Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 12

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 12 (12/502)

Episode 12. Apprehending the Culprit

“One, two, three…”

Tae-kyung counted and successfully extended his hand again, grabbing the forceps and laparoscope at once, then simultaneously pushing them into the port.

“Hoo!”

A tense breath escaped from inside the sky-blue mask. The cholecystitis [inflammation of the gallbladder] surgery, which was supposed to be relatively simple, had become a surgery where tension couldn’t be released for even a second due to an unexpected situation.

“You’re doing great, Doctor.”

Ui-jin, who was watching Tae-kyung, tried to ease his tension by offering encouragement.

Before they knew it, the operating room was filled with tension.

“Let’s focus.”

Tae-kyung observed the gallbladder with the laparoscope he had just inserted, then used the forceps inserted through another hole to pull the gallbladder. Now it was time to find the cystic artery, the most important structure for resecting the gallbladder.

To find the cystic artery, he located the Calot’s triangle, which is the area below the liver border and where the bile duct splits into two.

‘Damn it! I wish I had another hand.’

Tae-kyung momentarily wished he had three hands because it was very difficult to hold the forceps and electrocautery knife alone.

He visually measured the distance to place the forceps on the instrument table.

The table for placing surgical instruments was a long rectangle with low ledges on three sides and flat on the remaining side.

‘Be careful not to drop it.’

Tae-kyung changed the position of his hand to the middle of the forceps, slowly reaching out towards the flat side he was looking at.

Clack-

The moment Tae-kyung felt relieved as the forceps touched the table, Ui-jin urgently called out to Tae-kyung.

“Oh, Doctor!!”

Ui-jin called out to Tae-kyung urgently because the forceps were about to fall off the table.

“Forceps!”

The center of gravity was focused on the heavy handle, causing the forceps to tilt downwards.

“The forceps are going to fall. Doctor, grab them quickly.”

With Ui-jin’s frantic shout, Tae-kyung, startled, instinctively reached for the forceps.

Like a ballet dancer, he stretched his waist, putting strength into his toes, and extended his hand with all his might, his entire focus on the forceps.

“No. Reach out a little more to the right.”

Ui-jin watched Tae-kyung with the desperate heart of a coach cheering on a sports game, commentating.

‘I have to catch it no matter what.’

It is said that when a person is driven to an extreme situation, superhuman strength and concentration are demonstrated. That’s what Tae-kyung was doing now. Every single cell was united in grabbing the forceps.

“…Please!”

And just as the forceps were about to fall under the table, Tae-kyung, pouring out every last bit of strength he had, grabbed the forceps by a hair’s breadth and safely placed them back on the table.

“Nice!”

“Whew!”

With Ui-jin’s cheers, Tae-kyung let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m alive.”

“That was close.”

If his arm length had been just a little shorter, he wouldn’t have been able to catch the forceps. At this moment, Tae-kyung even felt grateful to his mother for giving birth to him with long arms.

“I was so nervous that it would fall, but you caught it really well.”

“I will continue the surgery.”

Tae-kyung confirmed that there was no contamination and immediately continued the surgery.

He exposed the cystic duct and cystic artery, which enter the gallbladder, by separating the attached fat one by one using an electrocautery knife and forceps.

Once the cystic artery was deemed to be well exposed without being damaged, he clamped both sides of the duct with clips to prevent leakage and cut between them.

“Let’s hang in there a little longer.”

Tae-kyung started to exert himself, encouraged by the sight of the end of the surgery.

After cutting the bile duct entering the gallbladder, he separated the space between the liver and the gallbladder.

After that, Tae-kyung folded the bag, inserted the port, and then reopened the entrance with forceps. Then, he carefully retrieved the forceps he had placed earlier from the table.

“You were the troublemaker.”

Tae-kyung cut and separated the problematic gallbladder that had caused pain to the patient and pushed it into the bag. Then, he pulled the entrance closed with forceps and took it out of the port with the bag.

He examined the border of the liver where the gallbladder had been with the laparoscope again, sprayed saline on the liver, and then suctioned it.

Finally, he removed the installed single port, sutured the muscle and skin, and finished the surgery.

“Ha! It’s over.”

Tae-kyung felt the tension that he couldn’t feel with cholecystitis surgery escape from his body in an instant.

‘What great concentration.’

Ui-jin admired Tae-kyung’s appearance inwardly. It was truly a one-man show, a solo surgery where he never lost his concentration even once.

“This is probably over 2cm…”

Tae-kyung took the gallbladder out of the bag and checked the stones inside. One 2cm stone and four 1cm stones. A total of five stones were the culprits that drove the patient to extreme pain.

“The stones are quite large. You really worked hard, Doctor. I was so nervous next to you.”

“You must have been surprised by me during the surgery. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It was the first time I’ve ever been so anxious in the operating room.”

“Doctor, could you please take the patient to the waiting room? I have somewhere urgent to go.”

Tae-kyung’s expression, which had been showing relief that the surgery was completed safely, was unusual.

“Yes, I’ll move the patient to the waiting room. But where are you going?”

“I have to catch the culprit.”

“Culprit?”

“The culprit who abandoned the patient during surgery and ran away.”

“Are you talking about Doctor Lee Chan-hee?”

“Then please.”

“Doctor!?”

Despite Ui-jin’s call, Tae-kyung hurriedly left the operating room.

“I heard his personality died down after going to Shinhwa University, but his charisma in the operating room and his temper when it comes to patients are still the same.”

* * *

“Doctor! Is my wife okay?”

Tae-kyung met the guardian who was waiting outside the operating room.

