Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 151

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 151

Episode 151. Is There Another Patient?

“Look at this. Director Ko Gye-deuk?”

Lee Cheol-hoo’s wife, who had been listening to Ko Gye-deuk’s story, cut him off, sounding displeased.

“You have a way of making things sound unpleasant. What did you just say?”

“…….”

Ko Gye-deuk was momentarily unsure how to respond to Lee Cheol-hoo’s wife’s sudden outburst.

“You did that last time, and you’re doing it again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You just said it, didn’t you? That the surgery is so simple that there’s no need to go this far.”

Lee Cheol-hoo’s wife was offended by Ko Gye-deuk’s tone toward the patient.

“Ah, no, Madam, I think you’ve misunderstood. What I meant was…….”

“No, it’s not a misunderstanding. If it were the first time, I would have thought it was a mistake, but this is the second time, Director. And where does the idea that gallbladder inflammation surgery is simple come from? Even if that’s the standard for doctors, you shouldn’t say that when the patient and their family are present.”

Lee Cheol-hoo’s wife was clearly upset and didn’t give Ko Gye-deuk a chance to speak.

“Did you know that there have been cases of medical malpractice during that surgery abroad that required a second surgery? I know that all surgeries involve some degree of risk, but you, as the director of a large hospital, speak as if you don’t care at all about the patient’s anxiety.”

“Honey, stop it.”

“I was going to stop anyway since I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I’ll go ahead and check out with Harry.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Lee Cheol-hoo’s wife left the hospital room without even looking at Ko Gye-deuk, who was bowing his head in greeting.

“Director, that’s not what I meant……. I think Madam is upset.”

“I know your heart well, Director Ko. My wife is extremely protective when it comes to the children. Well, this is unfortunate, but we’ll have to have the surgery done elsewhere.”

“Director, please reconsider. Our hospital’s surgeons are very skilled in that surgery.”

“My wife has already made up her mind, so I can’t help it.”

“Director, why are you doing this? If you trust me with it, I’ll prepare the best surgeon in our hospital for you.”

Ko Gye-deuk was getting desperate to hold onto Director Lee.

“Director Ko, let’s stop. I’ll come back for a health checkup next time.”

“Director, it’s Ko Gye-deuk. Don’t you trust me?”

“Hey! Director Ko?”

Lee Cheol-hoo, who was heading toward the door, stopped briefly, annoyed by Ko Gye-deuk’s constant hovering and clinging.

“I didn’t want to say this because I was worried you’d be embarrassed, but it seems like you thought I was a fool, Director Ko? Because you even lied to me.”

“A, a lie?”

“Yes. Kim Tae-kyung, that friend of yours, isn’t even affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital. And I heard rumors that he was kicked out of the hospital. Is that true?”

“No, that’s……. The truth is, Kim Tae-kyung has serious personality issues, so we had no choice.”

Ko Gye-deuk didn’t know how Lee Cheol-hoo found out about that, but damage control was the priority.

“Personality! What does that have to do with anything? Frankly, isn’t it enough if a doctor is good at treating patients? And I can’t say I have a great personality either, but you don’t have a good personality either, do you?”

“Ah, no. Director…….”

Ko Gye-deuk was a typical example of someone who is strong against the weak and weak against the strong. He couldn’t treat Lee Cheol-hoo, who had more power than him, carelessly.

“Honestly, I’m a little disappointed that you couldn’t even persuade Kim Tae-kyung. Well, I’ll see you later.”

“Director?”

“Ah! Right, Director Ko?”

Lee Cheol-hoo, who had reached right in front of the hospital room door, turned back and called out to Ko Gye-deuk again.

“Yes, Director.”

“Let’s just say your position as an outside director is only until this year.”

“Yes? Why are you suddenly doing this?”

Ko Gye-deuk, who was already mentally exhausted, was dumbfounded that he was being told to quit his well-maintained position as an outside director. It was clear that he was venting his anger over the Kim Tae-kyung incident.

“Director Ko, aren’t you mistaken about something? After treating me like a VVIP, you say ‘suddenly.’ And you’ve already eaten enough, so don’t feel too bad.”

“……!”

Thud-

Ko Gye-deuk, disgraced by Tae-kyung and even Lee Cheol-hoo, had never felt so humiliated in his life.

“Kim Tae-kyung! Kim Tae-kyung! That damn Kim Tae-kyung! Ha, shit!”

Unable to contain his anger, he ended up screaming like a madman. The animosity he had harbored toward Tae-kyung from the beginning had exploded.

“You little thorn in my side! This is all because of you. How dare you touch me?”

Ko Gye-deuk’s eyes, filled with madness as he blamed everything on Tae-kyung, were grinding his teeth.

“Just you wait. I’ll show you what happens when someone who doesn’t know their place acts up.”

Ko Gye-deuk, who was standing by the hospital room window thinking about something, smirked sinisterly and left the room.

“Excuse me, Director?”

The planning director called out to Ko Gye-deuk, who was leaving the VVIP room and heading somewhere, and ran up to him.

“I heard that Director Lee Cheol-hoo’s daughter has decided to have surgery elsewhere.”

“I swear, there’s no place as fast with rumors as this hospital. I know that Lee Cheol-hoo’s daughter not getting surgery at our hospital is a big deal, so let’s stop talking about that. But why did you call me?”

“Well, what about the patient safety measures you mentioned in the agenda from yesterday’s meeting?”

