A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 323

Chapter 62: Flying Through the Sky (3)

Thud, thud, thud. Thud, thud, thud.

The sound of the helicopter propeller was deafening.

The helicopter, which had been cutting through the downtown sky, finally ended its long journey and returned to the embrace of Shinwon University Hospital.

The helicopter gently landed on the rooftop landing pad.

The waiting staff covered their faces with their hands and approached the helicopter.

The whirlwind created by the helicopter scattered the staff’s hair in disarray.

The doctor’s gown fluttered as if it would be blown off.

Thud!

Jun-hoo was the first to get off the helicopter and step onto the ground.

He lifted the patient in his arms and transferred him to the stretcher brought by the waiting staff.

The staff’s eyes widened at his superhuman strength.

‘Please hold on. As long as possible. So we can do our best, too.’

Jun-hoo held the patient’s hand tightly.

The patient’s hand was small and cold, unlike his large build.

During the journey, the patient had suffered two cardiac arrests. The three of them had to work up a sweat doing CPR in the cramped helicopter.

But the patient was still faintly breathing.

It was too early to give up.

Soon, Sung-min and Ji-hye got off the helicopter.

Unlike Jun-hoo, the two were exhausted. Their faces were covered with fatigue.

They looked like their souls had left their bodies from climbing up and down the steep mountain path and performing CPR.

“Doctor, the operating room has been prepared, and the anesthesiologist is on standby. What should we do next?”

The staff member with glasses asked Sung-min.

“Don’t send him straight to the operating room. Take abdominal and brain CT scans as quickly as possible. Draw blood for testing on the way and start a blood transfusion as soon as the blood type is confirmed.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Two staff members pulled the stretcher with the patient on it and left the rooftop.

Just then, the helicopter stopped operating.

The world became quiet for a moment. The storm created by the propeller also disappeared.

Even then, Jun-hoo was blankly staring at the stretcher getting smaller and smaller.

-Doctor… I want to live. I miss Hye-in and Hye-in’s mom… and Gaeul. I think I did something stupid for a while…….

The patient’s words, spoken during a brief moment of lucidity,

were stuck in Jun-hoo’s heart like a thorn.

If he couldn’t save the patient, that thorn would remain in Jun-hoo’s heart forever.

“Whew. At least we can catch our breath for a moment. Dr. Seo, you worked hard.”

“You worked hard, Doctor.”

“You two worked even harder.”

The three of them moved to the operating room.

Although he had made a significant contribution to saving the patient, Jun-hoo’s role was not over yet.

He had to take responsibility for the surgery that would unfold next.

Trauma surgery is responsible for the entire body of a trauma patient, but some organs require the help of other departments.

The main departments were thoracic surgery and neurosurgery.

This was because they were directly connected to life and had distinct characteristics specific to those organs.

The reason why the trauma surgery department requested 3rd and 4th year residents was also for that reason.

Only 3rd and 4th year residents could be trusted to perform surgery independently.

Until the patient’s test results came out,

The three of them enjoyed a sweet moment of relaxation in the small break room inside the operating room.

Even the silence was like honey.

“Let’s go for the second round.”

Sung-min took the lead and left the break room, followed by Ji-hye and Jun-hoo.

Sung-min sat down at an empty desk.

He was looking at the patient’s chart when the patient’s CT scan results came out.

Sung-min looked at the brain CT first.

“This, the left skull is completely shattered. Looks like he hit his head on the rock face properly?”

Sung-min muttered in shock,

and Jun-hoo smiled awkwardly.

In fact, Jun-hoo was the one who had made the patient’s skull like that.

“There’s evidence of cerebral edema [swelling in the brain]. And there’s a huge hematoma [a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues] on the left middle cerebral artery. Looks like about 150cc [cubic centimeters]?”

“With this much intracranial pressure [pressure inside the skull], shouldn’t brain herniation [when brain tissue shifts from its normal position] have already occurred?”

“It seems like the skull fracture had the effect of a craniectomy [surgical removal of part of the skull to relieve pressure].”

Jun-hoo replied, feigning ignorance.

“It’s fortunate in many ways. It doesn’t look like the middle cerebral artery is ruptured? What do you think, Dr. Seo?”

