Chapter 1463: False Alarm

Chapter 1463: Chapter 1463: False Alarm

Although the child was not his direct patient, he had done an evaluation during the admission process.

If it was just progressive paralysis, the cause could be slowly identified. But now there is pleural effusion, which is a very bad sign.

If this condition cannot be controlled or handled properly, it could be fatal.

A puncture needle was brought over, along with a ventilator.

Liu Banxia found the position and directly inserted the needle into the child’s thoracic cavity. This terrified the people standing by; such a thick and long needle, inserted just like that?

For these people, the procedure just witnessed had only been seen on television before, and now witnessing it firsthand was truly shocking.

As the pleural effusion was extracted, Liu Banxia frowned while looking at the color of the fluid in the needle.

The effusion has a pinkish color; it’s possible the little guy’s thoracic cavity not only has exudation but also bleeding.

"10 units of etomidate, 50 units of succinylcholine, perform tracheal intubation and put on the ventilator."

After withdrawing the needle, Liu Banxia said.

Huang Bo personally administered the injection to the child, while Liu Banxia performed the tracheal intubation and connected the ventilator.

With the successful connection, the child’s breathing improved effectively, and Liu Banxia’s heart eased temporarily.

"Doctor, what’s happening exactly?" The child’s mother finally returned to her senses.

"There might be exudation in the thoracic cavity and small bleeding points. I also did auscultation just now and didn’t hear any heart sound issues," Liu Banxia said.

"Let’s first do a chest CT to see if there’s any problem with the lungs, and then do a spinal CT and head CT."

"Don’t rush, I’ll invite doctors from the emergency center for a consultation. The child’s condition is stable at the moment. Huang Bo, take the child inside first and check his condition."

"Alright."

Huang Bo responded, hurriedly carried the child to the bedside cart, and pushed the child into the CT room.

Liu Banxia then took out his phone and made calls to Chen Hongyang, Wang Huan, and Peng Bo, maintaining today’s setup, only replacing it with a young patient.

"Doctor, give me a definitive answer. Is my son in life-threatening danger?"

After finishing the phone calls, the child’s father asked, staying outside.

"I won’t hide anything from you; there’s still a lot of uncertainty at the moment. But the current manifestation of the child seems to be related to his limb situation," Liu Banxia said.

"Can’t you give me a straight answer? What kind of doctor are you?" The child’s father was anxious.

"It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but the cause hasn’t been completely identified yet," Liu Banxia said.

"You should have heard my phone calls just now; I’ve contacted pediatrics, internal medicine, and cardiology for a consultation on the child. We still need to examine first; only after examining can we make further judgments."

"I..."

The child’s father was so anxious that he could barely speak, his face growing increasingly flushed.

Liu Banxia gently patted his back and spoke as softly as possible, "Don’t rush, we’ll mobilize the hospital’s resources to help diagnose the child’s condition."

"Huff...huff...huff..."

The child’s father finally breathed smoothly; he was truly infuriated just now.

"Teacher Liu, there’s still a small amount of effusion in the thoracic cavity, no obvious abnormalities observed, no spinal abnormalities observed, brain CT negative."

At this time, Huang Bo pushed the child out.

"Send him to the ward first, remove his clothing, and conduct a thorough physical examination. I’ll go over with Director Chen later," Liu Banxia said.

"Okay."

Huang Bo responded, also noticing a seemingly tense atmosphere between Liu Banxia and the child’s father.

"I can’t force you to place hope in us, but I swear, I’ll do my utmost, mobilize all available resources, and provide a comprehensive diagnosis for the child," Liu Banxia said very earnestly.

"Oh... Doctor, I’m begging you, save my child,"

The child’s father said, wiping his tears.

Liu Banxia did not say anything, only giving his shoulder a firm pat, then hurried to catch up with Huang Bo.

"Director Liu, what’s the situation?"

Chen Hongyang asked, arriving.

"From a traffic accident admission, the initial state showed no autonomous movement in the lower limbs. While waiting for the CT, the upper limbs also showed no movement ability," Liu Banxia said.

"Complicated by pleural effusion, the thoracic cavity has exudate and bleeding points. No heart murmurs, no observed organic lesions, spinal negative. Reflexes present but no autonomous movement capability in the limbs."

