed him in. "What's his urine output for the last two hours?"

The nurse replied, "Leader Jiang, less than thirty milliliters, and the color is very dark."

A sharp decrease in urine output. Microcirculatory disturbance was already setting in.

Jiang He closed the chart and turned to give Meng Shiyu his orders:

"Get a non-contrast abdominal CT, check his bladder pressure, and notify the blood bank to have blood ready. Draw another sample for blood gas analysis and coagulation function. NPO, and start gastrointestinal decompression."

Meng Shiyu nodded as he jotted it all down. "Got it."

"If his condition continues to worsen, conservative treatment won't be enough. We might need to perform an emergency open abdominal decompression and drainage. Move fast."

Leaving the room, Jiang He glanced at the duty roster.

If Guo Chengyu's condition took a sudden turn in the afternoon, he would need to be rushed to the operating table at any moment.

An open abdominal decompression and drainage for severe pancreatitis wasn't quite at the same Hell-level difficulty as a pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure).

But in the hospital's tiered system, it was definitely classified as a major, upper-tier Level III surgery.

Jiang He's current position was unique.

He was the leader of an independent medical team at Affiliated Hospital No. 1, promoted outside the usual track. He enjoyed the benefits of an associate chief physician and had the authority to admit patients.

However, according to the hospital's current SOP, while he could be the primary surgeon for Level I and II surgeries, he needed special authorization to lead a Level III surgery.

On the schedule, Teacher Yang's surgical slate for the day was packed.

A radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma in the morning, and a Whipple in the afternoon.

"What time do you think Director Yang will be out of surgery?" Jiang He asked the head nurse on duty.

The head nurse replied, "Leader Jiang, Director Yang went in for the Whipple at 12:30. He probably won't be out until after 8 p.m. today."

Jiang He nodded.

'Can't wait for Yang Xu.'

'If Guo Chengyu's condition becomes critical this afternoon, I might have to operate myself.'

'In that case, I'll need to get special signed approval from the hospital administration.'

Jiang He returned to his office, pulled out an "Application for Special-Tier Surgical Authorization," filled in the patient's information and the proposed surgical plan, and headed for the administration building.

...

「The Vice Dean's Office.」

Jiang He knocked twice and pushed the door open. "Dean Zhang, I need your signature on—"

Zhang Sui was sitting behind his desk when his phone suddenly rang.

Jiang He immediately stopped. "Please, take the call. I'll wait outside."

"No need to leave. Have a seat."

Zhang Sui waved his hand, then not only answered the call but also put it on speakerphone.

Jiang He blinked, realizing the caller must have something to do with him.

A few seconds later.

Wang Qian's voice came through. "It's been a long time, Brother Sui. It's Wang Qian."

The moment he heard that, Jiang He immediately sat down.

'Who doesn't love some juicy gossip? Especially when it's front-row gossip concerning me.'

Zhang Sui mouthed something, gesturing for Jiang He to start recording.

Understanding dawned on Jiang He. He switched on his phone's recorder, placed it nearby, and gave a thumbs-up.

Seeing that the recording was on, Zhang Sui finally asked, "So? What's up?"

Wang Qian sighed, his tone full of emotion, as if he had weathered many storms.

"I was just suddenly thinking about the old days when we were studying and doing research together at Hopkins. Brother Sui, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Zhang Sui said nothing.

Wang Qian continued on his own, "Back then, when we'd just arrived in Baltimore, we had nothing. We'd burn the midnight oil in the lab until two or three in the morning. I was your assistant, processing those endless slides. Then on weekends, the two of us would go out looking for food."

"There weren't many good restaurants back then. Every time we went out to explore a new place, it felt like an adventure. I remember one time we ate at this awful place, and you were so mad you refused to even leave a tip."

Wang Qian chuckled. "Brother Sui, you probably don't know this, do you? When you stormed off to the bathroom, I was the one who secretly pulled a few bucks from my own pocket and left it under the plate for the waiter. I knew you were stubborn and principled to a fault, but I was afraid the American waiter would chase us out and start yelling..."

Hearing this trip down memory lane, anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were brothers who had been through thick and thin together.

Zhang Sui listened quietly until he was finished. "Yes. And that's why you stabbed me in the back later, right?"

After a dozen seconds of silence.

Wang Qian spoke again.

"Brother Sui, what happened back then... I was in the wrong."

"I've actually always wanted to find a chance to apologize to you in person, but I know you hate me. I didn't have the courage to face you."