“Ah……. That! Just skip it. I only said it to make the professors feel good. Are you crazy? Money comes first, not thinking about the patients.”

“Really? I thought what you said was sincere, so I kept thinking about it.”

“No, why are you like this when you’re the planning director? A hospital is ultimately a thorough business. Isn’t it a business that makes money?”

“Of course. I’ve been so busy writing my thesis lately that I’m still lacking.”

“The trivial work of treating people is for ordinary doctors, and people like us should be fixing this huge hospital, don’t you think?”

“That’s right. But where are you going, Director? This way leads to the TICU [trauma intensive care unit].”

“Yes. I’m going there.”

“What are you going there for?”

“Well, I’m going to see the patients, among other things.”

When Ko Gye-deuk arrived at the TICU, the planning director, who had been following him, opened the door with his access card.

“You must be busy, so why don’t you go now, Director?”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

Ko Gye-deuk sent the planning director away and walked through the first door with his hands behind his back, then entered through the second automatic door that opened.

As he entered, he could see the landscape of the intensive care unit at a glance, a wide-open space of 200 square meters.

Walls about chest-high divided the large intensive care unit into sections. And along those walls, beds of critically ill patients were lined up on both sides.

Each wall had about eight beds, and the space between the beds was about 3 meters.

In that 3-meter space, there were five monitors, and the monitors hung from the ceiling like bunches of grapes.

Two of the monitors were connected to a keyboard and mouse so that charting and orders could be quickly issued for each patient.

The other three showed vital signs (such as blood pressure and pulse rate) or settings for mechanical ventilation.

Beep- Beep-

The steady and subtly noisy mechanical sounds, constant according to the heart rate or breathing cycle, echoed from all directions.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“Haa…….”

“Agh!”

Of course, in between, there were the groans of patients and the bizarre sounds of patients suffering from delirium. Nurses were frantically moving among those patients.

The intensive care unit is a place where one patient has more than five times the orders of a general ward patient. It was a place where there was incomparably more work to do.

“Make sure to keep the dosage under control.”

“Yes, team leader.”

Amidst the chaos, the team leader in charge of the intensive care unit stood out.

The team leader’s eyes were almost combative.

Having experienced all kinds of hardships and reigning in the world of nurses, her charisma and work ability were already at the level of mastery. Moreover, she was also well-versed in how to treat superiors.

“Oh my, Director?”

The team leader spotted Ko Gye-deuk from over 15 meters away and approached him with a very welcoming expression.

“What brings you to the intensive care unit, Director?”

“It’s been a while, Team Leader Kim.”

“I know. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you since the dinner last year.”

“Was it? Ah, right. I saw you with the chairman then, didn’t I?”

“Yes, Director. And belatedly, congratulations on your reappointment.”

“You’re quick to say it. Anyway, thank you.”

“Are you here on business?”

“Well, do I have to have business to come here? Isn’t the intensive care unit very important? I came to get some stimulation from seeing everyone working hard.”

“You’re different as expected, Director.”

Amidst the busy nurses, trivial jokes and soulless flattery flowed out messily.

“By the way, what about this patient?”

“Ah, that patient? Just a moment. Is there an assigned nurse here?”

The team leader called the nurse in charge of the patient Ko Gye-deuk mentioned.

“Yes. Hello.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. How is this patient doing?”

“Yes, he’s a 38-year-old male, a fall patient. His vital signs were 100 over 65 upon arrival, so when he came to the emergency room…….”

“No. That’s too detailed. Team Leader, are there any difficult patients here?”

“If you mean difficult……. Ah! Yes, there are.”

“The patient in bed number 8 in section A is a 15-year-old boy. He came to the emergency room after getting caught in an amusement park ride. When the guardians come, they worry about money rather than the child.”

“Tsk tsk! How can parents be so cruel?”

“Are there any other patients?”

Ko Gye-deuk seemed to be choosing patients like someone shopping.

“And the patient in bed number 20 in section C is a 55-year-old woman who had an amputation accident while working in a factory and currently has no relatives.”

“I see.”

Ko Gye-deuk wandered around the patients, seemingly not satisfied with something.

Then, a woman wiping the forehead of a male patient while wiping away tears suddenly caught his eye.

“What about that patient with the guardian?”

“Ah! That patient. Sigh! Everyone here is pitiful, but that patient is really unfortunate.”

‘That’s the patient.’

Ko Gye-deuk already had a hunch. The team leader’s words were interesting, like a trailer for a popular movie.

“He’s a 43-year-old male patient with a TA [traffic accident]. To be exact, he was a hit-and-run victim, but the culprit hasn’t been caught yet. It’s been almost three months, but he hasn’t regained consciousness well, so he’s being treated in the neurosurgery department.”

“Really? A hit-and-run……. That’s really unfortunate.”

“Yes. And I know that the patient’s accident has caused the family to struggle financially.”

“Oh dear. What’s that patient’s name?”

“Cha Dae-han.”

“Is that guardian his wife?”

“Yes, she comes almost every day without fail.”

The corners of Ko Gye-deuk’s lips were subtly rising as he listened to the team leader’s words.

‘I found him! That patient will be perfect.’

“I hope the patients recover quickly. Thank you for your hard work, Team Leader. I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, Director.”

Ko Gye-deuk left the intensive care unit and immediately called his secretary.

-Yes, Director.