“I agree with you, Doctor. It seems like the branch vessels ruptured and clumped together in one place.”

“Next, let’s look at the abdominal CT.”

With Sung-min’s click, an abdominal image appeared on the monitor.

Large white puddles were pooling throughout the patient’s abdominal cavity.

Sung-min frowned at this,

Jun-hoo bit his lip,

and Ji-hye fidgeted.

Hemoperitoneum [accumulation of blood in the peritoneal cavity].

It referred to a condition in which the empty space in the abdomen was filled with blood.

It was a super-emergency condition that ranked among the top five in digestive surgery,

and the condition of the transferred patient was even more serious than other hemoperitoneum patients. The blood pooling inside was already compressing the organs.

Organs such as the stomach, liver, and pancreas were already being pushed into the abdominal cavity.

“Then it’s decided. There’s no objection to doing the hemoperitoneum surgery first, right?”

Sung-min turned his head and stared at Jun-hoo.

But Jun-hoo couldn’t answer easily.

It was undeniable that hemoperitoneum was a more urgent condition.

Even so.

If the intracranial hematoma was left untreated during the abdominal surgery, there was a high risk of the hematoma pressing on the nerves and damaging them.

Was there no way?

A way to protect the patient’s cranial nerves while treating the hemoperitoneum at the same time.

A way to kill two birds with one stone?

He racked his brain,

but his mind was foggy and blank, as if covered in mist.

팟!

Driven to a dead end, Jun-hoo pressed the area under his ear with his left index finger.

He would use ‘Hippocampal Nerve Stimulation’.

촤르르륵.

The books and papers he had read so far became one book and flipped through Jun-hoo’s mind.

The hippocampus is the area responsible for long-term memory,

and stimulating the hippocampus with acupressure points

allowed Jun-hoo to extract the desired information at any time.

Think of it.

The best way, not the second best.

You’ve been studying hard for this kind of moment, haven’t you?

As he searched through the book in his mind,

a flash of light suddenly struck Jun-hoo’s mind.

“What is it? Why aren’t you answering?”

“Doctor, can’t we do the hematoma removal surgery first?”

Jun-hoo’s question echoed in the operating room.

Sung-min made a face.

“Ha… My sad premonitions never fail… Are you really going to come out like this?”

“I think Jun-hoo is going too far this time. If we don’t do the hemoperitoneum surgery, the patient will die immediately. The hematoma is also dangerous, but it’s not an immediate life-threatening situation.”

Ji-hye also sided with Sung-min.

The scales of opinion were tilting towards Sung-min.

“Is it because you’re from neurosurgery, so you think the brain is more important or something?”

Sung-min asked, pressing.

“No. I also think hemoperitoneum surgery is urgent.”

“Then why are you saying we should do the hematoma removal surgery first?”

“Because the hematoma removal surgery can be finished in 10 minutes.”

“10 minutes? Is this guy kidding me?”

Sung-min scoffed as if he was dumbfounded.

Although he wasn’t from neurosurgery,

Sung-min knew that hematoma removal surgery wasn’t that simple.

The time required for hematoma removal surgery was at least 1-2 hours.

This was because it took a lot of time to resect [cut out] the skull and resect the meningeal layers [membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord] such as the dura mater [outermost layer] and arachnoid membrane [middle layer].

“Do I look like an idiot to you? I didn’t want to say this, but I’m a 2-year fellow [physician in advanced training].”

“…….”

“I’ve been eating more experience than Dr. Seo for 3 years. There’s a limit to how much you can make fun of people.”

“I’m not such a pathetic person that I would joke around with a dying patient.”

“Then what, are you going to remove the hematoma with superpowers?”

Sung-min’s voice was as nasty as a sister-in-law.

“There is a way. It’s not too late to listen and then judge, is it?”

Jun-hoo explained how he could remove the hematoma in 10 minutes.

As the explanation lengthened, Sung-min’s expression began to change from disbelief to suspicion, and from suspicion to expectation.

From a medical point of view,

he judged that Jun-hoo’s opinion was not just nonsense.

“Is that possible? For a 2-year resident?”