Upon hearing this, the three also frowned.

Honestly, they didn’t expect such unusual cases today. If another rheumatology patient comes in, it’s certainly not a good sign.

"Was blood drawn?" Peng Bo asked.

"Not yet. After a thorough examination in the ward, we’ll draw blood for testing," Liu Banxia said.

"Let’s go, let’s check the ward first," Wang Huan said.

They didn’t waste any more time and went together to the ward.

"Teacher Liu, please take a look, the child has bruises on the thighs and arms."

Huang Bo quickly said as soon as they entered the ward.

"Hold on, let me take a closer look."

Chen Hongyang shouted.

Then he approached the child, pinched the child’s chin, tried to look at the child’s oral cavity, and then carefully examined the child’s hair and fingers.

Watching Chen Hongyang’s actions, Liu Banxia initially frowned slightly and then brightened up, also moved closer to check the child’s feet and carefully examined the toes.

"Director Chen, take a look at the child’s left little toe," Liu Banxia said.

Everyone hurried over and saw that the child’s toenail was in poor shape and seemed thin.

Chen Hongyang smiled and nodded, "A false alarm, the blood test will mainly check for vitamin C."

"I was so worried about whether the child was paralyzed that I didn’t notice such obvious symptoms," Liu Banxia sighed.

"Doctor, do we know what’s going on?"

Hearing their conversation, the child’s mother hurriedly asked, her eyes filled with hope.

Liu Banxia smiled and nodded, "The child has been staying with Grandma recently. Grandma really loves her elder grandson, right?"

The couple didn’t expect him to ask such a question at this moment, but they instinctively nodded.

"Life must be good, the child is somewhat picky with food?" Liu Banxia continued to ask.

The couple nodded again.

Their life wasn’t bad at all; even if they ate poorly themselves, they ensured the child received enough nutrition.

"The problem is here; the child likely has scurvy. There’s been a chronic vitamin C deficiency that worsened while living at Grandma’s, leading to these symptoms," Liu Banxia said.

"Don’t worry, the child’s paralysis is only false paralysis. No extensive treatment is needed, just supplement with vitamin C."

"However, we should still do the test. I’ll arrange for urgent processing; the result will be quick. Director Chen, can we give 100mg of intravenous vitamin C first?"

Chen Hongyang smiled and nodded, "No problem, give 100mg first. After confirmation, we can supplement again in the evening."

Everyone relaxed; the child’s symptoms indeed indicated scurvy, which wasn’t immediately considered due to the car accident factor.

Scurvy is quite rare these days, especially in children.

Given improved living conditions, kids generally don’t lack fruits.

Though some newborns may get scurvy if feeding is neglected, regular breastfeeding or branded infant formula can prevent it.

This little boy’s situation is likely due to overindulgence at home.

He loves meat and gets plenty, while vegetables get overlooked. Many kids also dislike vegetables.

A lack of vitamin C affects collagen synthesis, leading to cell connection issues and increased capillary fragility.

That’s why the child has bruises on the limbs due to subperiosteal bleeding, causing false paralysis.

The thoracic effusion and hemorrhage are also due to this reason.

The child’s symptoms differ somewhat, highlighting Chen Hongyang’s expertise. Liu Banxia initially speculated about the car accident impact.

The car accident scenario hadn’t fully formed in his mind yet, so he was still mulling it over.

"Doctor, are you saying the condition can be treated with vitamin C supplements?" the child’s father asked, incredulous.

Liu Banxia smiled and nodded, "Yes, just supplement vitamin C now. Soon add more vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruits to regular diet intake."

"In the future, let the child eat more of these. While meat is good, eat it in moderation; excess becomes a burden."

"What about that tube?" the child’s mother asked.

"Let’s wait for the results. Though symptoms match, we’ll rely on test results," Liu Banxia said.

"Okay, hurry with the test. I’ll go buy some oranges? No, I need to get orange juice. No, I should buy oranges to squeeze myself. Is there more vitamin C in oranges?"

Suddenly, the child’s mom became anxious again.

"No rush, we can slowly supplement later," Chen Hongyang nodded.

Understanding their feelings, even the doctors felt quite relieved and happy.