Emergency Blind Date - Chapter 68

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#Episode 68

***

The afternoon shift began and patients steadily poured in.

Rattle.

A 119 Paramedic Team member came in leading a transport bed.

“Poisoning patient.”

At the paramedic’s shout, the medical staff rushed out in a crowd. Da-som also joined them and ran to the patient.

“What kind of medication?”

Kang Hyeok, who had rushed out at the front, asked the paramedic.

“It’s Gramoxone. They say they didn’t drink it, but it took 30 minutes to get here.”

Kang Hyeok’s eyes immediately sharpened.

At the paramedic’s words, the medical staff hesitated and stepped back. Seeing this, Da-som approached the patient with confusion.

She was thinking she would at least help.

“Move aside. Jeong Da-som.”

Kang Hyeok, pulling up his mask, blocked Da-som.

His voice was very sharp. As she hesitated and stepped back, Kang Hyeok spoke to the paramedic.

“Please take them to the Treatment Room.”

Rattle.

Kang Hyeok and the paramedic pulled the bed into the Emergency Room Critical Care Area.

“Everyone put on gloves and protective gowns. Masks too.”

At Kyung-tae’s words, a nurse quickly brought and distributed those items.

Da-som, now realizing why Kang Hyeok had told her to step back, quickly put on the protective gown and wore a mask.

Gramoxone.

Da-som recalled what she knew about the deadly poison product.

Oh, of all things.

Paraquat (Gramoxone) is a bipyridyl herbicide that destroys cell membranes, she had learned. It ultimately leads to multiple organ failure.

As she quickly ran to the Treatment Room, Kang Hyeok was also putting on the protective gown handed by a nurse and examining the patient.

“Patient, how much did you drink?”

The patient was a man in his early thirties.

“Uh, about a sip. I tried to swallow it but immediately spat it out.”

“Still, we’ll start with gastric lavage first.”

“No, do I really need it when I didn’t even swallow it?”

The patient asked with a face full of fear at the mention of gastric lavage. Even though he seemed fine now, speaking normally and appearing in good condition, his condition would rapidly deteriorate soon.

“Yes, we must. Gramoxone is an extremely toxic substance. It will be uncomfortable, but we need to finish the gastric lavage and also perform intubation. You’ll gradually find it difficult to breathe.”

She could tell he was speaking as lightly as possible, not to frighten the patient.

Kang Hyeok made eye contact with Da-som.

His gaze asked if she could do it well. Of course, she had performed gastric lavage several times and could do it well. Da-som nodded and showed her determination.

“Jeong Da-som, start quickly.”

Kyung-tae helped lay the patient down and turn him to the left side.

“For gastric lavage, you need to lie on your side. It will be a bit uncomfortable, but we’ll finish quickly. We’ll insert the tube through your nose.”

“Apply plenty of lubricant.”

Kyung-tae received the L-tube from the nurse and handed it to Da-som.

As Da-som confirmed the lubricant was applied to the end and tried to insert it through the nose, the patient strongly expressed resistance.

“W-wait! Miss, are you sure you’re good at this?”

The patient stopped Da-som and shouted.

Then he looked at Kyung-tae standing beside him and said.

“Can’t the doctor do it?”

During her internship, Da-som had encountered countless patients like this.

She acknowledged that she might appear that way to patients, but that didn’t mean her skills were inferior to her peers.

Da-som looked straight into the dissatisfied patient’s eyes and said.

“I’ll do it well without causing pain. And we don’t have time for this right now. We need to perform gastric lavage immediately.”

“Patient, she’s skilled. So please relax.”

Kyung-tae supported her. Then the patient, though half-doubtful, said nothing more as his breathing didn’t seem very good.

As she pushed the tube through the patient’s nostril, it went in smoothly. The patient frowned but cooperated while watching Da-som’s serious expression.

“Ah, go ahead.”

After checking that the tube had entered the throat properly, she carefully pushed it inward to avoid entering the airway.

“Now I’ll check if it’s properly inserted.”

Da-som received an empty syringe from the nurse. She needed to inject air through the tube to confirm it had entered the stomach properly and not the airway.

Kyung-tae put the stethoscope in his ears and looked at Da-som.

“Inject air.”

Kyung-tae, who had placed the stethoscope on the patient’s chest to check for sounds, looked up.

“Good job. Now start the lavage.”

“Yes.”

After securing the tube to the drainage container, she placed 300ml of saline solution at a higher position and began the lavage.

“Now send out blood tests and give IV dexamethasone bolus.”

“Understood.”

Kang Hyeok, who had been watching from behind, instructed the medical staff. His coldly composed expression remained unchanged.

“Let’s run dialysis after the gastric lavage is finished.”

“Understood.”

