The little boy’s grandfather sat down with the child in his arms.
Taking the x-ray, Zhou Can noticed there was a clear fracture line on the child’s right navicular bone. The fracture line was not visible on the dorsal or lateral sides.
This boy had only a minor fracture.
A hematoma at the ankle area is no big deal. There will be pain for a while, but it will subside in a couple of days.
The human body’s self-healing ability, and the capacity to absorb such local hematomas, are both incredibly strong.
"His foot was twisted quite badly! Look, the navicular bone is already fractured."
Zhou Can showed the x-ray to the family.
Theoretically, the navicular bone, talus, and the first and second cuneiform bones are all prone to fracture during a sprain.
But the navicular is the most susceptible to fracture.
It has to do with its location.
It’s considered an important link between the heel and the toes. In the event of a sprain, this area often bears the brunt of the force.
Moreover, the majority of ankle sprains are to the lateral side.
When the foot lands, the body’s center of gravity is unstable, and the foot twists outwards. In such cases, the body’s own weight bined with the forces of imbalance can easily exceed the skeletal system’s tolerance.
This results in a fracture.
Zhou Can had seen the worst cases, which were minuted fractures.
Those simply couldn’t be fixed externally; surgery was the only option.
And even with surgery, it was very difficult for the patient to return to their previous level of physical activity.
"What, what should we do then? His parents are divorced, his father is working elsewhere, and his grandmother and I are taking care of our grandson. Doctor, please think of a way to help us!"
The grandfather had not expected his grandson to be so badly injured and was immediately anxious.
At this time, many family members’ first reaction is to break down and cry.
Zhou Can was used to it.
"Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll try to put a gypsum cast on him for external fixation and realignment treatment. However, you must follow medical advice strictly, and not indulge the child’s whims. If he doesn’t recover properly, it could lead to a walking disability, and that would be troublesome."
These words were somewhat meant to scare them.
Zhou Can’s intentions were sincere; his expression might be stern, but his heart was full of passion.
The little boy’s parents had divorced, and with the father not at home, the grandparents lived with him. Usually, it can be extremely difficult for grandparents to discipline their grandson, and pampering him from a young age is the most accurate description.
Zhou Can now performed an External Fracture Fixation Technique on the little boy, but the mischievous child dismantled it in just a few days.
This would not achieve the corrective therapeutic effect.
It could genuinely result in disability.
After recovery, he could walk, but he would limp.
"Alright, alright, we’ll definitely listen to you!" The grandfather used an honorific title for Zhou Can. Bowing his head, he then glared at his grandson and scolded sharply, "Boy, did you hear what the doctor said? If you don’t obey this time, your leg will be disabled."
His voice was harsh, but his eyes were filled with affection.
"Mmm! I’ll be good!"
The little boy agreed promptly, but whether he could actually ply remained to be seen.
Zhou Can performed the External Fracture Fixation Technique on this little boy.
Plainly put, it was about putting on a plaster cast.
After finishing, he checked it carefully. Observing for over ten minutes and not finding any indication that the bandage was too tight and cutting off blood circulation, he was then reassured.
Applying a plaster cast might seem like a very simple task, but novice doctors often bind the bandages too tightly or too loosely due to nervousness.
Too loose, and it won’t have the ideal fixation effect.
Too tight, and it could cause ischemic necrosis in the patient’s limbs.
Such an incident had never happened in a major hospital like Tuya, but he heard from colleagues in the orthopedic department. A patient with a fractured foot had a plaster cast at a small clinic, looking to save money. Later, because the bandage was wrapped too tightly, blood flow was cut off, leading directly to necrosis of the limb.
When they arrived at Tuya Hospital, amputation was the only option to save the patient’s life.
Many seemingly simple operations at large hospitals often lead to medical malpractice and even fatalities at smaller hospitals or clinics.
This is because major hospitals have traditions, including a Level 3 responsibility system.
Many bloody lessons turned into experience are passed down through generations. Hence, the incidence of mishaps in major hospitals is much lower.
Zhou Can instructed on some precautions and sent the grandfather and grandson away.
There were a sparse number of patients seeking treatment from him.
There were also those who came to consult with him after pleting their tests.
An hour or so later, the little girl who had cut her hand with a rusty angle iron returned with her calcitonin gene-related peptide test results. Indeed, as Zhou Can had anticipated, the results indicated abnormal elevation.
It was now almost certain that the patient was suffering from septicemia.
As the patient reported anuria or oliguria, Zhou Can deduced that her renal function must be promised.
Now that the cause was diagnosed, the next step was to admit her to the hospital.
Before that, kidney function tests were necessary.
Urine analysis was one of the important tests. With the patient experiencing anuria or oliguria, they had to encourage her to drink more water and eventually managed to extract a small urine sample for testing.
Aside from this method, there are other ways doctors can obtain a sample from patients who are unable to urinate at all.
For example, inserting a urinary catheter.
If that doesn’t work, it indicates there is also no urine in the bladder, and the situation is severe. At this point, further tests like CT scans or ultrasounds can be done to clarify kidney conditions.
Some patients with renal failure may even exhibit severe renal atrophy, to the point where imaging tests can barely detect the kidneys.
This little girl had not progressed to that stage.
After a series of examinations, the little girl was diagnosed with septicemia and acute renal failure. Zhou Can admitted her for emergency treatment.
She was also the first patient he admitted to the hospital during his solo consultation.
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