Du Heng stared intently at the sick bed, his eyes unblinking as he watched the child gasping for breath. Hearing Director Cao’s words, Du Heng asked in a similarly soft voice, "Will it be effective if we use it?"
Such a question made Director Cao sigh. "According to the records on the diagnosis and treatnt form, it won’t be. All the dicine and thods we’ve used, they’ve already tried. Moreover, looking at the child’s condition, not only did the dication fail to control it, but it also increased the burden on the kidneys."
"Then let’s not use it." Du Heng let out a long breath and said firmly, "Since you don’t have any good thods, let’s try mine."
As Du Heng’s words fell, the nurse who had just exited quickly ran back in, a box of brand-new disposable acupuncture needles in hand.
Du Heng said no more, allowing the nurse to help with disinfection. He walked to the child’s side and quickly stripped off his clothes.
After carefully observing the child’s body, Du Heng took a deep breath and reached out for the needle utensils handed over by the nurse.
"Director Cao, please help hold the child up and sit him properly."
"Alright."
Director Cao and the Ergency Doctor beside him hurriedly stepped forward, one on each side, and helped the child sit up.
First acupoint: EX-B1, at the back of the neck, inferior to the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra (C7), insert the needle 1.5 inches.
Seeing the nearly five-centiter fine needle in Du Heng’s hands effortlessly inserted into the child’s thin and weak body, Director Cao couldn’t help but tremble. For a mont, he felt as if the needle had pierced straight through the child.
Du Heng had no ti to pay attention to the expressions of those around him. He took the second needle, changed positions to stand in front of the child, and, holding his breath, began the next insertion.
Second acupoint: Tian Tu Acupoint, inferior to the neck, on the anterior midline, in the center of the suprasternal fossa, insert the needle one inch.
Third acupoint: PC-06...
In the first round, Du Heng inserted five needles.
These five needles had one primary function: to relax the chest and regulate qi, open the airways, calm asthma, and smooth the breath.
After the five needles were inserted, Du Heng paused his pace of insertion, then carefully observed the changes in the child.
There was an effect, but it was not obvious. However, the acute wheezing was slowly easing.
Du Heng gently exhaled, then lowered his head again and resud inserting needles.
At this mont, Director Cao’s hands, which were supporting the child, actually began to tremble slightly. The Ergency Doctor assisting nearby also stared at Du Heng in shock.
Acupuncture was not unfamiliar to them, and they had also witnessed Du Heng perform acupuncture. However, inserting the needles so deep and so many tis was sothing they found hard to accept. This was especially true for insertions in very dangerous locations, such as the throat and the back of the head.
With each needle Du Heng inserted, they felt as if the child would beco transparent, pierced through by that single needle.
After twenty minutes of needle manipulation, Du Heng began to slowly remove the needles. "Alright, Director Cao, let the child lie down for a while."
Director Cao looked at the neatly arranged needle utensils on the side and couldn’t help but sigh with relief.
However, the child’s issues, such as acute wheezing and profuse sweating, had actually been alleviated under Du Heng’s acupuncture treatnt. Especially the heartbeat, which had now dropped to around one hundred and seventy. Although it still seed very high compared to the previous rate of over two hundred, this result was astonishing to everyone.
But this sense of relief did not extend to Du Heng.
There was an effect, but it was not the effect he wanted; it didn’t even reach half of what he had expected. In other words, his acupuncture treatnt this ti could be considered a failure, as it hadn’t solved any practical problems.
After a short wait, Doctor Ma ca in with the dicine. Because they were in a hurry, the dicine was not sealed in a plastic bag as usual but was brought in directly in two disposable paper cups.
"Dean, the dicine is ready."
Du Heng glanced at the size of the paper cups, then took them and placed them on the bedside table. He said to Doctor Ma, "Wait for another forty minutes and then continue to decoct the second dose."
Then he turned to the nurse and said, "Use this cup. Half a cup at a ti, feed it to the child every twenty minutes."
This ti, he abandoned his usual thod of administering dicine to children with a spoon in small, frequent doses. He needed the child to show rapid improvent.
The nurse nodded, quickly picked up a cup, and carefully began to administer the decoction dicine.
After the child had taken the decoction dicine, Du Heng and the others showed no intention of leaving and remained quietly by the side of the sick bed.
At this ti, the Ergency Doctor walked up to Du Heng with two forms in hand. "Dean, this is the form for special dication use and the ergency dication record. You need to sign them."
Du Heng glanced at the forms awaiting his signature.
Only then did he realize that this dication process was, strictly speaking, a violation of protocol. He hadn’t inford the family, nor had it been prescribed through a normal dical advice. However, given his position as Dean, the ergency nature of the situation, and previous similar dical cases, the Ergency Doctor had not stopped him. But now that everyone had a mont to spare, the necessary signatures and procedures still had to be completed.
Du Heng took the forms, signed them, and handed them back to the Ergency Doctor. After receiving them, the Ergency Doctor looked up and asked Du Heng, "Dean, should we explain the dication and treatnt process to the family?"
Du Heng, still staring at the child on the sick bed, remained silent for a good while before saying, "You go and talk to them. Just explain the situation."
"I know what to do." The Ergency Doctor nodded and then asked again, "So, what should we say about the child’s condition?"
Du Heng’s jaw muscle visibly tensed for a mont before relaxing. He took a long, deep breath and said, "I’m not sure. Let’s wait for the dicine to take effect and see."
After a mont of hesitation, Du Heng added to the Ergency Doctor, "Issue a critical condition notice."
The Ergency Doctor’s eyes widened considerably as he looked at Du Heng.
A critical condition notice? The uncertainty the Dean expressed wasn’t the usual procedural caution; it seed he genuinely wasn’t sure.
However, after a brief pause, the Ergency Doctor quickly composed himself, took the docunts, and hurried out of the hospital room to find the waiting family mbers.
Ti slowly ticked by in the sowhat tedious wait.
As ti passed, the piercing alarms from the monitor gradually subsided. The entire display screen was no longer a glaring red but had turned yellow. Although none of the readings had turned green yet, this change was enough for everyone present to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
And their gazes towards Du Heng once again filled with admiration, and even a touch of awe.
Yet, Du Heng’s expression remained unchanged. The changing values on the monitor didn’t bring even a hint of a smile to his face. Nor did the improvents in the child’s condition make him feel any more relaxed.
After the nurse fed the child the decoction dicine for the second ti, Du Heng once again approached the child and took his wrist.
"Mr. Du?"
"Hmm?"
The sudden voice by his ear made Du Heng’s hand, which was taking the pulse, pause for an instant. It was this montary pause that brought a faint smile to his face.
Du Heng slowly turned his head. Seeing the child, who had reopened his eyes and was looking at him, he said softly, "Ah, you’re awake?"
"I’m sorry, Mr. Du. I didn’t listen to you. I secretly ate a piece of waterlon."
Hearing the child apologize as soon as he woke up, Du Heng suddenly found himself at a loss for words. An unnatural smile flickered on his lips and then vanished. But realizing that wasn’t right, he quickly put the smile back on his face.
"You see? When you don’t listen to Mr. Du, you end up having to be hospitalized again, right?"
"I’m sorry, Mr. Du. But I haven’t had waterlon in so long, and I really, really wanted so, so I secretly ate two pieces."
Du Heng’s fingers, still on the child’s wrist, felt the faint pulse. He said softly, "It’s okay, just two pieces. With Mr. Du here, there won’t be any problem. But you have to be obedient in the future. You absolutely mustn’t sneak food that Mr. Du doesn’t allow you to eat."
"Mmm, I’ll definitely listen next ti."
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