A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 469

Chapter 91: Neurosurgery Head (5)

The third floor, where the operating room was located.

Suddenly, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Patients, visitors, and staff all pressed themselves against the walls on either side of the hallway.

No one seemed to know why they were doing it.

Why *others* were doing it.

Drrrrrrr!

A stretcher raced madly through the cleared path.

A man was pushing the stretcher with the intensity of a bobsledder.

He was moving so fast that his gown billowed behind him and his bangs flew back from his forehead.

As the stretcher sped past, people felt a strong gust of wind.

“What… what was that?”

“Should he really be doing that? It’s too dangerous, isn’t it?”

“Looks like there’s an emergency.”

Only after the man had passed did people begin to comment, as if waking from a dream.

Meanwhile, the man and the stretcher arrived in front of the operating room.

A staff member waiting at the entrance immediately took over, pulling the stretcher instead of the man.

“Wow! Director, you got here in the blink of an eye.”

“The situation is extremely urgent. Please get ‘that’ ready quickly.”

“Yes, I’ve already informed the resident doctor.”

Even after the staff member left, Jun-hoo remained in place, not entering the operating room. A few minutes later, Ye-na caught up with him.

Ye-na stood beside Jun-hoo, bent over and panting.

“I told you, you could have taken your time. I was going to handle the transport anyway.”

“Haa… How could I stay still when… haa… the Director is running? Haa…”

“Catch your breath first.”

Jun-hoo patted Ye-na’s shoulder.

After receiving the surgical consent form, Jun-hoo had taken the elevator to the third floor.

He had used his martial arts skills to get the patient to the operating room as quickly as possible.

The first martial art he employed was telekinesis [the ability to move objects with one’s mind].

Telekinesis, in this context, was about using internal energy to send a silent, compelling message to others.

It was a form of telepathy.

His *dantian* [a traditional Chinese medicine term for the energy center located in the lower abdomen] was full of internal energy, and his heart possessed a seven-circle mana circle [referencing a concept of magical energy common in fantasy literature].

Jun-hoo unleashed his telekinesis without hesitation.

-Everyone, move to the walls!

He sent a wide-area telekinetic message to everyone on the third floor.

People parted to the left and right as if the Red Sea was parting, reacting to the sudden, inexplicable command in their minds.

Jun-hoo stepped through the gap, pushing the stretcher as he charged forward.

This was the truth behind what had just happened.

Even though it seemed like nothing, it saved more than five minutes by shortening the transfer time.

It saved time that might have been the golden hour [the critical period after an injury when treatment is most effective].

“There’s nothing Director can’t do. You knew the child had fallen without even looking at the emergency record, and you pulled the stretcher at a terrifying speed.”

“You get better as you do it.”

“Really?”

Ye-na, having regained her breath, straightened her back. She looked at Jun-hoo and continued.

“I understand everything else, but isn’t a bloodless surgery a bit much? The child’s condition is so serious that a transfusion is essential…”

Ye-na said worriedly.

Her expression suggested she believed the surgery was doomed before it even began.

“Director, this is your first surgery since taking office. If this surgery goes wrong, there will be a lot of talk.”

“If you worry about your reputation, you can’t perform surgery properly. Doctors perform surgery to save patients. They don’t pick and choose only the patients they can save, do they?”

Jun-hoo continued, his tone gently scolding.

“And regardless of the mother’s religious beliefs, the child is innocent.”

Jun-hoo clenched his fists as he thought of the child hanging between life and death.

In fact, Jun-hoo didn’t particularly dislike or hate the followers of the Holy Spirit Church.

Everyone had the right to believe what they wanted to believe.

However, there was a condition: that it did not harm others.

This case was complicated.

The parents were forcing their religious beliefs on their children.

Jun-hoo almost refused the surgery because he felt such animosity toward the guardian, but he endured it for the sake of the child.

If that poor child left Busan Shinwon University Hospital, there would be nowhere else to accept him.

