Viet Chung Hospital, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Time, 12 midnight.

The nurses on duty, Bao Jing and Yu Fangfang, were writing nursing records on the nurse's desk, and while writing, they also looked up at the row of incubators in front of them from time to time.

The neonatal intensive care unit is a unit that focuses on the treatment of critically ill newborns.

Like some diabetic mother newborns, severe pregnancy-induced maternal newborns, severe anemia maternal newborns, heart disease maternal newborns,

and neonates with ischemic-hypoxic encephalopathy, aspiration pneumonia, meconium aspiration syndrome, intracranial hemorrhage, heart, kidney, DIC and other multi-organ injuries caused by hypoxia, etc.

Therefore, none of the babies who can enter this ward are normal, and they are all in critical condition, but they can effectively reduce the infant mortality rate.

Thanks to Chen Qi's sponsorship, he got 30 incubators in one go.

Then the mortality rate of newborns in the Vietna-Central region plummeted from 34.68 per thousand to 11.9 per thousand

Although there is still a certain gap with the later data of 4.9‰, it was enough in 1990.

You must know that in 1990, there were few hospitals in the country that could be equipped with neonatal intensive care units, and there were no prefecture-level hospitals, and Vietnam-China Hospital was in the leading position in the country.

Chen Qi has made immeasurable merit with this alone, and has saved the lives of many babies.

In order to reduce jet lag for the newly arrived baby, the lights in the neonatal intensive care unit in the middle of the night will be turned off, leaving only some night lights.

And because of the effects of the drugs, these little babies often don't have to turn day and night upside down, cry and fuss as usual, and don't have to go to medical care in the middle of the night.

Therefore, the nurses on night duty will be relatively relaxed, Bao Jing and Yu Fangfang are still chatting quietly about gossip news, including the divorce of "Courtyard Flower" He Jia.

"I heard that Dean Chen was against it at the beginning, but He Jia himself didn't listen and had to get married."

"I saw when I drank the wedding wine, the groom is indeed very handsome, but unfortunately it is a silver-like wax gun head, which is useless. Hee-hee. ”

"But the Ping family is not a thing, and this is no different from cheating marriage."

Just as the two little girls were chatting happily, suddenly they heard a slight cat meow. "Meow~~Meow~~~"

All at once the two nurses were alerted.

"Hey, Fangfang, listen, why is there a cat meowing sound."

"yes, it seems that there are cats, ahhh

There are 30 newborns living in this ward, and if a wild cat comes in and bites the baby, they will not be able to eat and walk around, and the nursing department will have to tear them alive.

"Meow~~Meow~~~"

"Quick, go find the wildcats."

"Strange, how did this feral cat get in?"

The neonatal intensive care unit is closed, and the doors and windows are almost not opened, just for fear that the baby in the incubator will catch a cold.

So the two little nurses took flashlights, bent down and walked into the ward, and then followed the lights everywhere to look for wild cats, but there was no shadow for a long time.

"Bao Jing, have you found it?"

"No, where did the kitten go?"

While the two were searching, the cat's meowing stopped, and as soon as the two angry little nurses sat down, another cat's meow came from the ward:

"Meow~~Meow~~~"

Bao Jing and Yu Fangfang glanced at each other, picked up the flashlight and quickly rushed into the ward, trying to find this damn wild cat as soon as possible, but after looking for half an hour, except for the occasional baby crying, there was no other wild cat.

By the time the two little nurses sat back at the nursing station again, they were already swearing.

"Damn the wildcat, I've got it, I'm going to have to beat it up."

"That's it, I'll report to Director Liu tomorrow."

"Okay."

The two were talking, and suddenly the cat meow appeared again: "Meow~~Meow~~~"

Bao Jing and Yu Fangfang looked at each other, and their muscles and skin instantly rose, so frightened that the two little girls quickly hugged each other.

"What should I do, it can't be haunted, right?"

