A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 142

Martial Arts Surgeon 142

Chapter 26: Frontal Breakthrough (2)

That evening.

After finishing assisting with an emergency surgery, Min-kyung, a second-year resident, dragged her tired body to the on-call room.

Creak.

As she entered the on-call room.

She saw two first-year residents who were a sight for sore eyes.

Seo Jun-hoo.

Yoon Kyung-soo.

There was no need to say anything about Jun-hoo.

A warm heart towards patients and their families.

Overwhelming growth and skill in procedures that threatened the seniors, and so on.

Even though it had not been a month since he started working in neurosurgery.

Jun-hoo’s reputation had soared sky-high.

The only people in the ward who didn’t know Jun-hoo were new patients.

Kyung-soo was also meticulous in his work.

Although he lacked sociability.

And his personality was a bit prickly.

He was flawless when it came to work.

There was no need to repeat the same thing twice, and he did things without being told.

Neurosurgery was one of the departments with a shortage of residents, so she thought she would continue to be the youngest forever, but…….

Min-kyung had gained two reliable juniors before she knew it.

It was a blessing.

Well, that’s that.

She had to say what she had to say, right?

Min-kyung’s steps turned towards Jun-hoo.

“Jun-hoo.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Can’t you take emergency room calls moderately? Pass some on to Kyung-soo too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Strangely, when you answer the emergency room phone, there’s a high probability it’s a surgical patient.”

Min-kyung puffed out her cheeks with a sulky expression.

The SDH [subdural hematoma] patient she had just assisted with.

Jun-hoo received the first call for that patient.

If this had happened once or twice, she wouldn’t have said anything, but similar things had been happening for over a week.

It seemed Jun-hoo definitely had the temperament of a ‘hwan-ta’ (patient-attracting doctor, a doctor who attracts patients).

“I roughly counted, and the probability is almost 50 percent, you know?”

“No way. That can’t be true. You’re exaggerating. You must be mistaken.”

“There are things you can be mistaken about and things you can’t. And this is statistics and science, okay? But what are you eating?”

“Chocolate.”

“You’re eating chocolate you never used to eat. Are you starting to get stressed from work too?”

“No. I concentrate better when I eat chocolate. The brain uses glucose as fuel, you know. Have one, Senior.”

Jun-hoo handed Min-kyung a chocolate.

Min-kyung unwrapped the chocolate and put it in her mouth.

The luxurious sweetness spreading in her mouth.

She definitely felt refreshed after eating the chocolate.

A subtle smile bloomed on her face.

“Mmm…… delicious. The taste of gaining weight is the best after all.”

“Taste is always proportional to calories. Would you like to sit in front of me?”

“Why? Are you going to give me a massage?”

“That’s right.”

Min-kyung grabbed a chair and sat in front of Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo’s skillful touch followed.

Pressing on her head, shoulders, and waist with his fingers, it was so refreshing.

The stiff muscles melted away.

The massaged area felt as light as a feather.

She even felt like the cells in that area were reviving.

If she explained this feeling to someone else, they would tell her not to exaggerate, but it was real.

People who hadn’t received a massage from Jun-hoo couldn’t understand the refreshing feeling of those who had.

“If you open a massage parlor later, you’ll be a hit. Then I’ll be a regular.”

“I’ll think about it much later. Just stay still.”

Jun-hoo’s massage didn’t end with acupressure.

Crack.

He bent Min-kyung’s head 90 degrees to the left and right.

He straightened her forward-bent shoulders and neck.

He folded her waist like a shrimp at a 45-degree angle, and so on.

Dynamic stretching continued.

After receiving a full set of massages, her body felt much lighter and more refreshed.

The range of motion in her joints also noticeably increased.

“Thank you. I feel like I’m alive now. Kyung-soo, do you want to get a massage from Jun-hoo?”

“I’m okay.”

“Why? Jun-hoo is really good at massages. Just close your eyes and try it once.”

“I don’t like other people’s hands touching my body.”

Even after repeated offers, Kyung-soo remained unmoved. His prickly attitude and voice were the same as ever.

If you were to describe Kyung-soo as a shape, he was a triangle.

All three sides were sharp.

When will this guy become rounded?

“I’ll be eating dinner in the conference room. Call me if anything happens.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Okay.”

Silence visited the on-call room after Min-kyung left.

Only the sound of Kyung-soo typing on the keyboard was heard intermittently.

Shall we start the experiment?

I need to go one step further than now.

Jun-hoo picked up the skull model on his desk.

When he disassembled the upper part of the skull model, a plastic model brain appeared.

Jun-hoo also disassembled the model brain.

Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe.

Cerebellum and brainstem.

Among the six pieces of the brain that were disassembled.

He inserted a chocolate crumb about 2 centimeters in size into the brainstem and reassembled the model.

He also restored the skull.

With this, the experiment preparation is complete!

Jun-hoo placed his hand on the skull model and sent out his inner energy.

Inner energy passing through the skull.

Inner energy spreading throughout the brain.

Its form was like ripples in a calm lake.

After sensing the chocolate crumb located in the brainstem, which could not be seen with the eyes,

Jun-hoo sharpened his mind even more.

Imagining the blade of a scalpel.

He tried to embody that blade with inner energy.

He was challenging the Mind Sword, which only masters of the Transcendence Realm could unleash.

The usefulness of inner energy tumor angiography was proven today through the glioblastoma patient.

Inner energy tumor angiography could discover even the smallest tumors that MRI could not detect.

It was truly amazing precision.

But Jun-hoo was not one to be satisfied with that.

Jun-hoo wanted to perform brain tumor surgery with inner energy.

How?

By creating a sword with inner energy and removing the brain tumor.

Of course, brain tumors could be removed by surgery.

