Chapter 1358: Madam Zeng is not going to make it
Night.
Outside of the compound.
Inside the second ambulance.
“Hurry and get in.”
“Be careful. Watch the step.”
“Lie down. We need to set up the IV drip.”
Dong Xuebing got into the ambulance with the help of Yao Cui and the medical staff. He did not want to lie down, but the rest made him. He laid on the stretcher and felt a pinch on his arm. A nurse had inserted a needle into him and hung the drip. Another nurse cut his pants and started treating the wounds on his leg. The bandages earlier were temporary. They need to disinfect the wounds again and st.i.tch some of them. It would be done at the hospital.
Only Yao Cui and a County Government staff followed in the ambulance. Secretary Meng and Mayor Jiang had other things to handle. Dong Xuebing could not see them from the ambulance.
The door closed.
The ambulance was about to drive off.
Yao Cui wiped the blood stains on his face.
Dong Xuebing smiled at her and closed his eyes to rest. He was exhausted.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds…
A medical staff sitting beside Dong Xuebing asked the driver. “Why is Old Zhao not driving?”
The ambulance driver looked to his side. “Doctor w.a.n.g is signaling to us, asking us to wait a while.”
“Huh? What are we waiting for?” The nurse was puzzled and felt something was wrong. “It’s been a while. Why are they not moving?”
The doctor frowned. He was also puzzled, too. “The patient in that ambulance suffered more severe injuries. Her stomach was almost pierced through, and she should be sent to the hospital for emergency surgery. It’s been two to three minutes since they boarded the ambulance. Why are they not moving? They had transfused blood into the patient and secured her to the stretcher to prevent any movements. They should not be so slow.” Blood transfusion, secure the patient, set up the IV drip… these should take around one minute.
The nurse asked. “Did something happen?”
The doctor said. “Go and ask them. Why are they asking us to wait? We also have a patient with us. How can we wait?”
The nurse nodded. “All right. I will take a look.”
The doctor said. “Tell them that we will go off first.”
The nurse exited the ambulance and walked over to the other ambulance.
Dong Xuebing opened his eyes. “Xiao Yao, go and see what happened.”
Yao Cui hesitated for a second and nodded. She followed the nurse out of the ambulance.
A few seconds later, the nurse ran back. “Doctor Qian, Doctor w.a.n.g asked you to go over for a while.”
The doctor asked. “What happened?”
The nurse replied. “Their patient is not going to make it.”
The doctor quickly instructed the other nurse to take care of Mayor Dong and ran out of the ambulance.
But how can Dong Xuebing stay put after hearing this? He sat up and tried to get out of the ambulance.
“What are you doing?” The nurse quickly grabbed him.
“Help me hold my IV drip.” Dong Xuebing pushed the IV drip bag to her.
“You cannot move. Ah… You…” Dong Xuebing had run out of the ambulance. The nurse was afraid the needle in his arm might be pulled out and quickly followed behind with the IV drip bag.
Outside.
Not far away.
A crowd had gathered around the other ambulance.
Meng Rui, Jiang Fangfang, Chu Peng, and the rest were there. The civilians were still around.
Everybody was feeling sad.
"Sister Zeng was fine just now."
"Why is she not okay now? Why is she not going to make it suddenly?”
Chu Peng and the wives of the two county committee members were very agitated, and it sounded like they would not tolerate it anymore.
Doctor w.a.n.g said with a heavy heart. "Madam Zeng"s abdominal injury is too severe. We might still have a chance if we had found and rescued her earlier. But it"s been too long, and she has been under the slab for a long time. Even if it didn"t completely crush her, there was still contact, making the injuries worse. Madam Zeng"s blood pressure has dropped to forty. The nearby small emergency station lacks the necessary equipment, and surgery is impossible here. We can only go to the county hospital. However, the county hospital and the operating room will take at least half an hour. Madam Zeng won"t be able to hold on for that long."
Chu Peng shouted. “Are you saying Jinhua is going to die?”
Meng Rui was furious. “Think of a solution to save her!”
The residents heard them, and their hearts sank. Mayor Dong had risked his life to save her, and she was not going to make it.
Jiang Fangfang asked. “How long does she have?”
Doctor w.a.n.g said, "At most ten minutes. We didn"t drive off because even a random dirt slope could cost Madam Zeng"s life."
Doctor Qian from the other ambulance asked. "Organ failure?"
"There are signs, and all aspects of the vital signs are plummeting," Doctor w.a.n.g said.
Pu An anxiously asked. "What do we do now? How can we save her?"
Doctor w.a.n.g and DoctorQian quickly exchanged information and said, "The biggest problem now is the steel bars stuck in Mrs. Zeng"s abdomen. It needs to be dealt with quickly. We have to pull it out, disinfect it, and the wound needs to be st.i.tched up. I"ve just contacted the county hospital, and they are on their way, but time is running out."
Meng Rui said. “You all are conducting the surgery?”
Jiang Fangfang asked. “Over here?”
