Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 132

#132 Another Level (4)

Thud, thud.

I enter the operating room.

Soon, the scrub nurse hands me a small towel to dry my hands.

Tap, tap.

I dry my hands.

Then, I slip my arms into the gown held open by the scrub nurse.

Meanwhile, another nurse ties the knot behind me to fit my waist.

Next is putting on the gloves.

“Intern, what size gloves do you use?”

“Give me a size 7.”

Surgical gloves come in various sizes.

From size 6, mainly used by people with small hands, to size 8, used by people with large hands.

As the number increases by 0.5, the size of the gloves also increases.

Size 7 fits my hands perfectly.

That’s how I complete the aseptic [sterile] setting to prepare for surgery.

Only after completing this setting can I approach the bed where the patient is lying.

The resident doctor, who will be coming in as the first assistant, says to me as he goes out to wash his hands.

“Intern, you can wipe this area one more time with chlorhexidine [antiseptic]. You received the handover, right?”

“Yes.”

Swish, swish—

I hold the ring forceps and a cup and disinfect the patient’s surgical area.

Just as I finish disinfecting, the resident doctor comes in after washing his hands.

Flap—

We grab both ends of the drape and cover the surgical area.

Now, only the patient’s abdomen is exposed, and the rest is covered with a sky-blue drape.

Ready!

Now, all that’s left is to wait for the star to appear.

‘Speaking of the star of the operating room, it’s obviously…….’

Beep—

Just in time, the operating room door opens, and we bow our heads and greet cheerfully.

“Hello, Professor!”

“Oh, hello.”

7:40 AM.

The star of the operating room has arrived.

Professors entering their first surgery often show different tendencies.

Some are busy coming from other tasks and are 정신없는 [mentally and physically exhausted], so they sometimes get annoyed.

On the other hand, some exude positive energy to start the day energetically.

Fortunately, today is the latter.

“Okay, let’s do our best today.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Looks like the month has changed. The intern seems to have changed too?”

“Yes, I’m intern Shin Seon-han. I’ll do my best.”

“Okay. You have to do well, not just try hard, okay?”

“Yes!”

“Nurse Kim, it’s been a while? I heard you went on maternity leave, but you’re back so soon? Was it a daughter? Is she healthy?”

“Yes, thanks to you. I appreciate you remembering.”

They exchange light conversation like that.

Since the people in the operating room are wearing masks, they exchange emotions with their ‘eyes’ and ‘voices.’

A gentle obstetrics and gynecology professor begins to lead the operating room.

“Okay, shall we begin~?”

The first surgery patient was a cervical cancer patient.

Although the incidence rate is decreasing through preventive vaccines and national screenings, it is still the most common among gynecological cancers.

Today’s surgery is a [removal of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and nearby lymph nodes].

As the name suggests, it was a surgery to remove the ovaries, uterus, and surrounding lymph nodes of a patient with spreading cancer.

—Professor (Surgeon)

—Operating Room Nurse

—First Assistant

—Second Assistant

Usually, the field personnel are composed like this, and there are several essential personnel outside the field as well.

—Anesthesiologist

—Circulating Nurse

And so on.

Everyone except me is a veteran.

What do I have to do among them?

Simply put, I just need to do what the professor tells me to do.

For example, like this.

“Suction.”

“Yes.”

Whee-sh—

I focus on the air suction.

While the professor incises the abdomen, I suck up the smoke with a device next to him.

‘It’s a simple but important task.’

Using a bovie (electrocautery) [a device that uses heat to cut tissue or stop bleeding] generates smoke from the flesh and tissue.

This smoke is quite pungent and stings the eyes.

Also, there is a story that this smoke is a carcinogen.

Professors with weak respiratory systems are especially sensitive to smoke, so I have to remove the smoke in a timely manner.

Otherwise, a harsh scolding might come from the gentle professor.

Of course, there were many other things I had to do.

“Shall we hold this here?”

“Yes.”

“Pull it a little more.”

“Yes.”

These two were the two commands I would hear the most often in the future.

.

.

In fact, these are the tasks that interns perform most often when scrubbing in.

If the professor opens the incision site and hands it over to me, I just have to maintain that exact angle.

“……”

Chee-eek—

The professor concentrated on the surgery without saying much.

Did the ancient sage say that? The greatest good is like water [a Taoist saying meaning the best way to live is to be adaptable and yielding].

The best situation is when no words come out of the professor.

In fact, even though he didn’t say much, the operating room nurse was delivering the necessary instruments in a timely manner.

“Sss.”

Suddenly, the professor, who was concentrating on tissue dissection, tilted his head.

Is the field of vision not well secured?

I can’t see from my side, but judging from the professor’s eyes, that seemed to be the case.

‘I need to open it up a bit more.’

Swish—

I pull the Army-navy retractor [a handheld surgical instrument used to retract tissue] in my hand with a little more force.

Then the professor’s eyes returned to peace and the surgery resumed.

“It was a bit stuffy until yesterday, but the intern who changed this time has some sense.”

It was just a passing compliment, as if dropping an object, but I felt good.

On stage, only the main characters are not important.

The supporting actors must support the main characters to shine.

* * *

4 hours later.

The surgery is over.

Fortunately, the first surgery went well without any problems.

‘Whew.’

Everyone looks tired.

It was understandable.

Four hours is a difficult time just to stand still.

I was exhausted too, but I couldn’t show it in front of others.