He was a pediatric patient, and his head injuries were severe.

They were even requesting bloodless surgery.

Which hospital would willingly accept such a patient?

“I know, but I’m so angry. Even if they are parents, they don’t have the right to do whatever they want with their children.”

“There are many beasts in human skin in the world. I’ve met such people too.”

Jun-hoo smiled bitterly as he thought of Si-ho.

“Did you see the guardian’s eyes when he signed the consent form? He won’t stay still if we secretly give a transfusion during the surgery.”

Ye-na mimicked the guardian and gritted her teeth.

“Even if the surgery is successful, I don’t think he’ll be grateful. He’ll probably say it’s all God’s grace.”

“Maybe so. Let’s go in.”

“Yes, Director.”

Jun-hoo and Ye-na entered the operating room side by side.

They passed through the office where the nurses were doing computer work and stood in front of the sink.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

When the diluted povidone solution [an antiseptic solution] was rubbed onto the brush, the brush spat out bubbly scarlet foam.

Jun-hoo scrubbed his forearms, the backs of his hands, and his fingers with the brush.

Especially today, the sensation transmitted from the brush to the skin felt stiff and rough.

He had experienced all kinds of hardships in Mayu, but this was the first time he had faced such a situation.

Performing bloodless surgery on a pediatric trauma emergency patient.

The world always seemed to drag Jun-hoo into fierce and terrible situations.

But Jun-hoo always endured and overcame them. In the process, he achieved remarkable growth.

*If I don’t give up, no one can give up.*

*Once again, I will create a miracle with my own hands.*

*There is always a way.*

Jun-hoo resolved in his heart.

With the help of the nurse, he put on his surgical gown, surgical cap, mask, loupes [magnifying glasses used in surgery], and surgical gloves in order.

Ziiiiing.

The door to operating room number 4 opened automatically. White disinfectant smoke poured down from the ceiling.

With a determined face, Jun-hoo entered the operating room.

The surgery preparation was already complete.

Disinfection nurses and residents were waiting on either side of the operating table.

Two dressing carts were positioned on each person’s left and right sides.

A presence was felt behind the blue curtain.

The anesthesiologist had already arrived.

Judging by the fact that the patient had a ventilator attached, it seemed that the general anesthesia was complete.

The air in the operating room was always cool.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The patient monitoring device emitted regular mechanical sounds.

Standing in the position of the chief surgeon, Jun-hoo looked at the monitor of the patient monitoring device.

Ye-na also stood opposite Jun-hoo and followed his lead.

“I was prepared for CPR, but surprisingly, the condition hasn’t worsened. Blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and breathing are all stable.”

“I see.”

Jun-hoo nodded.

It was thanks to the pre-emptive control of bleeding through the spot-pressure method in the emergency room, but he didn’t elaborate.

“Ah, so that’s why you said you were going to perform bloodless surgery.”

Ye-na checked the unfamiliar machine next to the operating table and nodded.

“Without Cell Saver [a medical device that collects and re-infuses a patient’s own blood during surgery], even the god of medicine couldn’t do bloodless surgery.”

“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen it in the operating room. There are hardly any cases of bloodless surgery.”

The staff’s eyes were fixed on the Cell Saver as if they had made a pact.

Cell Saver.

Its purpose was to filter the blood that the patient shed during surgery and allow them to be transfused with their own blood again.

“Have you prepared enough alternative plasma?”

Jun-hoo turned his gaze to the resident and asked.

“We have prepared about seven packs, just to be safe.”

“Let’s try to finish within that if possible. Ye-na, make good use of the Cell Saver.”

“Yes, Director.”

“From now on, we will begin bloodless surgery for skull fracture, subarachnoid hemorrhage [bleeding in the space surrounding the brain], intracerebral hemorrhage [bleeding within the brain tissue], cerebral edema [swelling of the brain], and brain herniation [when brain tissue shifts from its normal position].”

