Mian knitted her eyebrows, without a single second wasted, she strode towards the ICU. However, the moment she pushed open the door, her sight was welcomed with a messy scenario.
For a moment she stared inside in incredulity, then the look of shear anger took place on her face, replacing her initial disbelief.
Qian Juexi was yelling at the ICU team, while his wife, Su Meilin was crying loudly and trying to touch her son, who was shoving her hand away with little remnant energy.
Mian's lung started heaving and it felt as if it would collapse in the next second. "What's happening here? Who allowed the family inside in this critical situation, and why are you guys standing without doing anything?!" As she looked at the ICU team, their expressions let go of their inner thoughts without having to open their mouths.
Fury blinded Mian's thoughts for a moment, giving it a wild form. She wanted to yell at Qian Juexi for exhibiting his infantilism, venom, malevolence, and refusing to understand the dire situation.
However, as a neurosurgeon, she immediately reminded herself that they were inside the ICU. Qian Juexi's scream was already inhuman for the patient.
Mian kneaded her temples with her fingertips; then took a deep breath to calm her boiling anger, before the last remainder of tolerance fly into pieces in the final firestorm of ferocity.
"The care of patients whose conditions are life-threatening and who require comprehensive care and constant monitoring, can't be disturbed at all costs. Family members will be able to see the patient once the doctors and nurses have completed their assessments and the patient is stable. Not in this type of critical situation!" Mian said, austerity dominating her voice.
Everything should have a certain limit, but these people were illogical beyond words! She reprimanded Qian Juexi just yesterday, not to threaten doctors unnecessarily, however, the man was back to square one again. He was beyond redemption!
"Nurse, oust them out and close the door immediately! Be quick, prepare the cut down pack. We need to get a line in, his veins are collapsing." Mian exhorted.
Su Meilin's knee gave away, and she fell on the floor. "My son! My..son.." Her voice gradually started wearing off, with the mumble of her son's name on lips, she lost her consciousness.
"Meilin!" Qian Juexi bent down and swooped her into his arms, then looked at Mian, "I have placed my trust on you, don't disappoint me. Save my son once again, doc." His voice was laced with unbearable pain, and the helplessness of a powerful father was clearly visible on his face.
Nonetheless, Mian didn't have time to comfort him at that moment. Without saying anything, she focused on the patient. His breathing quickened, it accelerated a few folds from normal rate. It was highly risky for him, "Induce coma for two weeks, hurry up!" Mian immediately instructed the anesthesiologist to give drugs to induce the coma.
One of the nurses jumped and ran towards the equipment room, grabbing a large pack as the emergency response intensive care unit staff pulled up with the crash cart from next door.
"Prepare 5 mg midazolam and push 2 mg once we get the CVC in. Induce for coma, also prepare the ETT tube, we need to get an airway in for the ventilators." Said the ICU pediatrician.
"Doing a cut down?…hmm..pediatric…here you go," the ICU staff said as she passed the sterile packaged central venous catheter.
"Nurses, be quick!" Mian started giving instructions after instructions with urgency.
...
Yangyang calmed down slowly, as medicine started taking its effect. While he was asleep, he was breathing through a machine called a ventilator. He had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose to give him extra oxygen.
Yangyang's little body was filled with many machines: a blood pressure cuff on his arm, pulse oximetry on his finger to check his heart rate and oxygen levels, ECG pads on his chest to monitor the heart.
He had a thick dressing over the wound and had a bandage around the shaved head. This would be left alone for a few more days. Stitches or surgical clips would come out after a week. The one used on him would slowly dissolve by themselves.
An external ventricular drain was coming out of the head bandage, which was used for draining excess fluid from the brain and stopping the fluid building up.
Many drips had been attached to a cannula in his hand previously. These were to give him medicines, blood transfusions and fluids. Nonetheless, after the pulling out accident, it was replaced by CVC, to forestall recurrence. It would stay until he would be able to eat and drink normally. The Pediatrician suggested attaching the central line, however, Mian rejected the idea.
A tube into an artery in his arm was used to take blood samples and accurately measure blood pressure. A drain, coming out of his wound was connected to bottles. It drained blood and tissue fluid from the operation site.
Urinary catheter into his bladder to measure how much urine he was making. It helped the team make sure he was getting enough fluids.
Having the right amount of fluids in the body was important, especially in the first few days after surgery. Too little fluids could lead to dehydration. Keeping the fluid balance right, helped to stop the swelling around the brain.
The nurses recorded how much Yangyang drank, and how much urine he made to make sure he had the right balance.
A nasogastric tube, taped to his nose and cheek, was attached to a bag. ICP, which was connected to a monitor, measured the pressure inside his head.
Usually, ICU or HDU had one to one nursing care, however, as it was a VVIP room, this was four to one nursing care. The nurses and doctors had been keeping a very close eye on Yangyang's progress for the last 24 hours.
When he first woke up, he should have had checks every few minutes. However, he started behaving abnormally, which made Mian take alternative decisions.
Although, it was necessary for Yangyang to wake up in 24 hours after his brain surgery. Mian decided to keep him asleep for a few days to help him recover.