Chapter 137: Caught (2)

Swhoosh.

Suhyuk proceeded to the next patient with Shin Hyun-tae and Hong Changgi. Despite receiving the same amount of steroids, this patient’s condition was still deteriorating.

“Based on the X-ray…this patient has developed pneumonia.”

Hong Changgi pointed to the lower lobes of both lungs as the cause. Indeed, these areas appeared unusually white. Moreover, the edges seemed blurred on the X-ray image.

‘There’s fluid buildup.’

The whiteness indicated pulmonary edema, not just inflammation. The accumulated fluid likely resulted from severe inflammation, suggesting that something beyond a simple toxic reaction was at play.

“Well, nevertheless…the steroid seems to have some effect.”

Professor Hong Changgi turned his gaze towards the patient, or more precisely, the monitor behind her. Just moments ago, her heart rate had fluctuated above 100 beats per minute, but now it was gradually stabilizing. The intubation likely played a role, indicating that her overall lung condition was improving.

“What about inserting a chest tube for the lung inflammation? It might also help identify the causative agent,” suggested Hong Changgi.

Shin Hyun-tae nodded at Hong Changgi’s suggestion and gently pressed on the patient’s flank. Antibiotics would eventually take care of most infections, but whenever possible, physically removing the source of infection was always the best course of action. This was the lifelong principle Shin Hyun-tae, an infectious diseases specialist, firmly believed in.

“Oh, a chest tube? Hmm…”

Professor Hong Changgi hadn’t encountered as many severe infections as Shin Hyun-tae had. Nonetheless, pneumonia was often what ultimately killed patients, whether they were cancer or other terminal cases. Given how frightening this disease could be, it was particularly concerning that the patient was so young—more accurately, quite juvenile.

“Should we consult thoracic surgery?”

“That would be best. Let’s see the extent of the fluid buildup first. It might just be due to a toxic reaction, right?”

“Oh…that’s true.”

Although the likelihood was slim, considering how rare this case already was, more akin to winning the lottery. They needed to approach her treatment with an open mind, prepared for any possibility.

“I’ll give them a call.”

“Yes, Manager Shin.”

Shin Hyun-tae immediately called thoracic surgery. As expected from the head of a department and someone with incredible connections, he received even more enthusiastic responses than Lee Hyunjong’s calls.

“What are you looking at?”

Meanwhile, Suhyuk was not focusing on the patient before him but observing other patients. Since this was the intensive care unit, all the patients were in critical condition. Moreover, it wasn’t just any intensive care unit; it was Taehwa Medical Center. Even if other hospitals referred their severe cases here, it meant that this hospital attracted critically ill patients.

Beep beep.

Bip bip.

Alarm sounds from monitors echoed throughout the room.

‘Huh? Oh.’

“Why are you watching other patients instead of ours? What… Is there some intriguing case?”

In the past, Baruda would have argued with Suhyuk, but now he respected Suhyuk’s skills. He interpreted Suhyuk’s actions positively, thinking that perhaps Suhyuk had discovered some intriguing case.

However, Suhyuk wasn’t focusing on any specific patient; he was simply observing the entire intensive care unit.

‘How many beds are there here?’

“Huh?” Baruda wondered if this was another novel nonsense from Suhyuk. It certainly seemed like an unexpected question amidst the chaos as the manager and respiratory professor were making frantic calls to arrange treatment for patients.

‘The number of beds? From what I can see…it looks like around fifty.’

Yet, Suhyuk’s serious expression made it difficult for Baruda to dismiss his query lightly. After all, Suhyuk had hit several home runs during such moments before.

In such situations, Suhyuk had hit several home runs before. Consequently, Baruda slowly began to visualize the hospital structure in his mind. The overall layout was vast, but the data for just the intensive care unit was not extensive.

‘Hmm.’

Thanks to this, after experiencing brief dizziness, Suhyuk could see the blueprint of the intensive care unit.

[Built with a total of 60 rooms. Among them, there are 12 isolation rooms and…the rest are open as shown.]

Baruda continued speaking at the pace of Suhyuk’s observation. Since they were currently inside an isolation room, he couldn’t see much. Additionally, the distance between beds in the intensive care unit was quite significant, further limiting his view.

Suhyuk raised an eyebrow while observing nurses darting back and forth between these gaps.

These nurses… How many patients does each one handle?

[Three to four, I believe? It varies depending on the severity of their conditions.]

In regular hospital rooms, it was common for a single nurse to manage two or three rooms. This meant they were responsible for nearly twenty patients, yet incidents due to nursing errors were extremely rare. This could be attributed to the fact that most patients required less intensive care.

On the other hand, even with significantly fewer patients assigned per nurse in the intensive care unit, accidents could still occur due to the critical nature of the patients’ conditions.

‘Hmm…’

“What’s wrong?” Baruda asked Suhyuk, who suddenly started scratching his chin.

Instead of answering, Suhyuk walked towards the isolation room door and opened it.

“Ah, thank you.”

A thoracic surgeon entered along with an intern.

“Uh, welcome. Here, this thoracic surgeon can assist.”

Shin Hyun-tae made way for the thoracic surgeon, and Hong Changgi yielded his position to the intern. Inserting a chest tube wasn’t as complex as it sounded, but it still involved opening the chest and placing the tube. Suddenly, tension filled the room.