Jun-hoo’s voice spread softly.

* * *

‘Wow! Director, you’re amazing!’

While the surgery was in progress, Ye-na was busy gaping and admiring.

She would have felt foolish if she wasn’t wearing a mask.

The first graduate of the Mayu Hospital Boost-Up Program in Korea.

Moreover, a surgeon who passed all subjects with top marks and received the title of Grand Master.

Jun-hoo’s skills were as impressive as his reputation.

Every action was accurate and quick.

Accuracy tends to decrease speed, and speed often compromises accuracy.

Jun-hoo was effortlessly achieving both contradictory virtues.

It felt like a scam, but in a good way.

In Ye-na’s opinion, there were two reasons why Jun-hoo’s technique was so exceptional.

One was that Jun-hoo used both hands with equal skill.

Even if someone is ambidextrous, there is usually a dominant hand and an assisting hand, but Jun-hoo’s hands were different.

The movements of his left and right hands were as precise as a carbon copy.

The second reason why Jun-hoo’s treatment was excellent was that his wrist and finger movements were incredibly fluid.

Watching Jun-hoo’s hands was like watching the robots of robotic surgery in motion: precise and free.

Ye-na had assisted in surgeries performed by professors renowned for their skill until she became a specialist.

She had never seen a surgeon who used his hands as flexibly as Jun-hoo.

Was that why?

Shaving the patient’s hair to prevent contamination, scalp incision, and craniotomy [surgical removal of part of the skull] were completed in an instant.

The process, which usually takes an hour, was completed in just ten minutes.

It was truly an overwhelming display of surgical skill.

*The situation may not be so hopeless.*

*If it’s the Director… I think he can really save the child.*

This wasn’t just wishful thinking.

The seeds of hope began to sprout in Ye-na’s heart.

Ye-na happened to make eye contact with the scrub nurse who was assisting Jun-hoo on the opposite side.

The scrub nurse’s eyes were vaguely smiling.

It was a look of admiration for Jun-hoo’s skills, and a look that conveyed the struggle to keep up with his speed.

Ye-na could only nod in agreement.

Apart from being impressed by Jun-hoo, Ye-na also did her best to assist him.

Ye-na put particular effort into suction.

After all, bloodless surgery was in progress.

The key was to collect the blood that the patient shed during surgery with a Cell Saver and reuse it.

Ye-na tried not to miss even a drop of blood.

Depending on the situation and the bleeding site, there were cases where using hemostatic gauze [gauze treated to promote blood clotting] was more effective than suction, but Ye-na persistently tried to control the bleeding with suction.

“Ye-na.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Your skills are much better than I expected. Your concentration doesn’t waver, and you know exactly what you have to do.”

Jun-hoo praised Ye-na without even looking at her. Even while speaking, his gestures remained unwavering, like a noble scholar from the Joseon Dynasty [the last dynastic kingdom of Korea].

“Thank you, Director.”

“I’m not just saying empty words, so don’t neglect your training in the future.”

Jun-hoo gave a word of advice for the first time in a while.

Was it because she was recognized by the great Director? Ye-na felt ecstatic, as if she was walking on clouds.

The short and relatively straightforward process was over.

Finally, a retractor [a surgical instrument used to hold an incision open] was installed in the patient’s incision.

Inside the widened incision, an opaque *meninges* [the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord], resembling a milk film, appeared.

In reality, the real surgery was just beginning.

And the first hurdle was to resect [surgically remove] the meninges.

‘Will it be okay?’

Ye-na felt anxious without realizing it, and her teeth clicked together.

The meninges had a wide distribution of microvessels.

The thought of the blood that would be shed during the meninges resection made her dizzy.

There was a Cell Saver, but it wasn’t a panacea.

It was realistically impossible to recycle 100 percent of the blood that the patient shed.

But Ye-na’s worries soon turned into shock.

Jun-hoo was performing another miracle.