"Great compassion and compassion Guanyin Bodhisattva, save us, comrade ghost, if you have a grudge, go to our Dean Chen, don't scare our junior workers."

From a superstitious point of view, the hospital is the place where the most dead people and the place with the most yin energy, and almost every hospital has a legend of supernatural stories.

For example, in the outpatient building that is empty in the middle of the night, some doors are automatic without wind, and they are closed for a while......

Another example is that the corridors of the inpatient department are very long, and the black holes are particularly scary, and the sound of Gaogen's shoes clicking in the middle of the night......

There is also the emergency room where the most people die in accidents, or the morgue where hospital patients go after they die......

Therefore, there is basically no need to install any central air conditioning in the hospital, and it is cold everywhere in summer, and a gust of demon wind floats from time to time, which makes people's hearts chill.

And the medical staff are also people, and the atheists are a minority after all,

In addition, a small number of medical personnel have personally experienced supernatural events, and most of them are still afraid of ghosts.

Not everyone is as bold as Chen Qi, who dared to dissect corpses and make specimens alone in the middle of the night when he was a student to make money.

This night, there would be bursts of cat meows from time to time in the neonatal intensive care unit, and when they approached the ward, they couldn't hear it again, and the two little nurses were shaking on both legs when they fed the babies.

When the morning dawned and colleagues rushed to work, Bao Jing and Yu Fangfang couldn't hold back anymore, they were hugging the head nurse and crying.

Wild cats in the neonatal intensive care unit? Is this worth it?

Ren Juan, the head nurse, and Liu Shumin, the director of pediatrics, immediately paid attention to it when they heard about it, and everyone didn't even check the ward, and they all went out to find out the wild cats.

Doctors are most afraid of this wild animal, which will not only bring bites and scratches, but also wild cats may carry unknown viruses and bacteria, and then cause nosocomial infections.

The babies in the neonatal intensive care unit are originally children with poor constitution and low immunity, and when they really die, the doctor's white coat will have to be taken off.

But when everyone turned the intensive care unit upside down, there was no wild cat, not even cat poop.

The head nurse Ren was unhappy:

"Yu Fangfang, Bao Jing, are the two of you dizzy on the night shift? Where are wild cats? ”

The two little nurses are very aggrieved, if one person hears it wrong, it is possible, but the possibility of two people hearing about it at the same time is very small, not to mention that they have worked hard all night to find wild cats with flashlights.

But facts speak louder than words, although Liu Shumin is a well-talking section director, it is not easy to provoke when she really starts a fire.

"Okay, okay, Xiaobao is smaller than them, maybe they're too tired, everyone is scattered."

Head nurse Ren tapped his fingers at the two subordinates, and then began the busy day.

Just when everyone thought that this was the end of the matter, they didn't expect that in the middle of the night the next day, the two little nurses on duty, Zheng Furong and Zhang Yinshuang, also heard the sound of a cat.

It's just that the cat's meow is very soft, coming and going, very ethereal, and you can't really hear it if you don't listen carefully.

The two nurses MM are not calm anymore, just like Bao Jingyu Fangfang who was on duty last night, they can only hug each other and tremble all night.

The next day, the haunting of the pediatric ward spread throughout the hospital, and the whole hospital was in an uproar.

The supernatural events were reported layer by layer, and Chen Qi soon learned about it.

Don't underestimate the rumors of hauntings, there are a lot of superstitious people in 2023, not to mention that this is still 1990.

If this matter is not handled well, the reputation and interests of the people's hospital will suffer a major blow, and I did not see that many pregnant women and parents of newborns are clamoring to be discharged.

No one wants to be haunted by ghosts, does they?

Chen Qi personally took Zuo Liwei, the head of the medical department, and Huang Qiming, the head of the security department, to the neonatal intensive care unit, and a large group of pediatric doctors also followed.

