The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 622 Tapeworm disease?

"Teacher Liu, the patient's temperature is still a bit high. His coughing has become severe. We've collected blood and stool samples and initiated a CT scan," Miao Rui approached Liu Banxia the next morning after Liu Banxia returned from breakfast in the canteen.

Liu Banxia nodded. "Let me know once the CT results are out. Based on the current situation, what's your assessment?"

"Um... Teacher Liu, I think the patient's symptoms are worsening," Miao Rui replied. "Perhaps the onset of his illness was chronic. Considering the progression from when he was admitted yesterday until now, it might have entered the acute phase."

"Teacher Liu, do you think it could be some kind of infectious disease? After all, we've done so many tests. Unless it's a particularly rare virus?"

"If the patient's condition had changed that drastically, it would be a possibility. However, we also need to note that his temperature hasn't reached a high fever," Liu Banxia said. "Often, Level Three or Level Four infectious diseases are accompanied by high fever. That's the virus attacking the body and the immune system responding."

"For this patient, although we can't determine the exact illness yet, it likely isn't a Level Three or Level Four infectious disease. If it's Level One or Two, that could encompass many possibilities."

"So, your assessment wasn't very precise. However, your diagnostic plan for the patient was very good. Arranging the CT scan without waiting for me shows you've truly started thinking about this patient's well-being."

"It's like I said yesterday; it's a shift in your role. It's not that you weren't responsible for patients in the past, but you lacked the initiative to think proactively."

"Go on, get back to work. Let me know when the results are out. For now, we can only wait for the latest test results and see. Wang Huan and I are leaning towards parasites."

"After all, we've had cases where stool tests failed to detect parasites. So, we need to do several more. Let's hope we've guessed right."

Hearing Liu Banxia's words, Miao Rui chuckled. He was indeed very focused on this case, partly due to Liu Banxia's talk the previous night.

However, there was an unintended consequence: he started overthinking. He'd connected everything, assuming it might be some epidemic infectious disease. Now, he didn't think so anymore.

"Why are you so happy?" Wang Chao asked curiously when he saw Liu Banxia.

"And why do you have dark circles under your eyes?" Liu Banxia retorted with a smile.

"I'm not talking to you. I'm going to check on my patient. Normally, we should see some effect today," Wang Chao said, walking away guiltily.

He couldn't help but grumble internally. How does Liu Banxia see through him so easily? So what if he was a little worried and had a bit of insomnia last night? It's not a big deal. Better avoid that guy in the future. Those eyes are too sharp. It's hard enough to stand in front of him without a strong conviction in your lies, let alone survive till the next day.

Liu Banxia performed his routine check on the critical patients in the upstairs ward and then sat in the lobby, waiting for the test results of yesterday's patient.

The colonoscopy results came out first, showing a small polyp but nothing else. Then came the stool test, which was negative. The lymphoma test results also came back negative, as expected.

When the CT results finally came out, Liu Banxia called Chen Xuehai for a consultation. Six very small shadows were found in the patient's lungs.

"Are these pulmonary cysts? Or foreign objects? They look like cysts," Chen Xuehai asked.

"You've covered all the possibilities, but we can't be sure yet. Miao Rui, quickly brief Chen Xuehai on the patient's situation," Liu Banxia said.

Miao Rui quickly summarized the important details for Chen Xuehai, from the patient's admission last night to the tests performed today and their results.

"You two suspect parasites?" Chen Xuehai asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "We suspected it yesterday. So far, three stool tests have come back negative, so we're thinking these might be parasitic cysts."

"If foreign objects were inhaled, they wouldn't be so scattered, would they? And what could he have inhaled? Six of them, all at once, into his lungs? You're the expert here. What's the next step?"

"The safest option is a laparoscopic exploration for a biopsy. Or, you could try administering some Metronidazole?" Chen Xuehai suggested.

"We can't administer that recklessly. If it's not a parasite susceptible to Metronidazole, stimulating it could cause further harm to the patient," Liu Banxia countered. "We also did an X-ray yesterday, but it didn't show these small dark spots. Probably because they were too small and obscured by inflammation."

"So, are there no other diagnostic methods?" Chen Xuehai asked.

"The main issue is the sheer number of parasite types, and testing methods vary for each. Right now, we're not even certain it's parasites," Liu Banxia said.

Chen Xuehai shrugged. "Then there's no other way. All we can do is a laparoscopic exploration. That's the most direct approach, isn't it? We can directly take a sample, or even remove one to see what's inside."