“Yes. I’m a 2-year resident who’s like a 3rd or 4th year, so it’s possible. Although I haven’t done it myself, I’ve seen the professor do it a few times.”

“…….”

“You know that I greatly reduced the time by going down to the cliff and transporting the patient alone, right?”

Jun-hoo emphasized his contribution to pressure Sung-min.

Jun-hoo was entitled to do so.

If it weren’t for Jun-hoo,

the staff would still have had to stay on the mountain in the first place.

While eagerly waiting for the 119 mountain rescue team [Korean emergency services] to rescue the patient.

But it was just then.

“I’m against it.”

Ji-hye, who had been silent, interjected into the conversation in a sharp voice.

“This is too reckless. It doesn’t make sense either. Removing the cranial hematoma before the hemoperitoneum… There’s no such thing in the world, is there? Even I, as a nurse, have that much discernment.”

“…….”

“Doctor. Don’t be fooled by Dr. Seo and make a decision quickly. You are the final decision maker.”

Ji-hye urged Sung-min,

and Sung-min stroked his chin and maintained a heavy silence.

The surrounding staff who were eavesdropping on the conversation were also on edge about Sung-min’s decision.

“Then… let’s do the hematoma removal surgery first.”

“Doctor!”

“But, Dr. Seo. There are conditions here. I can’t compromise on time. I’ll give you exactly 10 minutes based on the time you take your place in front of the operating table.”

“…….”

“If 10 minutes pass, we’ll immediately move on to abdominal surgery.”

“As much as you want.”

Jun-hoo’s voice was full of confidence.

If it was the old Jun-hoo, he might have hesitated. But the current Jun-hoo had mastered Howol Twelve Moves [a martial arts technique].

In terms of speed and accuracy of treatment, he was ahead of most professors.

“Ha… I don’t know. Anyway, Sung-min is responsible for it.”

Ji-hye moved to the women’s locker room, radiating cold air.

Jun-hoo and Sung-min also moved to the men’s locker room.

They changed their sweat-soaked surgical gowns into new surgical gowns.

And scrubbed (disinfected before surgery) at the sink.

The two remained silent,

and only the sound of scrubbing the forearms with a brush was loud.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity, Doctor. I will definitely succeed in the hematoma removal surgery.”

Jun-hoo expressed his gratitude cautiously.

“Honestly, I don’t know if it’s a good thing to do… If there’s the best way, we should follow the best way.”

“…….”

“I still can’t get the patient’s will out of my mind. If possible, I hope the patient can reunite with his family healthy without any brain damage.”

But the emotion that had formed in Sung-min’s eyes didn’t last long.

Sung-min quickly stared at Jun-hoo with cold eyes.

“The promise is only 10 minutes. Not 11 minutes, not 10 minutes and 30 seconds. If you go into the operating room and say something different, I’ll kick you out.”

“Then is 9 minutes okay?”

“Where does that terrible confidence come from for a 2-year resident?”

“From my head, my heart, and my hands.”

Jun-hoo chuckled.

After finishing the scrub, the two were helped by the scrub nurse to put on their surgical attire.

Wearing surgical gowns, surgical caps, masks, and gloves, the two entered the operating room with determined expressions.

Zzzzzz.

The door to operating room number 1 opened automatically.

White disinfectant poured down from the ceiling in the form of smoke.

As the second partition opened, the appearance of the operating room was clearly revealed.

The patient was lying on the operating table.

Ji-hye had arrived earlier and was waiting, and various surgical instruments were neatly placed on the dressing carts placed on both sides of the operating table.

“General anesthesia is complete. You can start the surgery right away.”

The anesthesiologist’s voice was heard from behind the curtain a little away from the operating table.

Since hematoma removal surgery was first,

Jun-hoo stood in the position of the chief surgeon and looked down at the patient.

The patient’s stomach was more swollen than before, like Namsan Mountain [a famous landmark in Seoul], due to the severe hemoperitoneum.

Both hematoma removal surgery

and hemoperitoneum surgery

were a race against time.

I won’t lose if it’s a fight.

Even if the opponent is death.

Jun-hoo’s eyes, full of determination, were determined.

“From now on, we will begin the hematoma removal surgery on the middle cerebral artery. Please turn on the timer. The time is 10 minutes.”