When the Doctor Uses A Hack

Fat Zhu panicked as soon as he heard the police sirens.

He glanced at Old Yang, hoping to ask for help.

Old Yang and Fat Zhu weren't exactly upstanding citizens; they weren't too fond of dealing with the police.

Old Yang gave Fat Zhu a meaningful look, and Fat Zhu let out a sigh before coming clean about what had happened.

The two deliberated and decided to settle the issue with a bit of money.

After all, who could anticipate such an incident?

Old Ma, however, frowned slightly upon hearing about Fat Zhu's behavior. Coming from a military background, he already held a certain disdain for these types of petty thugs and hoodlums.

But now that things had escalated to this point, an intermediary was definitely necessary.

It was either resolved privately among the family members,

or they'd have to involve the Public Security Bureau or the hospital mediation committee.

The course of action would depend on the condition of the patient.

Chen Cang and Old Ma entered the emergency room.

Looking at the patient writhing in pain on the bed, Chen Cang began firing off a series of questions.

The patient was fully conscious!

Severe abdominal pain—what could it be?

Thinking carefully, Chen Cang instructed Zhou Zheng, "Relax a bit. Let me check your stomach."

Despite the persistent cramping pain, Zhou Zheng gritted his teeth and tried to endure.

Chen Cang placed his hand on the patient's abdomen and began palpating.

Old Ma remained silent, worried about distracting Chen Cang.

Chen Cang started with light palpation, moving counterclockwise around the navel.

But when his right hand slid over the upper right quadrant of Zhou Zheng's abdomen, a loud cry broke out.

Chen Cang froze.

Upper right quadrant?

What could cause such excruciating pain from a fall?

Liver rupture?

But… the liver isn't so easily ruptured. One fall wouldn't cause that. It's not made of glass, after all, and it's well-protected by layers of muscle and ribcage.

Wait a second… ribs!

Could it be a rib fracture?

Chen Cang hurriedly performed a more thorough palpation, but found no signs pointing to that.

How odd?

What could it be?

Falling, essentially a sudden, intense movement—there are only a handful of conditions triggered by such activity...

Old Ma, watching, suggested, "Why not do a B-ultrasound?"

Chen Cang was about to agree when his eyes suddenly lit up.

He noticed Zhou Zheng clutching his abdomen with both hands.

Quickly, Chen Cang grabbed Zhou Zheng's hands to examine them closely.

Then he turned to Old Ma and said, "Take off his socks!"

Though puzzled, Old Ma wasted no time and removed the patient's socks.

Chen Cang immediately leaned in for a closer look.

Just as expected!

The delivery driver's fingers and toes were covered in small black spots, resembling paint splatters or moles.

Old Ma's eyes widened in confusion when he saw this.

Nurse Yang Jie and Xiao Ke stared curiously at the patient's hands and feet.

Then, a young intern nurse suddenly whispered, "Look at his mouth—there seem to be spots on his lips too."

Everyone turned to examine further, and sure enough, they noticed faint black dots on Zhou Zheng's lips as well.

The spots weren't obvious, easy to overlook, but when considered alongside the spots on his hands and feet, it triggered something in Chen Cang's mind.

Though this pattern was peculiar, it didn't seem severe enough to cause such intense abdominal pain.

Chen Cang instructed Xiao Ke, "Go call Dr. Zhang to perform a B-ultrasound."

Xiao Ke nodded and left.

Old Ma stared at Chen Cang, unable to hold back his question: "What's going on, Chen Cang?"

Chen Cang shook his head. "The patient likely has an underlying condition, but… it's unclear if it's connected to the abdominal pain."

Old Ma looked confused, about to say more when doctors from Gastroenterology and Surgery arrived.

Since Chen Cang was on duty, when the nurse called them down, the first-line, second-line, and four or five others all showed up together.

A large group crowded into the emergency room.

Upon seeing Chen Cang, they all greeted him respectfully.

"Hello, Professor Chen!"

"Good evening, President!"

Chen Cang nodded. "Take a look at the patient first. Examine him. Yang Jie, follow up on the B-ultrasound."

Yang Jie nodded and left in a hurry.

As the doctors conducted their examinations, someone suddenly asked, "The pain was caused by a fall? Could it be an acute intestinal volvulus?"

Chen Cang's eyes suddenly brightened.

No, it wasn't volvulus!

It was another condition.

A condition triggered by rapid changes in body position—harmless for most people, but dangerous for a certain subset of patients!

After some discussion, Old Ma grew worried.

"Chen Cang, what exactly is it?"

"It's likely acute intussusception. A B-ultrasound should confirm it, and we'll follow up with a CT scan," Chen Cang replied.

Everyone froze upon hearing "intussusception."

This patient was clearly a grown man in his twenties—healthy and strong. Intussusception is primarily seen in infants, not in someone his age!

There was palpable skepticism in the air.

Even Old Ma looked at Chen Cang with doubt. "Are you certain?"

Indeed.

After Chen Cang's declaration, everyone found it hard to believe.

Intussusception is a gastrointestinal surgical emergency.

If treated within 24 hours, the prognosis is excellent. Otherwise, it could lead to serious complications like peritonitis and acute bowel necrosis.

However, studies on intussusception overwhelmingly involve newborns; even cases in toddlers are rare, let alone someone in their twenties.

Despite the puzzlement, no one doubted Chen Cang's authority.

After all, he was a globally recognized expert in gastrointestinal surgery.

His expertise outweighed even their department heads.

Though they didn't fully understand, they trusted him.

At that moment, Dr. Zhang from ultrasound walked in half-asleep, clearly just woken up.

"Professor Chen, Team Leader Ma, what's the situation with the patient?"

"Suspected intussusception," Chen Cang said without delay. "Please check him."

Without a word, Dr. Zhang began the examination.

Zhou Zheng's pain showed no signs of relief.

Soon enough, as the ultrasound probe glided over the lump, clear signs emerged—

A thickened bowel segment with abnormal wall thickness and increased length.

Color Doppler imaging revealed clear abnormalities in mesenteric blood flow!

Dr. Zhang decisively confirmed, "That's it—intussusception!"

"Professor Chen, your diagnosis is incredible! You detected this through the abdominal wall, and it's in an adult patient at that!"

Everyone nodded in admiration.

Old Ma looked at Chen Cang with disbelief. Could this guy be some kind of miracle worker?

However, Chen Cang turned straight to Zhou Zheng. "Does anyone else in your family have similar black spots on their fingers or lips? Or have they undergone gastrointestinal surgery?"

Zhou Zheng shook his head. "No."

Hearing the denial, Chen Cang closed his eyes briefly in thought.

The crowd was utterly perplexed.

They couldn't keep up with Professor Chen's train of thought.

Intussusception was already an unusual diagnosis—how were genetic factors suddenly relevant?