“Good job, everyone. Please take care of the finishing touches.”

“Yes.”

Beep—

The professor leaves.

The surgeon comes in last and leaves first.

Now the finishing touches are up to the remaining people.

I helped the resident doctor finish suturing the surgical site.

“Patient, are you awake? The surgery went well. If you breathe deeply, I’ll take out what’s in your neck.”

Soon, the anesthesiologist woke the patient, removed the intubated e-tube [endotracheal tube], and sent us a signal.

It was a sign that the surgery was over.

Four cases a day.

That’s the number of surgeries held in the operating room I’m assigned to today.

The delay between surgeries should be minimal.

So, of course, the finishing work is done quickly.

“One, two!”

“Heave-ho.”

We worked together to move the patient from the surgical bed.

Then, I have to drive the stretcher car and transport the patient to the recovery room.

Click—

I looked at my phone’s clock after finishing the transfer.

‘Let’s see…… 13 minutes left until the next surgery preparation!’

There is still another important mission left.

Specimen transport.

In the case of cancer, the tissue must be removed and tested.

Here, the detailed stage is determined, and it also becomes the basis for future chemotherapy/radiation therapy.

In other words, surgical specimens are very important.

‘If I lose this, it’s a really big deal!’

I hold the specimen tightly in one arm and head to the pathology lab.

Then, I have to submit the specimen and sign the document.

Only after finishing this is my mission complete.

In other words, the intern is always at the beginning and end of the surgery.

‘11 minutes left!’

I have to fill my hunger within that time.

Lunch time?

What’s that?

Not only does meal time not exist separately, but there is no empty space in the operating room’s schedule.

There is about 10-20 minutes to clean the operating room before one surgery ends and the next surgery begins.

This short time is when our intern has to go to the bathroom and eat.

‘Let’s hurry. It’s hard to survive the afternoon without eating!’

Where do you eat?

It takes forever to go to the underground employee cafeteria.

I can’t go there when I’m short on 1 minute.

For these operating room staff, the restaurant lady brings a food cart to the operating room lounge (rest area).

Meals are also solved near the operating room.

“I wonder if there’s any rice left?”

Tap—

I head to the operating room lounge.

Today’s menu was hamburger steak, salad, and soup.

The top-notch among the menu rotations of the Yeonguk University cafeteria that have been identified for several months!

The well-minced patty-shaped hamburger steak had an excellent texture.

‘I’m suddenly hungry.’

In the past, Geun-uk tried to take two hamburger steaks and got scolded by the restaurant lady…….

I wonder if there are any hamburger steaks left in the lounge?

“Hello, Auntie!”

“Oh, it’s Seon-han.”

The aunt who delivers the meals was someone I became close to during the neurosurgery schedule two months ago.

“Have you been well?”

“Of course. There’s exactly one rice left.”

Hew, I barely made it.

Today’s menu is sold out quickly, so I think I’m lucky.

I pick up the last remaining rice and head to my seat.

Some were already finishing their meals and leaving.

‘5-minute cut!’

I put down the rice and, at the same time, pick up my smartphone to check the situation in the ward.

[Seon-han] Sis, is everything okay in the ward?

[Mi-seon] Yeah, is the operating room okay?

[Seon-han] I think the first surgery went well.

[Mi-seon] Okay, just a moment.

Ding—

Suddenly sends a photo.

[Mi-seon] Look at our baby’s picture and cheer up. Hehehe!

I chuckled.

As expected, the cutest thing in the world seems to be their own children.

Just as I was about to put a piece of hamburger steak in my mouth.

The message window on my phone suddenly turned black and an unknown four-digit number appeared.

—7015

Just by looking at it, it’s room 15.

The nurse says when I answer the phone.

“Room 15, car-in [patient arriving].”

It was a sound to let them in because the patient had arrived.

“Yes, I’m going.”

I quickly answer and hang up the phone.

It’s a pity.

Why can’t I eat when the hamburger steak is right in front of me?

I had a feeling I was lucky today……!

With the heart of Kim Cheom-ji [a Korean historical figure known for his poverty and frugality], who was shedding tears, I cut the hamburger in half, stuffed it into my mouth, and got up from my seat.

“Oh, are you going without finishing your meal? Eat some more of this.”

The auntie, as if feeling sorry, put the yogurt that came out as a side dish in my pocket.

“Gamsaha-nida [Thank you]-imo [term of endearment for an older woman].”

I answer like a squirrel storing food in my cheeks and leave the lounge.

It was an extremely ordinary daily life of an operating room intern.

* * *

In the past, I read an article on the Internet.

The results of the survey on that were quite impressive.

—Stress from interpersonal relationships 72%

—Work is hard 28%

In other words, people are the problem, not the work.

In a way, the hospital is no different.

Although the morning work was busy, I felt ease because all the scrubs I worked with were kind.

‘I wonder what teachers will be coming in for this surgery?’

I was setting the position of the patient for the first surgery in the afternoon, and the resident in charge of this surgery came into the operating room.

“Hello~!”

This voice is familiar?

It’s definitely the voice I heard when Joong-won hyung was being 털리다 [severely criticized/berated].

The villain of gynecology, Cheon Sa-yeon.

As soon as she found me, she said in a bright voice.

“Oh my. It’s a new intern?”

Her tone is surprisingly gentle and kind.

At that moment, I recall an interesting phrase that the interns had written in the handover note.