ICU doctor's dedication to saving children's life

Photo taken on July 31, 2019 shows Qian Suyun (L) working in an office with her colleagues. As a pediatric intensive care specialist, Qian Suyun works with critically ill children on a daily basis, with her workplace being the scene of life-or-death battles. [Xinhua/Cai Yang]

BEIJING -- As a pediatric intensive care specialist, Qian Suyun works with critically ill children on a daily basis, with her workplace being the scene of life-or-death battles.

However, it is also a place of hope, where children receive the best available care and many are given a new lease of life.

Qian is a delegate to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and honorary director of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Beijing Children's Hospital under Capital Medical University.

During her 26 years of clinical practice at the PICU, the 59-year-old doctor has saved innumerable children with life-threatening conditions and treated young patients in disaster-stricken areas. However, one particular case remains fresh in her memory.

Several years ago, 12-year-old Xiaoying (not her real name) came to Beijing for medical treatment. She had previously been treated at another hospital for over half a month, but the treatment proved ineffective and she became critically ill.

On arrival at the PICU in Beijing Children's Hospital, Xiaoying was suffering from severe tuberculosis and a fungal infection, as well as serious complications including acute liver failure. At that time, the 1.65-meter-tall girl weighed only 35 kg, and at one point there were eight tubes inserted into her body.

Qian was Xiaoying's attending physician, and together with her colleagues, she studied the changes in the girl's condition and imaging features every day, looked up relevant information on the internet and read the relevant literature.

After 98 days of careful treatment, Xiaoying recovered.

More than a year later, her mother came to the hospital, bringing Qian the latest photos of her child, who had grown into a healthy teenager.

"Watching the children walk out of the PICU with smiling faces is my greatest happiness," said Qian.

In recent years, Qian has also devoted time and energy to teaching medical students, nurturing a new generation of pediatric specialists. Through her lessons, she points out the importance and charm of pediatrics, encouraging them to take up the specialty.

Wang Quan, director of the emergency internal medicine department at Beijing Children's Hospital, is Qian's first graduate student.

"Professor Qian would not miss a single detail when teaching on ward rounds. She would ask us to pay attention to every subtle link, no matter what we do," said Wang.

"As a Party member and a doctor, I will, as always, focus on the most urgent problems in pediatric clinical practice to guarantee the wellbeing of children," said Qian. 

Qian Suyun treats a young patient at Beijing Children's Hospital under Capital Medical University, in Beijing, capital of China, in August, 2021. As a pediatric intensive care specialist, Qian Suyun works with critically ill children on a daily basis, with her workplace being the scene of life-or-death battles. [Photo/Xinhua]

Photo taken in January 2019 shows Qian Suyun giving free medical consultation at a hospital in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. As a pediatric intensive care specialist, Qian Suyun works with critically ill children on a daily basis, with her workplace being the scene of life-or-death battles. [Photo/Xinhua]

Photo taken in January 2019 shows Qian Suyun (1st, R) giving free medical consultation at a hospital in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. As a pediatric intensive care specialist, Qian Suyun works with critically ill children on a daily basis, with her workplace being the scene of life-or-death battles. [Photo/Xinhua]