Many medical staff whispered in the back:

"Why are we so unlucky in pediatrics, what will we do on the night shift in the future."

"Whoever calls us pediatrics are female doctors, female nurses, and the yin qi is too heavy, and the ghosts like to inhale yin qi, so they don't look for us to find anyone."

"Fortunately, we have to move to a new inpatient unit, otherwise we wouldn't be able to live this day."

Chen Qi was also complaining to the section chief Zuo next to him:

"You said that now the new building of the hospital is about to be put into use, and I have a lot of things, one moment to be the women's director to mediate the family conflicts of employees, and the other time to help subordinates divorce, and now I even have to do the ghost hunting myself."

Section Chief Zuo mysteriously opened his briefcase:

"Dean, don't worry, I have prepared the talisman of Longhuaguan, the peach wood sword of Wang Xingji, the incense ash of Lufeng Temple, and this, this is copper coin, this is glutinous rice, when we encounter dirty things, we will sprinkle them one by one."

Chen Qi thought to himself that this Zuo Liwei was really the dean's intimate person, and he was really well prepared, so he would have less golden talismans and black donkey hooves.

"Okay, okay, where are the ghosts in this world, even if there are cowards, let's sit up straight, and we're afraid that wild ghosts will knock on the door in the middle of the night?"

Chen Qi said loudly, wanting to cheer everyone up, but when he turned around, he saw Dr. Qian Yuqian holding a jade Buddha, and he was still chanting words in his mouth.

Seeing this scene, Chen Qi felt that he needed to give a few lessons to the staff of the hospital.

The neonatal intensive care unit is located in a small bungalow between the paediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology departments, and the environment is relatively closed, with the nurse standing at the door, but separated by large glass in the middle.

Chen Qi, Huang Qiming, chief of the security department, and Liu Shumin, director of the pediatric department, entered the neonatal intensive care unit together.

The ward is about 100 square meters, and there are three rows of incubators, and 10 in a row are neatly arranged.

In addition, there are some medical equipment such as life maintenance systems and rescue systems, which seem to be full.

Chen Qi looked around inside and out, a little strange: "No, this window is fully closed, and the roof and walls are not damaged, so where did this wild cat sneak in?" ”

After Chen Qi, Liu Shumin, and Huang Qiming walked into the neonatal intensive care unit, they took action separately.

Huang Qiming, as the head of the security section, carefully inspected whether there were any traces of damage to any doors and windows, could it be that there were enemy elements who came to sabotage or wanted to steal children?

In these years, the security department of the unit is amazing, and it is completely different from those security guards who have few teeth in later generations.

Almost all of the staff in the security department of the Viethorne-Central Hospital are veterans, half of the police station, and even have guns, so they not only have to be pulled out to catch the bad guys at a critical moment, but even the kind that can go to the battlefield.

Therefore, Huang Qiming's vigilance and professionalism are still quite strong, and his eyes widened and he did not let go of any clues.

Director Liu Shumin lowered her head and used feminine delicacy to look for wild cats little by little, even the gap between the beds.

And Chen Qi looked at the newborns in the incubator and looked over one by one.

One is to inspect the department as the dean, and the second is to see if these little babies are "suspected of committing crimes".

The neonatal intensive care unit was very quiet, and the others watched the behavior of Dean Chen and the three through the glass, because to prevent cross-infection, too many people could not enter the intensive care unit at once.

Half an hour later, Huang Qiming smacked his lips:

"Chen Tou, it seems that I haven't found anything suspicious, let alone a wild cat, but not even a mosquito can fly in."

At this time, Director Liu Shumin also straightened up, because he was a little dizzy after squatting for a long time, so he helped a ventilator next to him, but accidentally dropped a glass bottle to the ground.

Boom~~~ sounded loud in the silent neonatal intensive care unit.

Wow~~~Wow~~~Wow~~~

Well, the dizzy babies in the incubator were so frightened that they all cried collectively.