Kang Hyeok left after giving instructions.

Da-som performed the lavage as carefully as possible to avoid damaging the stomach or esophagus.

Meanwhile, Kang Hyeok, who had left the Treatment Room, removed his mask and protective suit as he headed to the Waiting Room.

Now it was time to speak to the guardian.

Gramoxone is an extremely toxic product that, when ingested or in contact with skin, slowly causes pulmonary fibrosis leading to death in tremendous pain.

Even just one sip was toxic enough that over 80% die within 10 days.

In this patient’s case, since he didn’t swallow it, the survival rate would be higher.

He approached the guardian sitting dazed in the Waiting Room.

The face of the mother, who appeared to be in her seventies, was wet with tears.

He couldn’t even imagine the shock of having a young son drink pesticide.

“Guardian, please stand up.”

He approached closely and helped the guardian stand.

Then she grabbed Kang Hyeok’s sleeve and began pleading.

“Oh my, doctor. What’s so important about those house papers that I should have given them long ago. My Yeong-sik will be okay, right? Right? There’s nothing wrong, right?”

Although Gramoxone had been banned from sale since 2012, there were still cases of poisoning, probably from products that had been distributed earlier.

Kang Hyeok firmly grasped those rough, wrinkled hands and said.

“I’ll do my best. So please don’t worry too much and sit over there and wait.”

Judging from the elderly mother’s words, it seemed he had drunk the pesticide in anger because she wouldn’t give him the house papers.

It seemed like he had no intention of dying and just drank it to threaten his powerless and weak mother, clearly not knowing the lethal toxicity of that substance.

“Doctor, please, I beg you. Please.”

Watching the guardian desperately clinging while shedding tears, Kang Hyeok took a long breath.

There are patients beyond help no matter how hard you try.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

For now, there were no other words he could say besides that.

“Thank you, thank you.”

After bowing to the guardian who was grasping his hands and pleading like he was her son, Kang Hyeok turned around.

She would have to watch her son suffer and slowly die.

What sin had this frail and weak guardian committed to have to endure such pain?

She would have to shed tears dozens, hundreds of times more than she had now, her heart being torn apart.

Kang Hyeok rubbed his face dry and let out a long breath.

The price for playing with life as collateral was this merciless.

The patient would have to endure years of suffering as a patient, and the guardian would have to endure years of suffering as a guardian.

His mood was indescribably bitter.

When he entered the emergency room again, Da-som met his eyes.

Just the way she blinked her eyes, as if understanding Kang Hyeok’s feelings, made his heart swell with emotion.

He responded with a faint smile before leaving his spot.

If only it were possible, he wished those clear eyes would only hold good and beautiful things.

But like the fate of all medical professionals, she would be able to overcome emotions like the futility, helplessness, and frustration that come with death.

The emergency room is a place where people who come due to unexpected misfortune stay briefly before leaving.

Aren’t the medical staff the ones who create hope in this place?

“Professor, this is a 70-year-old male patient who came in with chest pain as his chief complaint. His vitals are normal, but…”

“I’ll go take a look.”

Kang Hyeok walked briskly toward B Zone where the patient was lying.

While there were patients beyond help, there were plenty of patients he could save with his knowledge and medical skills.

So even though it was a place people came to due to misfortune, the emergency room was exactly the kind of place where they could gain hope.

After finishing his evening rounds and returning to his research lab to prepare for leaving work, Kang Hyeok checked the number when his phone rang loudly.

It was a call from Goh Ah-reum.

Honestly, he didn’t want to answer it.

He was disappointed in Goh Ah-reum’s attitude of trying to push through his marriage issue without consultation, even though her son was well over thirty, and he didn’t want to be involved in such matters anymore.

But perhaps it was because of the tears of the mother who had cried endlessly in front of her young son.

Kang Hyeok couldn’t bring himself to hang up and pressed the call button.

“Yes, Mother.”

His voice sank low.

He thought that even his mother, who contacted him every other day, had held back quite a long time this time.

—Kang Hyeok, when do you get off work?

“I’m not sure exactly.”

—I’m in front of the hospital right now. I’ll be at the cafe in the hospital lobby, so come with Da-som. I have something to talk about.

“If it’s something that will make us both red-faced, it would be better not to meet.”

—No, it’s not like that. Bring Da-som. I’ll wait.

She hung up after getting angry.

Kang Hyeok rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment about what it could be.

Not something that would make them red-faced?

Kang Hyeok raised his thick eyebrows and looked at his watch.

Da-som would probably be preparing to leave work at her quarters by now. Kang Hyeok unhurriedly changed his clothes and put on his jacket.

Then he sent Da-som a text saying to meet at the main building lobby and left his research lab.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————