Chapter 1215: Common diseases should be ruled out one by one
"He’s my grandson." The sick child’s grandmother reported the situation to the doctor, "The teacher at school said he had a cold and a fever. I only found out from the teacher when I went to pick him up. He was fine when we sent him to school in the morning, no fever. I don’t know what happened to him at school. His parents are busy with work, so they let me take him to the hospital first to get some medicine."
Listening to the family’s account, Xie Wanying crouched down, aligning her head with the child’s, making it easier to observe the child’s complexion and breathing.
The boy had a bit of a runny nose, seemingly about to sneeze, with red eyes, a hoarse voice, and appeared weak from the fever, as if he had a cold.
For patients with fevers, the triage nurse would definitely first take a thermometer to measure their temperature. Xie Wanying turned and asked the grandmother, "Did you take out the thermometer?"
"Thermometer? Oh, I forgot." The sick child’s grandmother smacked her forehead lightly.
The elderly guardian accompanying the child to the hospital often forgets things due to their age, unable to remember the details the doctors and nurses explain. The thermometer clamped under the child’s armpit surely surpassed the ten-minute limit the nurse had told them.
This couldn’t be blamed on the nurse. Tertiary hospital emergency nurses are so busy that those stationed at the triage desk must help other colleagues administer injections to patients when they have a spare moment, as that’s more urgent than keeping an eye on thermometers. Anyway, when it’s time for the doctor to see the child, they’ll ask about the temperature and won’t completely forget about it.
"It’s okay." Xie Wanying reassured the grandmother, gently reaching under the child’s armpit to retrieve the thermometer and reading the mercury under the daylight lamp: thirty-nine point six degrees.
The measurement could be taken again, but the value shouldn’t deviate much. The main concern was that it shouldn’t rise above forty degrees.
Thirty-nine point six is close to forty degrees, which might affect brain function. Hence, the boy had symptoms of headaches and dizziness, unable to answer the doctor’s questions well.
She didn’t ask the child any questions, allowing him more rest. Xie Wanying pulled out a stethoscope from her pocket to listen to the child’s lungs, ruling out pneumonia.
The most dreaded complication of viral colds is pneumonia. If pneumonia is diagnosed, hospitalization is undoubtedly necessary. Which department he would be admitted to is uncertain; it may not necessarily be the pediatric department. Since Guoxie does not have a pediatric internal medicine department, he might be admitted to their respiratory department. Just like when she was in General Surgery Department Two, where, without conditions to be transferred to pediatrics, certain departments would admit some child cases based on their specialized disease range.
After examining the boy’s lungs, the child’s lung condition was still good. The child wasn’t coughing severely, had no wheezing, or chest pain.
Xie Wanying then pulled out two essential tools for a doctor’s examination from her white coat pocket: a cotton swab and a flashlight.
"Wei Wei, come on, open your mouth."
Hearing someone call his name, the boy lifted his head and saw the doctor sister before him with beautifully smiling big eyes, feeling much comforted in spirit.
A ten-year-old child could cooperate with the doctor; thus, the boy opened his mouth wide.
Without a tongue depressor, Xie Wanying used two cotton swabs as a substitute to press down the child’s tongue. A single cotton swab wasn’t wide enough, so two were needed.
With the other hand, she raised the flashlight, using its light to inspect the child’s oral cavity.
One shouldn’t assume that doctors merely inspect the throat; excellent doctors will take the opportunity to observe the patient’s oral mucosa and other conditions. For children, fever caused by acute pharyngitis is much less common than in adults. Acute tonsillitis in children is common and needs to be ruled out. Additionally, some diseases that might be less common in today’s society also require the doctor’s vigilance and attention, like measles.