21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 801 - 797 Blood Oxygen Saturation

801: Chapter 797: Blood Oxygen Saturation

801 -797: Blood Oxygen Saturation

Jounouchi Hiromi, after struggling with whether her mother would come to Tokyo, ultimately decided to give her family a call first.

After all, avoiding such matters often causes more trouble—instead, addressing them might make them easier to resolve.

Chen Yu didn’t object to this decision.

He had his own issues to deal with, namely the impending arrival of his third aunt, Xu Xiaohong.

Jounouchi Hiromi’s mother was a matter she would have to handle herself.

After the couple finally reached an agreement, they temporarily set the issue aside, and Jounouchi returned to her office to handle the day’s work.

Belfast glanced at the cold breakfast on Chen Yu’s desk and asked him, “Sir, the breakfast has gone cold.

Would you like me to reheat it for you?”

Chen Yu’s office was equipped with a microwave, so reheating it wouldn’t be troublesome.

“No need, I can eat it cold.” Chen Yu shook his head slightly and quickly ate the cold breakfast on the desk, saying, “Belfa, would you mind cleaning this up?”

“Understood, sir.” Belfast bowed slightly and, after responding, went to Chen Yu’s side, placing the now-empty plates and tableware into the insulated box that had originally held the breakfast.

After wiping his mouth, Chen Yu began his work for the day.

As the acting Professor and Director of General Surgery, Chen Yu not only conducted weekly rounds but also oversaw the summary reports of all the patients admitted to General Surgery.

Furthermore, he was responsible for arranging the surgical schedules of all surgeons under his supervision.

This was done partly for unified management and partly to keep him informed about patients admitted by other physicians.

If a doctor encountered complex or poorly managed cases, the acting director could step in promptly to handle the situation.

Such tasks formed the core of Chen Yu’s daily responsibilities.

At his level as a professor, he no longer needed to see large numbers of patients directly; his work leaned more heavily on management and academic research.

While reviewing this week’s batch of medical records, Chen Yu noticed an unusual case.

A 28-year-old young woman had developed a brain abscess and required craniotomy surgery.

The surgery was assigned to Dr.

Daimon.

Brain abscesses are caused by purulent bacterial infections in cerebral tissue, presenting as a dangerously acute condition.

Such infections typically form abscesses in the brain—essentially pockets of pus enclosed within the patient’s head.

These lead to increased intracranial pressure and localized neural dysfunction due to the brain’s compression, along with other potential complications.

If the abscess ruptures, the pus can flood the subarachnoid space or cerebral ventricles, potentially resulting in coma, seizures, shock, or even death.

Thus, when Chen Yu read Dr.

Daimon’s recommendation for craniotomy surgery in the medical record, he wasn’t surprised.

What piqued his curiosity was the patient’s underlying cause.

Brain abscesses are typically formed by infections caused by bacteria, protozoa, or certain parasites that invade the brain tissue.

Causative factors may include hematogenous infections originating from other parts of the body, localized transmissions from ear or nasal infections, trauma-induced infections, and cryptogenic infections with unclear sources.

But what was the specific cause in this patient’s case?

Although roughly 10.1-42.3% of brain abscess cases lack identifiable sources, it is still a doctor’s duty to uncover the reasons behind a patient’s illness.

Additionally, a detail in the medical record caught Chen Yu’s attention, suggesting that this patient’s case was anything but typical: her blood oxygen saturation was only 85%.

Blood oxygen saturation refers to the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin relative to total hemoglobin in the blood—essentially the concentration of oxygen in the bloodstream.

It’s a vital physiological indicator tied to respiratory and circulatory function.

Under normal circumstances, arterial blood oxygen saturation should be approximately 98%.

When discussing blood oxygen saturation, we generally refer to arterial blood oxygen levels.

If saturation drops too low, hypoxia becomes likely.

The altitude sickness commonly experienced in highland areas is a result of insufficient oxygen saturation.

This patient’s blood oxygen saturation had already fallen to 85%.

What’s more, this value was recorded while she was receiving supplemental oxygen, which made it all the more perplexing.

Pondering this, Chen Yu called out to his secretary, Shirai Reina, stationed outside his office: “Rena, ask Dr.

Daimon to come in.

I have some questions about the patient she’s handling.”

Secretary Shirai Reina promptly followed his instruction, and Dr.

Daimon soon appeared in front of Chen Yu.

“What’s up?

Is there an issue with this patient?” Just as usual, Dr.

Daimon sat down without the slightest hesitation and asked Chen Yu about why she’d been summoned.

“Has this patient undergone a full-body examination?

Her blood oxygen saturation is only 85%.

Have you analyzed the cause, Dr.

Daimon?” Chen Yu, flipping open the medical record, placed it in front of her.

Dr.

Daimon accepted the report, skimmed through its details, and raised an eyebrow at the anomaly.

“I haven’t met the patient in person yet.

The medical record was transferred to me today.

What do you think, Doctor Chen Yu?”

“Low oxygen saturation can stem from various reasons, ranging from cardiac issues to pulmonary conditions.

We’ll need to perform further tests for confirmation.

However, based on prior findings, I suspect it may be congenital heart disease,” Chen Yu reasoned after a brief moment of thought, offering a preliminary hypothesis.

Dr.

Daimon nodded in agreement and responded affirmatively, “If it is congenital heart disease, that would explain the brain abscess.

Long-term hypoxia would increase the concentration of red blood cells, leading to thicker, slower-moving blood—ideal conditions for bacterial persistence and growth.

If bacteria entered the brain via the circulatory system, a brain abscess would be entirely plausible.”

“Given your insight, Dr.

Daimon, I’ll leave this patient in your capable hands.

Craniotomy for a brain abscess should be routine work for you, right?” Chen Yu teased lightly, a hint of a smile creeping onto his face.

“Indeed, it’s just a standard procedure.

No problem at all.

I never fail,” Dr.

Daimon replied, delivering her trademark line as she grabbed the medical record and headed for the door.

Just as she was about to exit, she paused, turned back to glance at Chen Yu, and said, “By the way, I heard that the Anesthesiologist is pregnant.

Congratulations!”

With that, she left Chen Yu’s office.

Watching Dr.

Daimon leave, Chen Yu simply rubbed his nose without saying much before refocusing on his work.