The head nurse Ren hurriedly walked in and followed Director Liu to coax the child.

Chen Qi was also at a loss, 30 little babies cried loudly at the same time, the sound was the same as 3,000 ducklings on the scene, so frightened that Chen Qi was ready to go out quickly.

Chen Qigang walked to the door, suddenly paused, and Huang Qiming, the section chief behind him, asked:

"Dean, what's wrong?"

"Wait, listen, listen carefully, is there a kitten barking?"

Chen Qi turned his head sharply and looked at the 30 incubators in front of him.

All the four people in the intensive care room were stunned, and the appearance of pricking up their ears made the doctors and nurses outside very curious and discussed:

"Ah, you see, dean, are they evil? Why don't you move? ”

"Yes, it's so weird, on one side is a crying little baby, and on the other side are four wooden people, this ghost is so powerful, can you come out in broad daylight?"

"It's over, I've heard that evil things are most likely to appear when building a project, and isn't there a building under construction next to us?"

The people outside were terrified, but the people inside had already heard the difference.

The head nurse Ren's eyes suddenly lit up, although he didn't speak, he was so anxious that he shook his hand and ordered an incubator not far away.

Chen Qi understood in seconds, and walked lightly to the incubator indicated by the head nurse as quickly as possible, and the four adults surrounded him and held his breath.

Sure enough, after a while, I heard a very slight cat meow coming from inside the incubator.

Meow~~Meow~~

Head Nurse Ren covered her mouth suddenly, and the surprise on her face couldn't be concealed.

Director Liu is also well-informed, and now he has opened his mouth wide and can't close it for a long time:

"This, this, why is this kid crying like a cat meowing?"

Chen Qi was also full of curiosity in his heart, "Hurry up, open the lid of the incubator and listen carefully." ”

Director Liu and Head Nurse Ren quickly opened the lid when they heard this, and the little baby inside may not be comfortable all of a sudden, and they cried again:

Meow~~Meow~~~

Now the four of them heard it really.

Just when the others were still surprised, Chen Qi saw that something was wrong.

I saw that the head of this little baby was obviously larger than that of other small babies, and the key was the face, which could clearly see the appearance of the full moon face, and the width between the eyes seemed to be relatively large.

This appearance is eight points similar to that of the sugar baby.

Down syndrome, also known as congenital stupid infants, clinically refers to Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21 syndrome.

Babies already have a more obvious special appearance when they are born.

Symptoms include wide eye distance, small eye cleft, lateral slanted eye, medial canthal folds, low and flat nasal base, small ears, round ears, excessive folding of the upper edge of the auricle, and tongue often sticking out of the mouth.

Hu Yizhou, who was praised by the media as a "genius conductor", is a typical Tang Baobao.

The special faces of such children can be recognized at a glance, and all children look the same.

Chen Qi's mind was like a computer, and he immediately began to try to recall, does this Tang Baobao have any clinical manifestations like a cat meowing?

Director Liu was really surprised, and said to himself:

"I've been a doctor for decades, and it's the first time I've heard a baby crying like a cat's meow, Dean Chen, you're well-informed, do you think this child's cat meowing is normal or abnormal?"

Chen Qi came back to his senses, looked at the child in the incubator and shook his head:

"It's hard to tell if it's just a cat meow, but if you look at the baby's appearance, I suspect that this is a child with Down syndrome, so call the parents quickly."

"Down syndrome? Oh my God, isn't that just a fool coming out? ”

The incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 800 and 1 in 1000, but this data is from 2020.

In 1990, when there was a lack of prenatal diagnosis and examination, this figure was between 1/300 and 1/600, which is still quite high.

Down syndrome is a serious chromosomal malformation that can cause physical and mental development disorders, so in Chen Qi's previous life, pregnant women were required to undergo a Down screening during pregnancy.

If Down syndrome is present, the doctor will advise the woman to give up the fetus for induction.

