Chapter 42: A Clash of Medical Wits

“Hmph! When I was pursuing my PhD overseas, I interned at one of America’s top medical centers—far from the incompetence you suggest. Once this fainting pregnant woman recovers, I’ll prove that my approach is anything but theoretical. And you’ll have to apologize to me,” he declared.

Du Leng, who prided himself on being a top medical genius, had been publicly dismissed by Zhou Can as all talk and no action.

He simply couldn’t stand the humiliation.

Determined, he resolved to use the pregnant woman to demonstrate his diagnostic skills.

He would even force Zhou Can to apologize in front of everyone.

Zhou Can grinned with an inscrutable smile.

“Alright, no problem! But I must remind you, Dr. Du, a misdiagnosis is the worst nightmare,” he said.

Du Leng’s face shifted from pale to red, and his breathing grew heavy.

“What are you implying? That my diagnosis for this pregnant woman was a mistake?”

Everyone could sense that Du Leng was seething with anger.

Doctors dread the word ‘misdiagnosis’ above all else.

A misdiagnosis can be a slap in the face at best or lead to a major medical accident at worst.

It was no wonder that Du Leng reacted so explosively.

Director Xie, noticing that the Surgical Department’s reputation was about to be tarnished, also lost his temper.

“Director Lou, your doctors are outrageously arrogant. And Director Yin of Neurology—Dr. Du Leng has diagnosed the cause of the patient’s fainting as due to an intracranial arterial aneurysm compressing the brainstem. And he casually dismissed our combined consultation as wrong,” he protested.

Director Xie, asserting his authority, directly confronted Director Lou.

This was his way of having Director Lou put Zhou Can in his place.

And it conveniently brought Director Yin into his camp as well.

“Young man, even though you topped the residency exam, humility is key. The cases I’ve handled far outnumber yours. You’ve only worked a few days—choose your words wisely, or you’ll not only embarrass yourself but also the Emergency Department,” he warned.

Director Yin, too, felt his temper rise.

Fame must be earned, not given.

His authority in Internal Medicine had already been challenged once by Du Leng. Now a mere undergraduate and a freshly minted resident dared to contradict his diagnosis.

Such an attitude simply could not be tolerated.

Director Lou faced the dual protests from these top figures, and the pressure was immense.

“Zhou, watch your language!”

He chided Zhou Can lightly, offering a semblance of an explanation to the two directors.

Zhou Can said no more; actions speak louder than words.

As long as the true cause of the ailment is uncovered, both Director Yin and Du Leng would be forced to bow their heads.

His warning to Du Leng about a potential misdiagnosis reflected a hint of confidence.

Sometimes, a lesion can disguise itself.

Take the common saying ‘treating a headache by treating the feet’—normally, a headache implies the problem is in the head, yet the real lesion might indeed be in the feet.

An eye problem caused by podiatric inflammation can produce headache symptoms.

If an incompetent doctor prescribes medicine for a headache, it will undoubtedly fail.

This pregnant woman’s fainting may indeed have been triggered by a cranial aneurysm, but the real cause might not be that aneurysm.

Zhou Can found the sudden spike in the woman’s blood pressure especially suspicious.

It was likely the genuine culprit.

The apparent cranial aneurysm was merely a red herring.

Treating only the symptoms is like playing whack-a-mole: knock one down, and another pops up.

Such cases are all too common.

Many patients are admitted with one ailment, only to have their condition deteriorate. From one problem, five or six may develop—what doctors call complications.

Some complications are unavoidable, but others result purely from diagnostic errors.

Zhou Can bowed his head in deep thought.

The pregnant woman, who had managed her blood pressure well for nearly six months of pregnancy, had shown no issues until now.

So why did her blood pressure suddenly spike?

They say experience makes perfect physicians.

With over fifteen years of hypertension history, she surely knew as much about controlling her blood pressure as any specialist.

That ruled out basic mistakes like skipping her antihypertensive medication or overreacting.

Moreover, considering she valued her unborn child more than her own life, she would have been extremely cautious.

The episode occurred suddenly in a taxi.

This indicates that she was unaware of any bodily discomfort before leaving home; otherwise, she would have taken an ambulance instead.

After all, what danger can a taxi ride pose? Even if the driver braked abruptly ten times, it wouldn’t cause her blood pressure to spiral out of control.

Judging by her elegant and refined appearance and kind features, it’s highly unlikely a quarrel with the driver would spike her blood pressure.

Having ruled out these factors, could it be that she consumed something she shouldn’t have before leaving?

Perhaps she took the wrong medication.

This possibility is very high.

Her messy eyebrows before departure suggest she had vision issues at the time.

A habitual dose of her antihypertensive, taken without realizing her eyesight had faltered, might have led her to grab the wrong pills.

She took them hastily and left.

After ingestion, the medicine dissolved in her stomach, was absorbed into her bloodstream, and then caused her blood pressure to spike.

It took roughly twenty minutes from taking the medication to the onset of symptoms.

The timing matched perfectly.

“Yes, it has to be that!”

Zhou Can’s eyes brightened with newfound clarity and determination.

It was as if the clouds had parted.

He had deduced the reason behind the sudden, uncontrolled blood pressure in the pregnant woman.

Next would be the medical test results to back up his theory.

After all, nothing can rely on guesses alone—there must be scientific evidence.

What exactly did she take by mistake?

There are numerous drugs that can elevate blood pressure.

A look at her blood test report might reveal some clues.

But as the pregnant woman was still unconscious, communication was impossible.

To pinpoint the true cause, a proper diagnosis and differential analysis were essential.

Zhou Can walked over to the locker and retrieved the patient’s test results.

This action immediately caught everyone’s attention.

Several senior doctors in the Emergency Department looked at him with admiration.

Young doctors who are eager to learn are a blessing.

Only by observing and pondering more can one truly improve diagnostic skills.

“Dr. Zhou seems to have a different opinion on the diagnosis!” Gao Jian said with a smile as he approached to engage him in conversation.

While others looked down on Zhou Can for being an undergraduate, Gao Jian recognized his true talent.

After arriving in the resuscitation room, Gao Jian had been contemplating the cause of the pregnant woman’s condition.

He intended to outdo Zhou Can in this diagnostic battle.

Yet, he found himself at a loss.

When Zhou Can suddenly examined the test results, a sense of unease gripped Gao Jian.

“I’m just here to learn, nothing more,” Zhou Can remarked as he skimmed through the blood test report.

After reviewing the pregnant woman’s blood test, Zhou Can appeared slightly disappointed.

It was merely a routine blood test report.

To detect any drug components in the blood, a sample would need to be sent for specialized testing.

At that moment, the pregnant woman, having completed her cranial ultrasound, was returned to the ward.

Du Leng was eager to get his hands on the ultrasound images.

“That’s it! The intracranial arterial aneurysm is compressing the brainstem,” Du Leng exclaimed excitedly.

He was nearly screaming with excitement.

He could hardly wait to announce to the world that his diagnosis was spot-on.