Chapter 752: Chapter 305: Turning Point, Beware of Children’s Minor Injuries_3
Zhou Can had been trained since his residency to follow mainly chief physicians, and moreover, the most prominent ones in the department. In terms of requesting medical examinations, he had well inherited the chiefs’ characteristics.
He would not order unnecessary tests capriciously, always trying to minimize the suffering for patients, saving them unnecessary expenses, and significantly reducing their medical treatment time.
If he lazily prescribed a bunch of tests for the patients, it might take them a day or two just to complete all the examinations.
This is truly not an exaggeration.
In large hospitals, most tests involve waiting in line.
Why? Because there are many patients seeking medical advice, and there are also many doctors who indiscriminately order a load of tests.
"Dr. Zhou... First off, I must declare that I am not questioning your expertise, but is it really just a blood test for my child?" Upon seeing Zhou Can only request one examination, which was the simplest complete blood count, the family member felt quite uneasy.
"Otherwise? Should I order a bunch of tests for her? ECG, urine and stool routine, abdominal ultrasonography... Shall we search for anything that might even remotely apply?" Zhou Can raised an eyebrow.
"Ah... haha, I was just joking, please don’t take offense." Upon hearing this, the child’s father’s face soured, and he quickly plastered on a smile to appease the situation.
The two family members hurriedly took their child to have the blood drawn.
"Doctor, my grandson sprained his ankle, can it be treated?"
The grandfather, who had brought his grandson for treatment, also took a seat in front of Zhou Can’s desk after getting a number.
"Let me have a look!"
Zhou Can stood up and walked over to the child, crouching down to take a careful look at the child’s foot.
The right ankle of the little boy was swollen several sizes larger, and there was bruising and purplish subcutaneous patches. This was a hematoma.
"First, let’s get an X-ray to check. If there’s no serious fracture, the problem won’t be very severe. However, due to the appearance of subcutaneous hematomas and bleeding, the specifics of the injury will only be known after the test results come back. For now, try not to touch the injured area, and certainly don’t rub it." While requesting the examination, Zhou Can also advised on the precautions.
Many people lack medical knowledge and believe the old saying that massaging a swollen area could quickly reduce swelling.
This method, however, is not actually advisable.
A common hematoma might indeed benefit from a massage to help circulate the blood and quickly reduce swelling and relieve pain.
But with a sprained foot like this, if there’s a fracture, random massaging will only worsen the condition.
A minor fracture could become a severe one after a forceful massage, which would be an unfortunate loss.
Moreover, if the hematoma is on the head, which is common in children due to their active and mischievous nature, they often bump and injure their heads. Swelling up a large bump on the head is nothing unusual.
According to some folk methods, people like to apply oil or alcohol on the swelling and then rub it forcefully to disperse it.
This is very dangerous.
The blood vessels of children are very delicate, and their walls are extremely thin.
Massaging the area forcefully when there is a hematoma could cause congested blood vessels to be further squeezed, increasing bleeding. It could even cause further rupture of the vessel wall, leading to serious consequences like intracranial hemorrhage.
After ordering the examination for the child, several patients seeking medical advice gradually arrived at Zhou Can’s desk.
It seemed that the broadcast of the television program had been quite beneficial to him.
Particularly, the news interviews about him playing on the large advertising screens in the outpatient hall were effective enough to boost his reputation substantially.
Zhou Can diagnosed each patient conscientiously.
The luck today wasn’t too bad, as until now, he had attended to five patients, all with relatively clear symptoms and not overly complicated.
By that time, the first child who had the complete blood count test came back with the results.
"Dr. Zhou, we’ve completed the blood test, could you please take a look?"
The family member’s face was filled with worry.
"White blood cells elevated, increased percentage of neutrophils, but platelet count is decreasing... Has she recently been cut or scratched by any rusty nails or metals?"
Zhou Can was taken aback by the blood test results.
"No! The child has been fine, we haven’t heard of any injuries!" The mother of the child said as she shook her head.
"Who usually takes care of the child?"
Zhou Can inquired.
He noticed that the child’s mother mentioned not having heard about the injury, not that she had not seen the injury.
This indicated that more than one person might be taking care of the child.
"My husband and I both have to work during the day, and usually, it’s the child’s grandmother who takes care of her. After work and on Saturdays and Sundays, we take care of the child."
Young people in the city are under a lot of pressure and need to work hard to make money.
Having the elderly around to help care for the children can indeed make things much easier.
Couples can go to work to earn money, increasing the family’s income.
"Would you be able to call and ask if the child has been poked or scratched by any rusty objects recently?"
Zhou Can was already examining the child’s limbs and other exposed areas.
He quickly made a discovery.
There was a light red mark on the palm of the child’s left hand. Children have a strong healing capability and vigorous vitality. Even if they get a superficial wound, it can heal quickly.
This area might have been injured before.