Chapter 32: Here Too (1)

"Oh... The patient is losing consciousness!"

Not long after confirming the blood sugar level at 48, the patient's consciousness suddenly faded.

It was a sudden change, one that could be aptly described as a complete blackout.

"His... His breathing... His oxygen saturation is dropping!"

The change in consciousness was so severe that even his breathing couldn't be maintained properly.

Like most inexperienced doctors, Suhyuk found it difficult to respond immediately to such a sudden situation.

His breathing became as rough as if he were experiencing the same loss of consciousness.

[Insert the tube, Suhyuk!]

But Baruda was in Suhyuk's mind.

'Ah, right. That's it... Insert the tube!'

Thanks to this, Suhyuk quickly snapped out of his panic and moved to the patient's head.

The nurses in the treatment room were all veterans, so they knew exactly what to do.

They had already prepared for intubation from the moment they confirmed the patient's weakening spontaneous breathing.

"Here it is, doctor."

"Yes, um."

Suhyuk took the plastic tube with a wet end and the metal laryngoscope, then let out a brief sigh.

[What are you doing?]

Naturally, Baruda's reprimand followed.

But despite this, Suhyuk couldn't move immediately.

'I've only done this once...'

[What? You've only done intubation once?]

'I'm a first-year... I haven't even rotated through the ICU yet...'

[You should have gone into someone else's head.]

'What?'

[No, no. Just, calm down for a moment.]

'Wait? In this situation?'

Suhyuk looked down at the patient, bewildered.

With the loss of spontaneous breathing, the patient's limbs were also weakening.

Moreover, the tension in his facial muscles had decreased so much that he looked almost relaxed.

[If you insert the laryngoscope now, the patient might thrash and break his teeth.]

'Ah.'

[Remember, Suhyuk, the patient isn't sedated.]

'Right, right.'

In such a sudden respiratory arrest, the most common mistake for inexperienced doctors is to become impatient.

If the patient's limbs still have strength and consciousness hasn't completely faded, pushing a hard and large laryngoscope into the throat could cause the patient to thrash in pain, potentially breaking teeth and causing bleeding.

The blood could obstruct the view, hindering the subsequent intubation.

'Should I wait longer?'

[There's still some muscle tension.]

'But the oxygen saturation is dropping! Can't I just call for an emergency room doctor?'

[If you're not confident, do that. An internist who can't intubate... I wonder what Hyunjong or Hyuntae would say if they heard this.]

'Shit! Then you do it!'

[Do you wish I had that level of physical control?]

'No, no. I'm sorry.'

The idea of being controlled by Baruda sent shivers down his spine.

"Doctor! Oxygen saturation is in the 60s!"

At that moment, a nurse beside him shouted.

Looking at the monitor, Suhyuk saw the patient's oxygen saturation had dropped to 65.

'Should I wait longer?'

[Not yet.]

'Fucking... It's almost 50!'

[Now! Insert it now. It should be fine. Probably.]

'Probably? Did you just say probably?'

After telling him to wait until the last possible moment, Baruda says 'probably'?

Suhyuk vowed that if Baruda were a tangible being, he would have beaten him up by now.

But now wasn't the time.

"Doctor! The patient's saturation is 49!"

The patient in front of him was slipping away.

"Suhyuk! Do it quickly! Or should I call another doctor?"

Even the usually calm Jinseung was urging him on.

Clang.

So Suhyuk picked up the laryngoscope he had put down.

When it was properly set, a bright light turned on at the end, illuminating the dark and narrow throat.

[Press the tongue down and move to the left.]

'Like this?'

[If you want to break the patient's front teeth.]

'Don't be sarcastic!'

[You're pressing too much on the front. Overall, now, now it's good.]

'Okay... Luckily the patient is thin.'

The patient's thin and long neck made the procedure much easier.

Pressing the tongue down and lifting the lower jaw, Suhyuk confirmed that the laryngoscope's tip had hooked and lifted the epiglottis.

Behind it, the structure of the vocal cords was visible.

[Those are the vocal cords.]

'I know that.'

[You said you haven't done it much.]

'Ugh.'

Suhyuk shook his head and pushed the plastic tube into the vocal cords.

He then inflated the balloon at the end of the tube to secure it in the trachea.

If the patient had any consciousness left, it would have been extremely uncomfortable.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the patient was completely out.

"How's the blood sugar?"

Only after confirming the oxygen saturation had returned to normal did Suhyuk turn to the nurse.

The nurse, being a veteran, had already checked the blood sugar.

As soon as the question was asked, the answer came.

"32... sir."

"32?"

"Yes."

"That's too low."

32? That's way too low.