"Hold on, let's reconsider," Liu Banxia said after a moment of thought.

"I was just thinking about something. If this is a parasite, and it's in the lungs, what about the liver?" Wang Huan interjected. "The liver, lungs, and intestines are common sites for parasites. The infection process often begins with eggs hatching in the intestines. The larvae then enter the bloodstream and travel to the lungs, liver, or brain, where they settle."

"Wait... something's not right. His family is from the grasslands, a pastoral region. My goodness, it could be echinococcosis! Miao Rui, draw blood from the patient for an echinococcosis serology test!" Wang Huan suddenly exclaimed.

Hearing Wang Huan's words, Liu Banxia also frowned, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

Without hesitation, Miao Rui rushed back to the patient's room, a dreadful possibility dawning on him.

Before a diagnosis was made, the patient's condition was somewhat perplexing. But once Wang Huan mentioned the possibility of echinococcosis, any laparoscopic exploration or biopsy had to be approached with extreme caution.

Echinococcosis is caused by tapeworms of the Echinococcus genus. This parasite is common in pastoral areas, and there are many subtypes. The most common type in our country, Echinococcus granulosus, has a certain cure rate. Another type is Alveolar Echinococcosis, also known as 'foam-like echinococcosis.' This Alveolar Echinococcosis, sometimes called 'parasitic cancer,' has a very high mortality rate.

However, regardless of the type, they all share a common characteristic: if a cyst ruptures, the fluid inside can cause severe allergic reactions in the patient, including anaphylactic shock. Furthermore, if a cyst ruptures, the protoscoleces inside can spread throughout the body. Because they are so small, if they evade drug treatment, they can continue to develop and multiply.

"Comrade Old Chen, this is where you're really tested. If it is indeed echinococcosis, we'll first try a course of medication to kill the larvae. If any remain after that, you'll have to operate," Liu Banxia said.

"Sigh, if it really is echinococcosis, it's going to be very troublesome. Laparoscopy requires extremely precise technique, and a thoracotomy would be very invasive for the patient," Chen Xuehai said with a wry smile.

They could also think of what Miao Rui had realized. Surgery is the last resort, but there's a high risk of recurrence. A lot would depend on Chen Xuehai's skill during the operation.

"Why can't you guys ever find an easy case for me to consult on? Yesterday's was just like this," Chen Xuehai grumbled.

"What can we do? For now, we have to see if it's echinococcosis and how effective the medication is. It aligns with your suggestion to try drug treatment, right? You called the shot, that's great," Liu Banxia said.

Chen Xuehai gave him a helpless look and decided not to stay with this irksome fellow any longer.

His life was tough, Chen Xuehai thought. The main difficulty with this surgery is the high demand for precise manipulation; the actual complexity of the procedure isn't that high.

"Brother Wang, it really shows we need an experienced expert like you in charge," Liu Banxia said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Don't praise me; I only just thought of it. If the CT hadn't shown the cysts, the most we would have done is suspect parasites," Wang Huan said. "A parasitic disease that was once typically confined to pastoral areas now requires our vigilance due to increased population mobility."

"Exactly. And that's just within the country. If we encountered parasitic diseases prevalent abroad, diagnosis would be even more challenging. Chao, how's your patient?" Liu Banxia said.

"President Liu, we might have actually guessed right! He usually has at least one bowel movement by this time, but he hasn't had one today," Wang Chao said, clearly pleased.

"Oh? Really? Well, congratulations!" Liu Banxia said sincerely.

Actually, for him, the standards weren't that high. As long as the patient's condition didn't worsen, it was a success. At the very least, this fecal transplant wouldn't cause the patient any additional harm.

"To be honest, I've been on edge too. What are you two up to?" Wang Chao said.

"We were just talking with Brother Wang about your patient. With such good news, aren't you going to treat us to lunch?" Liu Banxia said, feigning seriousness.

"Why do you always pick on me? Let's wait until lunchtime and see what the patient's data looks like," Wang Chao said, frustrated.

After walking away, he felt something was off. Those two, chatting about someone else's patient? Is that even possible?

He glanced back at them suspiciously but saw both of them smiling and giving him a thumbs-up. I must be overthinking things. His patient was indeed a focus of attention in the Emergency Center; after all, it was the first attempt at a fecal transplant. So what if he was being extorted? As long as everyone was happy, it was fine.