One Case of General Hospital Consultation, March 12, 1998

One Case of General Hospital Consultation, March 12, 1998

Mr. Ma, a 22-year-old male, suffered from liver cancer and ascites, and had previously undergone pericardial stripping for pericarditis five years ago. The general hospital was administering 3,000 mL of fluid per day at a rapid drip rate, causing his abdomen to swell like a drum, leading to renal failure, with urea nitrogen at 21.8 mmol/L, oliguria, only 300 mL of urine per day, and arrhythmia. That evening, the department head, urged by the family, invited me for consultation. I believed that this case was also caused by rapid and excessive fluid infusion, leading to heart failure. I suggested: ① Reduce the fluid volume; ② Slow down the infusion rate. Administer 0.4 mg of Digoxin once daily, 100 mg of Furosemide twice daily, and one dose of traditional Chinese medicine, Xiao Chengqi Tang. The next day, the abdominal distension eased, the heart failure corrected, atrial fibrillation disappeared, and the abdomen felt comfortable. Mr. Ma was overjoyed.