[There might be an error. Finger-prick testing is not suitable for blood sugar levels below the standard.]

'Ah... That makes sense.'

[Request a blood test immediately.]

'Got it.'

Suhyuk nodded and wrote the prescription.

While the nurses drew blood according to the prescription, Jinseung approached.

"This... Might not be a case for psychiatry after all."

"Yes, sir. The hypoglycemia is severe."

"Why is it so severe?"

"I don't know... Hmm."

Suhyuk scratched his chin and looked at the patient.

Intern No Youngtae had already connected the tube to a ventilator and was squeezing it.

He was the type who did his job without being told, the best intern one could ask for.

Bang!

Just as Suhyuk was thinking this, the patient started convulsing.

Or rather, it looked more like thrashing.

"Oh, oh! This isn't good!"

The intern tried to control the thrashing but to no avail.

Even Suhyuk, trying to stop him, was pushed back and fell.

The patient, despite being thin, had an astonishing amount of strength.

"Pfff."

The patient desperately moved his arms and pulled out the tube from his throat.

There was a bit of blood at the corner of his mouth because the balloon that had been inflated to secure the tube was still there.

"Shit... What is this?"

He spat out a curse and looked around.

It took him a while to fully grasp the situation.

The intern tried to reinsert the tube during this time, but Suhyuk stopped him.

There was no need for intubation for someone who could get up and speak on their own.

[What could it be?]

'What do you mean by that...?'

[There's not enough data.]

'You always say it's data. How much studying have I done because of you...'

Moreover, Suhyuk was busy arguing with Baruda while trying to understand the patient's condition.

"What's going on?"

At that moment, the patient's guardian, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.

It was a middle-aged man, likely the patient's father.

"Ah, sir. It's fine now."

"Fine? There's blood in his mouth! What are you doing? He just needs a spirit possession to get better!"

Spirit possession.

To Suhyuk and others trained in modern medicine, it was just a form of shamanism.

But for the patient and his father, who had suffered from unexplained symptoms despite treatment at multiple hospitals, it was different.

"Sir, the tests aren't complete yet. Once we know what the illness is, we can treat it..."

"Tests! We even did an MRI of his head, and it was normal!"

"But..."

"Come on! We came all the way from the countryside! What's this? Let's go!"

Jinseung, the psychiatry resident, tried to explain calmly, but it didn't work.

The time and money wasted had made the guardian extremely sensitive.

"Hold on, Dad! That's why we came to this big hospital! Let's... Let's do the tests first. If there's nothing, we can have the spirit possession later!"

Fortunately, the guardian wasn't alone.

There was also a woman who looked like the patient's sister, and she didn't seem to agree with the spirit possession.

"Hey! What do you know? The shaman said..."

"I know, I know! But let's at least get the tests done here. This is a real big hospital, not some rural one!"

"It'll just cost money."

"I said I'll pay for it!"

"Hmm..."

"Listen to me until the tests are done!"

"Being stubborn..."

"Quiet!"

"Okay, okay."

She quickly subdued the patient's father, who had been stubborn, and then turned to Jinseung and Suhyuk.

"Doctors, we've had many tests... We've been to many hospitals... But they couldn't figure out the cause. My brother might really need a spirit possession. Please, tell us what it is. Okay?"

She made a heartfelt plea.

It's rare for a doctor to remain indifferent after hearing such a plea from a guardian, especially for young doctors like Jinseung and Suhyuk.

"Understood. I'll do my best."

"I'll do my best too."

They both bowed almost simultaneously in response to the sister's request.

"Doctor!"

Then the intern shouted.

Pointing at the patient.

"The patient is having a seizure!"

The patient, who had seemed fine a moment ago, was now convulsing and shaking his limbs.

It was truly a strange occurrence.

[The records and the test results show no abnormalities in the brain.]

All the brain test results were normal.

Yet, he was having seizures.

It was truly strange.

"See! He needs a spirit possession!"

"Dad!"

Amid the commotion caused by the patient's seizure, Baruda muttered.

[Seizures not caused by brain abnormalities, combined with uncontrolled hypoglycemia...]

'Wait. What did you just say?'

[I didn't swear, did I?]

'No. Repeat what you just said.'

[I didn't swear, did I?]

'Are you an idiot? Before that!'

Baruda, though unfamiliar with Suhyuk's scolding, followed his orders.

Suhyuk's tone was too firm.

Moreover, this person, though often seeming stupid, occasionally hit a home run.

[Seizures not caused by brain abnormalities, combined with uncontrolled hypoglycemia.]

'Right... Right! Hypoglycemia!'

[Yes?]

'Baruda, I think I might be a genius.'