In the early stages of pregnancy, NT examination is also required, that is, through B-ultrasound examination, the thickness of the nuchal translucency of the fetus will be more likely to be greater if it exceeds 2.5mm.

Wait until the second trimester of pregnancy, that is, between 14~21 weeks, go to the hospital for Down syndrome screening, that is, take blood tests, and the doctor will evaluate the pregnant woman according to her gestational age, age, weight and fetal size.

If the screening for Down syndrome is high-risk, the doctor may recommend non-invasive DNA or amniocentesis to confirm whether the fetus has Down syndrome.

It's like this, but no one can guarantee 100% of the medical thing, and there are still many Tang babies who have been born and become a burden on the family's students.

By 2020, there will be more than 600,000 Down syndrome patients in China, with an average of 1 child born every 20 minutes, that is, about 26,000 Down syndrome patients will be born every year.

The parents of the little baby were soon found.

Chen Qi looked at the young parents in front of him, and he was still a little unbearable, but what he should say as a doctor still has to be clearly explained:

"You are the parents of the No. 12 incubator baby, right, the father's name is Wang Xingping, and the mother's name is Feng Meili, right?"

"Ah, ah, yes, my name is Wang Xingping, this is my wife Feng Meili, doctor, did the child have any accidents?"

The child's father looked very young, about the age of his early twenties, and his face looked very anxious at this time.

My child was sent to the neonatal intensive care unit just after birth, and the family was already frightened about the incubator, but now I was suddenly called by the doctor, and there was no good result when I thought about it.

The young mother of the child was already so anxious that she wiped tears from her eyes.

Chen Qi coughed lightly:

"The baby's condition is stable now, but we have another major discovery, if nothing else, the baby you gave birth to should belong to Tang Baobao."

"Baby Tang? What is Don Baby called? ”

This pair of young people are full of question marks, and it's quite interesting just to hear the name.

"Tang Baobao also has a name called congenital stupidity, which means that your baby is most likely a child with intellectual defects."

"What?"

The young couple was shocked, and then everyone was dumbfounded: "How can this be, how can this be?" ”

They did not doubt the doctor's judgment, but for a moment they simply could not accept the consequences.

"Doctor, are you sure my son was born a fool? What causes this? ”

Chen Qi shook his head:

"How did it happen, let's describe it this way, we normal people have 46 pairs of chromosomes, and if a child suddenly has one more chromosome, the problem arises.

Now this child is still young, it is not difficult for me to determine, but it is judged by his appearance, and if you want to be diagnosed, you need to do a genetic test. ”

The child's mother was anxious: "The doctor, if the diagnosis is Tang Baobao, can this disease be cured?" ”

Chen Qi shook his head silently.

The child's father gritted his teeth: "Okay, doctor, what genetic test can you do for us, and how much will it cost?" ”

"This and this, the cost of genetic testing is quite expensive, because we can't do it in China at present, and we need to take it to a foreign country for testing, but because Tang Baobao's situation is special, we only need them to do the 21st chromosome, so the cost can be much cheaper, but it also takes about 20,000 yuan to convert into RMB."

"20,000 is 20,000, doctor, you help us test quickly."

20,000 yuan in 1990 is definitely a huge amount of money for ordinary people, and they can buy suites in central Vietnam.

After receiving the patient's assurance, the Vietnamese Central Hospital immediately drew the baby's blood and mailed it by air to Sysmex for testing.

A week later, I got the results, but it turned out to be a big drop.

The child's chromosome 21 is normal, which can rule out the possibility of Tang Baobao.

While this result made the children's parents happy, it made Chen Qi fall into deep thought, and he couldn't help but doubt his judgment.

Not trisomy 21?

Is it trisomy 13? Trisomy 8? Trisomy 9?

Dean Chen started to have headaches, but one thing he was sure of was that there was definitely something wrong with this child.

So what exactly is the problem?

(End of chapter)