‘Why did he ask about earlier?’

There was only one person - Suhyuk gazing outside. Baruda nodded, wondering if Suhyuk had caught a summer cold. After all, Baruda existed solely within Suhyuk’s mind, but regardless, they were now able to communicate effectively through gestures alone.

‘That… Isn’t that alarm completely unnecessary?’

Suhyuk raised his finger, pointing at one of the patients lying outside. The patient’s monitor had been beeping loudly for some time.

The diagnosis written under the bed was ‘Sepsis’, which meant blood poisoning.

[Sepsis patient with fever… Unless it drops and then rises again, there is no need for this alarm as they haven’t been admitted for even a day.]

Baruda agreed since Suhyuk’s words were correct. However, he still wondered why such alarms existed, although he didn’t show his confusion on his face.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to… filter these out?’

[Huh? Filter what?]

‘Those alarms, you know. The ones from the monitor.’

[I see.]

‘Don’t you think all those alarms could be consolidated at a central station? It shouldn’t be difficult.’

[Uh… That… Yes, that should be possible.]

After all, we have entered the era of 5G beyond 4G. Of course, Suhyuk himself was still stuck in the LTE era.

In any case, Baruda believed it wouldn’t be difficult to gather all this information together.

‘Then if you analyze it on the spot… It seems like it could significantly reduce the workload.’

[Hrmm… Analysis… Workload…]

He had heard these words before. Baruda inadvertently thought of Shin Hyun-tae. Yes, Shin Hyun-tae, who could be described as a heavenly scholar, had investigated such materials extensively.

‘I remember something about it. I think he mentioned that auxiliary artificial intelligence is trending nowadays. By collecting alarms…it can analyze them based on each patient’s condition or previous values.’

[Hrmm… Ah.]

Baruda was the pinnacle of modern science, yet surprisingly, he lacked knowledge about scientific advancements.

Thus, Suhyuk had no idea if what he was suggesting was technically possible or not. However, it would be nice to have such functionality. At least, it seemed better than Watson that he saw in the United States. The latter felt cumbersome and wasn’t particularly helpful.

‘Do you think this is feasible?’

[Uh… I hope so.]

‘Are you unsure? Aren’t you an artificial intelligence?’

[No… It’s just that I am not creating anything.]

‘Why do I feel like dealing with a useless entity? You don’t know anything?’

[No… Saying that I don’t know anything is a bit…]

Baruda stumbled at the unexpected attack. Watching Baruda struggle, Suhyuk clicked his tongue.

‘It seems quite simple, yet you don’t know.’

[I am an artificial intelligence designed for diagnosis…]

‘Isn’t this helpful for your diagnosis?’

[T-That… This is somewhat outside my domain… issue, isn’t it?]

‘Anyway, it’s fine. Be quiet now. Useless fellow.’

[Hah…]

While Baruda was stunned, Suhyuk stopped the conversation and opened his eyes.

When talking with Baruda, he found himself staring into space, which could lead others to think he was crazy. After pondering various solutions, he decided closing his eyes would be best.

“Hey, Suhyuk.”

Although suddenly shutting one’s eyes might also seem strange, Shin Hyun-tae noticed Suhyuk opening them after being lost in thought.

Is he scared of inserting the chest tube?

It seemed unlikely that he would be uncomfortable with it. After all, Shin Hyun-tae was known for performing procedures independently whenever possible. Even simple incisions and drainages were often done by him without involving other surgeons or surgical specialties.

‘There’s definitely something peculiar about him.’

However, Suhyuk didn’t find this particularly concerning; it just struck him as odd.

In any case, Suhyuk responded to Shin Hyun-tae’s call.

“Yes, Professor. That… Ah, there is pus present. Administering antibiotics immediately should suffice.”

Originally, Suhyuk intended to share his recent idea, but discussing the chest tube felt more natural at that moment since everyone’s attention was focused on it.

It was similar for Shin Hyun-tae.

“Yes. Once some fluid drains through the chest tube… her condition will significantly improve.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“You saved this patient as well. If we had waited just a few more days…it would have been dangerous.”

In terms of diagnosis, only common colds could afford to be uncertain without causing significant harm. For patients like this one with severe conditions leading to fluid buildup in their chest, an accurate diagnosis itself was salvation.

Suhyuk observed Shin Hyun-tae feeling proud of his own actions before speaking up.

“Oh, by the way, Professor.”

Instinctively, Shin Hyun-tae sensed that Suhyuk was about to bring up something important. This was typical of Suhyuk’s behavior.

“Uh, wait a moment. Not here. Let’s talk at the research lab.”

Hong Changgi looked betrayed as he asked, “Wh-why? Why not discuss it here?”

“No, no. It is about our research.”

“Research…? Could it be Pfizer?”

“Oh, what do you think I’m going to tell him?”

“C’mon, boss, please let me know too.”

“Boss? You should call me Manager An.”

He started acting childish despite being so dignified earlier.

[Bardu: Shouldn’t we include Hong Changgi? He will frequent the intensive care unit like his second home due to respiratory issues.]

Suhyuk nodded at Baruda’s advice.

“Manager An, why don’t we involve Professor Hong in this discussion? It’s relevant to him.”

“You, you! You’re truly a good guy!”