2024-03-01 06:58:57
A 24-year-old girl’s sudden appearance of red dots on her legs was a sign of death. (Picture/reproduced from City Express)
Xiao Feng (pseudonym), a 24-year-old young girl from Mainland China, just found a job in Hangzhou last summer. When she went out for fun, she accidentally discovered a lot of red spots on her lower limbs, which looked like allergies, so she went to the hospital for treatment. Unexpectedly, Xiao Feng was diagnosed with fulminant very severe aplastic anemia (FVSSA). The early mortality rate is as high as 90%. If not treated in time, he is likely to die.
“Metropolitan Express” reported that following receiving the consultation, the dermatologist at the local hospital asked Xiao Feng to do a blood test. The report sheet clearly marked the critical value. The platelets were only 14. “Your situation is very dangerous. There is a possibility of heavy bleeding at any time. Hurry and go to the hematology department!” Xiao Feng held the test report and mightn’t believe his ears.
After returning to Hangzhou, Xiao Feng immediately went to a large tertiary hospital for treatment and was diagnosed with fulminant very severe aplastic anemia (FVSSA). The doctor told her that in the face of this acute disease, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is almost the only treatment option. Under the strong recommendation of the doctor, Xiao Feng found Ye Baodong, director of the Hematology Department of Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
“Aplastic anemia”, also known as “soft cancer”, is a comprehensive disease caused by the reduction of bone marrow hematopoietic tissue and hematopoietic failure, resulting in a decrease in peripheral blood pancytocytes. Ye Baodong said, “In layman’s terms, it means that the bone marrow cannot produce blood.” The early mortality rate of patients with extremely severe aplastic anemia is as high as 90%. If it cannot be treated and controlled in time, the patient is likely to suffer from severe infection and bleeding, leading to death.
When admitted to the hospital, Xiao Feng faced multiple threats from severe low blood pressure, persistent high fever, and severe infection. Ye Baodong quickly dispatched a medical team to optimize the treatment plan: adjusting anti-infection strategies, strengthening nutritional support, etc., in order to stabilize Xiao Feng’s condition. Head nurse Wu Xiaolian organized the nursing business efficiently, formulated a detailed nursing plan, and carefully performed every nursing operation. At the same time, she used various traditional Chinese medicine nursing methods such as application therapy and traditional Chinese medicine foot soaking to relieve symptoms.
However, the road to treatment is not smooth sailing, and the emergence of sepsis makes the originally difficult treatment even worse. In this battle with death, every step is particularly critical, and every decision may determine life or death. The medical team held multiple emergency general consultations and decided to adopt the bold treatment strategy of salvage hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
After the treatment plan was determined, the medical team took quick action to carry out pre-transplantation preparations such as HLA matching and DSA testing. However, fate seems not to let this family go easily. In the key link of donor selection, they encountered an unprecedented dilemma. Since Xiao Feng’s father was no longer alive, she was an only child and had no brothers or sisters to provide help. The matching process for the Chinese Bone Marrow Bank is long, but Xiao Feng’s condition cannot wait. In this desperate situation, Xiao Feng’s mother’s half-match became the only hope.
At the critical moment when the transplant was regarding to take place, fate dealt another heavy blow to the family. Unfortunately, Feng’s mother was infected with COVID-19 and was unable to be a donor. The medical team had to face a difficult choice, which was to use a collateral relative (Xiao Feng’s cousin) as a backup donor, which was almost a forbidden area in the history of transplantation. The success rate of collateral donors is much lower than that of other donors, which undoubtedly casts a shadow on Xiao Feng’s treatment prospects.
Faced with the gloomy treatment prospects, the hematology medical team did not give up. Not only did they go all out medically, but they also gave Xiao Feng great spiritual support. Head nurse Mao Xiaopei and her team at the transplant center not only took good care of Xiao Feng’s daily life, but also encouraged her at all times and used warm words to dispel her loneliness and fear.
Faced with persistent high fever and infection, the medical team tried every means to actively create transplant conditions. After multiple multidisciplinary consultations, the expert team decided to take a last resort and forcefully perform a hematopoietic stem cell collateral donor transplant for Xiao Feng. This is a bold attempt and a challenge to the traditional transplant restricted area. In August last year, Xiao Feng underwent reinfusion surgery. The medical team was nervous because they knew this might be Xiao Feng’s only chance of survival.
The operation was completed in a tense and orderly atmosphere, and the medical team did not relax at all. They closely monitored Xiao Feng’s every vital sign. A week later, a miracle happened. Xiao Feng’s body temperature began to drop, and she also came out of the anxiety she felt before the transplant. After the operation, Xiao Feng suffered from poor appetite, nausea, and progressive weight loss. Deputy Chief Chinese Physician Deng Shu decisively adopted a treatment strategy of integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
Within 2 weeks following the transplant, Xiao Feng’s physical condition gradually improved, and the test results returned to normal one by one. His body temperature stabilized, inflammatory indicators dropped, and the number of white blood cells and platelets returned to healthy levels. The STR test 3 weeks later brought good news. The results showed complete chimerism without any signs of transplant complications. After overcoming numerous obstacles such as severe infection and unsatisfactory donor conditions, the transplant operation was declared a success and Xiao Feng was successfully discharged from the transplant cabin.
In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed since the surgery. During the follow-up consultation, Dr. Hu Tonglin carefully asked Xiao Feng’s current situation, “Have you had a cold recently? Has your rash improved? Has your menstruation returned to normal?” Dr. Hu Tonglin also expressed his appreciation for Xiao Feng’s strong heart. Faced with a major test of life and death, Miss Feng was not trapped by sadness, but showed rare calmness and tenacity.
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