“The surgery went very well. All the gallstones in the gallbladder have been removed, so you don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“The patient will be moved to the ward when she wakes up from anesthesia.”

“No hospital would accept us so late, but we were saved thanks to you, Doctor. Thank you for your hard work.”

The guardian sincerely expressed his gratitude to Tae-kyung.

He responded kindly in front of the guardian, but with a face devoid of laughter, he set out to find Lee Chan-hee.

* * *

‘Doctor! I can’t do it anymore. I… I think I need to go.’

Lee Chan-hee, lying on the bed in the on-call room and looking at the ceiling, recalled what he had said a little while ago.

“To run out during surgery. They must think I’m a weirdo, right?”

Lee Chan-hee repeatedly let out heavy sighs, blaming himself.

“I’m crazy. I’m really crazy.”

He had known about Tae-kyung’s achievements since his intern days. As a joke, he was someone who collected board certifications like qualifications, not even hesitating twice even if it cost a fortune.

Just watching the surgery was educational, so it was a point of pride among his peers to have entered Tae-kyung’s operating room.

Moreover, he admired Tae-kyung as a doctor because he had so much to learn, even in his skills in dealing with patients.

So, Lee Chan-hee was happier and more eager than anyone else when he learned that Tae-kyung was coming.

“Ha! What should I do.”

But he ran away from his first surgery with such a respected doctor, so it was like he had not only spilled water but evaporated it.

“I’m going crazy.”

Bang-

At that moment, the door to the on-call room opened as if it would break, and Tae-kyung came inside.

“Lee Chan-hee.”

He looked like an angry hunting dog charging. At the sight, Lee Chan-hee sprang up from his seat and unknowingly took a step back.

“What are you? What are you doing, resting and lying around here?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“What kind of guy runs out of the operating room?”

“…”

“And that too, with the patient anesthetized and lying on the bed, huh!?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Do you think I’m doing this to get an apology from you right now?”

“No.”

“Lee Chan-hee, aren’t you a doctor?”

“…”

“I’ll ask you one more time. Lee Chan-hee, aren’t you a doctor?”

“I’m… a doctor.”

“A doctor should never abandon a patient under any circumstances.”

It was an obvious statement that could not be refuted in any way.

Even if a drunk spits on your face, kicks you, or swears at you.

Even if you are subjected to physical assault, a doctor should not turn away from the patient.

Because they are doctors who heal patients.

Lee Chan-hee knew that fact better than anyone else. He had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.

“I was wrong.”

Lee Chan-hee apologized once again, bowing his head deeply to the angry Tae-kyung.

“Why did you leave? Let’s hear the reason.”

“That’s…”

“Are you not going to tell me?”

“It was because of vasovagal syncope [fainting due to a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure].”

“You left because of vasovagal syncope?”

“Yes. Because of the tension.”

Tae-kyung was a little puzzled. Vasovagal syncope was a symptom that appeared in about one intern every year. This was because new interns who had just started their training often became extremely nervous in the field.

But Lee Chan-hee was not an intern. There was no reason to be nervous.

“Doctor. Actually, I’m…”

Just as Tae-kyung was about to ask a question, Lee Chan-hee, who had been hesitating, opened his mouth.

“I have a phobia of operating rooms.”

“……!”

A dumbfounded expression was drawn on Tae-kyung’s face upon hearing Lee Chan-hee’s words. Soon, a brief silence flowed between the two.

“Doctor Lee?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Look up.”

Tae-kyung, who was carefully looking at Lee Chan-hee, who had raised his head, suddenly went out of the on-call room. Then, he soon returned with something in his hand.

“Lie down.”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean yes? Can’t you understand? Lie down there.”

At the firm tone, Lee Chan-hee looked around and lay down on the bed.

“Make a fist.”

Tae-kyung skillfully inserted an IV into Lee Chan-hee’s left arm, which was clenched into a fist.

‘It’s normal saline [a sterile solution of salt and water]. Did he give it to me because I fainted?’

Lee Chan-hee realized that Tae-kyung was giving him an IV drip. Usually, if you faint, you can recover quickly by lying down and getting an IV.

“Um, Doctor.”

Lee Chan-hee, who was subtly looking at Tae-kyung, carefully opened his mouth.

“Shut your mouth.”

“…”

“Lie still until you finish all of this.”

Tae-kyung, after checking that the IV was going in, slammed the door shut and left.

“I think I’m completely screwed… I’m going crazy. I’m so pathetic, really.”

* * *

“Jeez!”

The hand that was about to pull out coffee from the vending machine lost its way in embarrassment.

‘I have a phobia of operating rooms.’

An operating room phobia for a general surgeon? Does that even make sense?

“I’m speechless.”

Doctors are also human. Therefore, they may be afraid of surgery and may be afraid of blood. There are people who have a hard time to the point of vomiting when doing anatomy practice during medical school.

Eventually, they will later choose a department that does not directly see patients’ wounds or perform surgery.

But if you’re a surgeon, it’s a little different. Surgeons and operating rooms are inseparable, like a needle and thread.

“Ha! What should I do.”

I have to hear the circumstances from Lee Chan-hee, but anyway, Tae-kyung’s head was complicated.

“Emergency surgery and Doctor Lee’s situation. It’s been a hectic time since before work, right?”

Tae-kyung raised his head at the sudden presence.

“I couldn’t greet you properly in the operating room earlier. I’ll formally introduce myself. I’m in charge of anesthesia.”

Tae-kyung, who properly saw Ui-jin’s face, stood up from his seat with a surprised expression.

“……!”