Doctor w.a.n.g said, "We do not have many surgeons in the county hospital, and with so many injuries today, everyone is busy with surgeries. So, most of the emergency responders are from other departments. I"m an orthopedic surgeon."
Doctor Qian added. "I specialize in cardiology."
Chu Peng angrily exclaimed, "You can"t be serious!"
Doctor Qian responded, "I can perform interventional procedures in cardiology but cannot handle this type of surgical st.i.tching. It"s not our expertise."
Jian Xiangrong insisted, "Isn"t it just st.i.tching? What"s the difference? There"s no time to waste. You have to try! We can"t let her die."
Doctor w.a.n.g explained, "We can’t. It"s a completely different concept. St.i.tching organs and st.i.tching blood vessels requires different suture materials and techniques. It demands highly skilled surgical experience, and ordinary surgeons can"t do it well. With Madam Zeng"s severe injury, we need an experienced surgical specialist. Any mistake is unacceptable, and the speed has to be extremely fast to save her. Both Doctor Qian and I are not surgical specialists. We cannot do it or attempt it. Once the steel bar is pulled out, we must st.i.tch and stop the bleeding within two minutes, or Madam Zeng will be in greater danger."
Meng Rui looked at the doctors. “You are saying there’s no other way?”
Doctor w.a.n.g said, "The roads in our county are difficult to travel. They are full of b.u.mps and potholes. Driving to the hospital is not possible. Even a slight b.u.mp could worsen Madam Zeng"s condition. Now, we can only hope that she can hold on a little longer until the surgical specialists from our hospital arrive."
"How long will it take for them to arrive?"
"They"re already on the way, but it will take at least half an hour.”
"You said Jinhua only had ten minutes left. How is she going to wait for half an hour?”
Doctor w.a.n.g did not reply. He knew the chances of saving Madam Zeng were almost nonexistent.
After entering the ambulance, Doctor Qian quickly examined Jinhua’s wound, blood pressure, and heartbeat. He concluded similar to Doctor w.a.n.g"s. "We found her too late. If only we were twenty minutes earlier."
"Give her another injection," Doctor w.a.n.g instructed the nurse.
Doctor Qian asked, "How many injections is this? Can the patient withstand it?"
"It"s not about whether she can withstand it now. It is about how long we can keep her going." Doctor w.a.n.g replied.
Doctor Qian sighed but didn"t say anything. He watched as the nurse administered another injection to Jinhua. Her body spasmed briefly, and her blood pressure and heartbeat improved slightly. However, this was only temporary and would not solve the underlying problem.
Jinhua was as pale as a sheet, showing little signs of life.
Jiang Fangfang turned to her secretary and said, "Drive to meet the surgical specialists from the county hospital. Once you meet them, bring them here immediately. Use Mayor Dong"s car. It"s faster."
Meng Rui asked, "Is there enough time?"
Jiang Fangfang replied, "Any time saved is better than none."
Li Xiaona quickly got the keys from Yao Cui. The keys were in Yao Cui"s hands, and she handed them over without hesitation.
Li Xiaona immediately entered the Land Rover with two county government staff. They sped out of the family quarters courtyard, almost flooring the gas pedal.
However, even with a Land Rover, making the round trip in ten minutes was impossible.
A car was still just a car, and no matter how fast, it couldn"t catch up to an airplane. Everyone knew that Madam Zeng"s situation was dire.
At that moment, the nurse attending to the unconscious Jinhua suddenly exclaimed, "Blood pressure thirty-five, heartbeat forty-three. Thirty-five, forty, it"s not working!"
Doctor w.a.n.g"s expression changed. "This is bad."
The two doctors in the vehicle immediately began emergency procedures.
"Blood pressure is thirty-three and still dropping," the nurse exclaimed in shock.
Jinhua’s condition was deteriorating rapidly, and the situation seemed hopeless.
Chu Peng"s eyes turned red as he shouted, "Jinhua, you must hold on!"
Cheng Fuguang suggested, "Give her another injection."
Doctor Qian replied, "We"ve given her too many already. The patient cannot take it and might… “
Desperation filled everyone.
Seeing this, Dong Xuebing had already squeezed out of the crowd.
"Mayor Dong!"
"Why did you come down?"
"You should get back to the ambulance quickly. Your injuries are severe.”
Dong Xuebing didn"t say anything. He pa.s.sed by Meng Rui, Jiang Fangfang, and other county leaders and boarded the ambulance. He pulled the two doctors aside and examined Jinhua’s blood pressure and heartbeat. He then pressed his fingers firmly on a few acupuncture points.
Both accompanying doctors were taken aback. "Mayor Dong, what are you doing?"
Others were also puzzled by Duan Xuebin"s actions. The next moment, the young nurse, looking at the monitor"s blood pressure index, exclaimed, "Thirty-five, forty, forty-five! The blood pressure is rising!"
Another nurse was also dumbfounded, "Heartbeat is fifty!"