This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

With Director Wang Jianming's permission, Zhou Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

He took the informed consent form for the lumbar puncture, returned to the emergency room, and found the patient's family members who were waiting.

"Uncle and Aunt, this is the informed consent form for a lumbar puncture. Let me explain it to you again: this examination is to determine whether it is meningitis. Only with the cerebrospinal fluid results can we formulate an accurate treatment plan. There may be slight pain or soreness during the examination, and a few people may experience a worsening of headaches, but these are mostly temporary. We will follow the procedures throughout the process to minimize the risks."

Zhou Cheng took out the informed consent form for lumbar puncture and explained it to him line by line.

The man stared at the consent form, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you sure there won't be any major risks? Our child just had an MRI and has since developed a headache and fever; we're really worried."

Zhou Cheng said sincerely, "I understand your concerns, but a lumbar puncture is the gold standard for diagnosing meningitis, and the patient's condition can't wait any longer. Moreover, this time it's being performed personally by Dr. Li, an experienced specialist in our emergency department, so we will be extra careful."

Zhou Cheng spoke earnestly, and considering the child's condition, the family finally signed the papers.

Zhou Cheng immediately handed the signed consent form to the nurse for filing, and then went to prepare the items needed for the lumbar puncture.

The sterile puncture kit, anesthetic, hemostat, collection tube, sterile gloves, etc., were all checked one by one to ensure they were correct.

By this time, the nurses had already cleaned up the emergency room and drawn the curtains to create a sterile operating environment.

With everything ready, Zhou Cheng went to the doctor's office to invite Li Degang.

"Teacher Li, the family has signed the consent form, and the necessary items and environment are ready. We can begin the puncture."

Li Degang nodded, picked up a sterile mask and hat, put them on, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go take a look."

……

The two entered the emergency room, and Zhou Chengxian helped the nurse adjust the patient to a side-lying position.

Then, have the patient bend their knees, hug their knees with both hands, and lower their head as close to their chest as possible to fully open the intervertebral space. This is the standard position for lumbar puncture.

Li Degang stood to the patient's right, his gaze sweeping over the patient's back: "Relax a little, it might hurt a bit later, just bear with it."

The patient closed his eyes and weakly uttered an "Mmm".

Zhou Cheng stood in the assistant's position, skillfully opening the sterile puncture kit to help Li Degang disinfect the skin.

Starting from the puncture point, disinfect in a spiral motion from the inside out, with a diameter of no less than 15 centimeters, for a total of 3 times.

After disinfection, Zhou Cheng handed over a sterile drape, and Li Degang secured the drape to ensure that the puncture area was completely exposed and sterile.

Zhou Cheng then accurately handed over the anesthetic and syringe. After Li Degang drew up the lidocaine, he performed local infiltration anesthesia at the puncture site, instructing him while injecting, "It will feel a little numb, don't be afraid."

After the anesthesia took effect, Li Degang picked up the lumbar puncture needle, aimed it at the 3rd-4th lumbar intervertebral space, and slowly inserted the needle.

Zhou Cheng kept a close eye on the patient's facial expressions and body movements throughout the process, while also paying attention to the vital signs on the monitor. He reported in a low voice: "Heart rate 82 beats/min, blood pressure 95/62 mmHg, blood oxygen saturation 96%, vital signs stable."

The puncture needle was advanced slowly and smoothly, and it quickly broke through the dura mater.

Li Degang felt the resistance at the needle tip suddenly disappear and whispered, "I feel a breakthrough. Get ready to collect the cerebrospinal fluid."

Zhou Cheng immediately picked up the sterile collection tube and was about to approach the end of the puncture needle.

Just then, whether from pain or discomfort, the patient suddenly twisted his body, his back instantly deviating from the puncture position, and the puncture needle also wobbled.

"Ouch!" the patient cried out in pain, his body still struggling.

Li Degang's face darkened. He immediately steadied the puncture needle to prevent further movement and damage to the nerve root, and shouted in a deep voice, "Zhou Cheng, quickly immobilize the patient!"

Zhou Cheng reacted extremely quickly, without the slightest panic. He immediately stretched out his hands and gently pressed down on the patient's shoulders and hips with moderate yet firm pressure.

At the same time, he bent down and said urgently, "Don't move around, it'll be over soon! You might hurt yourself if you move around now. Just bear with it, it won't hurt after the puncture, and we can treat you as soon as possible."

Upon hearing his words, the patient's struggles noticeably subsided.

After stabilizing the patient, Zhou Cheng reported the vital signs again: "Heart rate 90 beats/min, blood pressure 98/65 mmHg, blood oxygen saturation normal."

Li Degang nodded, and after confirming that the puncture needle was not misaligned, he continued the procedure, slowly withdrawing the needle core, and clear cerebrospinal fluid flowed out from the needle tip.

"Cerebrospinal fluid is coming out!"

Zhou Cheng immediately handed over the collection tube, accurately caught the cerebrospinal fluid, and collected 3 tubes as required, labeling them with serial numbers for routine, biochemical, and etiological examinations.

After collecting the samples, Li Degang slowly pulled out the puncture needle.

Zhou Cheng immediately handed over sterile gauze, pressed the puncture site for 5 minutes, and then fixed it with a sterile dressing.

"Alright, the puncture is complete." Li Degang breathed a sigh of relief and told the patient, "Now lie flat for 6 hours and don't lift your head to avoid worsening your headache."

Zhou Cheng then helped the patient adjust to a supine position, tidied his clothes, and checked the puncture site again for any bleeding or leakage.

After confirming that everything was correct, he went outside the curtain to explain the situation to the family.

"The puncture went smoothly, and we've already collected cerebrospinal fluid for testing. We'll let you know the results as soon as they're available. The patient needs to lie flat for the next 6 hours, so please keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't lift her head or turn over."

The two family members were relieved to see that their daughter had stopped crying.

The man nodded: "Okay, thank you, Director Li, thank you, Dr. Zhou."

Zhou Cheng smiled, turned around and went back to the emergency room to help Li Degang organize the puncture equipment and record the puncture process and information such as the appearance and amount of cerebrospinal fluid.

Li Degang looked at Zhou Cheng with a hint of approval in his voice: "You reacted very quickly just now, and you did a good job of securing and calming him down, preventing the situation from getting out of control."

Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "It was Professor Li who stabilized the puncture needle; I just did what an assistant should do."

Just then, Lin Ling walked in: "Dr. Li, Dr. Zhou, the cerebrospinal fluid from the puncture has been sent to the laboratory. They said they will prioritize testing it, and preliminary results will be available in about 2 hours."

Li Degang nodded: "Okay, keep an eye on the results and let me know as soon as they come out. Zhou Cheng, you continue to closely monitor the patient's condition, especially the headache and changes in body temperature, and report any abnormalities immediately."

"Okay, Teacher Li!" Zhou Cheng replied immediately.