Brain tumors could also be removed with Gamma Knife or radiation therapy.

However, both methods had clear limitations.

In the case of surgical removal.

He could not remove tumors in the brainstem area that Jun-hoo was currently working on.

Because the brainstem plays an important role in life activities such as breathing and heartbeat.

If he touched it wrong, the patient could die.

In addition, tumors in the deep parts of the brain could not be removed.

In the case of Gamma Knife (a type of radiation therapy that irradiates high-energy radiation only once).

There were no limits to the treatment range.

However, the treatment effect was poor for large tumors about 3-4 centimeters in size.

On the other hand, inner energy tumor resection had no limitations.

Inner energy could penetrate anywhere in the brain.

In addition, if it could be shaped as sharply as a scalpel, there was nothing it could not cut out.

Base it on surgery and Gamma Knife.

Solve special cases with inner energy tumor resection.

This was Jun-hoo’s ambitious plan to conquer brain tumors.

Jun-hoo struggled to shape the inner energy spreading in the model brainstem.

Refining the inner energy to create a sharp sword. Cutting out the chocolate crumb with that blade.

The plan was excellent, but the execution was terrible.

The work of shaping inner energy was a series of pains.

The inner energy gathered for a moment and then scattered repeatedly.

There was no rabble like this rabble.

The actual battle will be even more difficult than this…….

He would have to withstand the torrent of cerebrospinal fluid and the suction power of the brain tumor…….

He shouldn’t be struggling so much with just a model…….

5 minutes into the work.

Jun-hoo’s arms trembled.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

As his mind became distracted, signs of reverse flow of Qi and blood appeared.

He felt nauseous.

It’s too early. I have a long way to go.

Jun-hoo stopped his ambitious attempt and disassembled the model.

When he examined the brainstem in question…….

The chocolate crumb attached to the brainstem was intact.

Rather, it was the brainstem that was damaged.

A 0.5-millimeter-long wound remained on the left edge of the brainstem.

If it wasn’t a model but a patient.

The patient would have fallen into brain death or died due to brainstem damage.

Jun-hoo wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his gown.

He shook off his disappointment.

Was it too much to challenge the Mind Sword?

In my previous life, I was a master of the Harmonious Realm.

The result was bound to be terrible because I challenged the martial art of the Transcendence Realm, which is two stages higher…….

However, Jun-hoo did not give up his plan.

It was true that the Mind Sword was a difficult martial art, but it was worth challenging if it was a Mind Sword at the level of removing brain tumors.

Above all, Jun-hoo thought of the patient.

He felt that giving up the Mind Sword was no different from giving up the patient.

Perhaps in order to move forward further.

I may need to raise the level of my martial arts.

Jun-hoo’s mind began to stretch out to a more distant place.

* * *

Ring~ Ring~

The phone in the on-call room rang loudly.

“Shall I answer it?”

Kyung-soo looked at Jun-hoo and asked.

“Why? I’m closer, aren’t I?”

“If you answer it, something always happens. Like what Senior Min-kyung said earlier.”

“That’s the labeling effect. Don’t turn a perfectly fine person into a hwan-ta [patient magnet].”

Jun-hoo chuckled and picked up the receiver.

“Yes, this is neurosurgery.”

-…….

“Yes. I understand. I’ll be right there.”

Jun-hoo hung up the phone quickly.

“Emergency room call? What did they say?”

“Not the emergency room, but the intensive care unit. They said the patient’s vitals are unstable and asked me to come and take a look.”

“Senior Min-kyung is right. You’re a hwan-ta.”

Jun-hoo smiled awkwardly because he couldn’t refute it.

“Take care of the house.”

Leaving the on-call room, he arrived at the intensive care unit.

Unlike the ward, which had become quiet in the evening, the intensive care unit was still chaotic and busy.

Changing the patient’s position for decubitus ulcer management.

Disinfecting urinary catheters, nasogastric tubes (nasal tubes), tracheas, etc.

Checking the patient’s vitals, etc.

The nurses in the intensive care unit were busy without a break.

Smelling the peculiar foul smell of the intensive care unit, which was a combination of disinfectant and rotting flesh.

Jun-hoo stood in front of a patient.

The patient’s name was Kim Cheol-soon.

He was a patient who had undergone glioblastoma removal surgery today.

He wanted to see his grandson and granddaughter.

He showed a strong will to live.

“Doctor. You’re here?”

Nurse Yang Min-ji recognized Jun-hoo and greeted him.

“Ah. Yes.”

“I saw the nursing record, and his temperature has gone up a lot. It’s 38 degrees now. Were there any special observations while watching him?”

“There’s nothing besides the temperature. The patient is old, so I was wondering if it might be pneumonia or something, so I notified you.”

Min-ji looked at Jun-hoo and continued.

“I thought you would prescribe an antipyretic and watch him. But you came in person?”

“I felt like I needed to check it myself to feel at ease. You must be busy, so go do your work.”

“Yes. Then I’ll be on my way.”

After Min-ji left, Jun-hoo carefully checked the patient’s condition.

Listening to lung sounds and heart sounds with a stethoscope.

Checking intracranial pressure and brain waves.

Checking vital signs one more time, etc.

Except for the high temperature.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with the patient yet.

It was a blessing in disguise.

Lastly, Jun-hoo placed his hand on the patient’s head.

He unfolded inner energy tumor angiography.

Inner energy spreading gently into the patient’s head.

The suction power he felt in the morning was not felt even as much as a speck of dust.

The brain tumor was completely removed.

Is the remaining problem recovery?

Jun-hoo muttered inwardly.

You can’t let your guard down just because the surgery is over.

Patients often died from aftereffects during recovery.

Jun-hoo moved his steps to the station.

First, he called the on-call room.

He told Kyung-soo that he would keep the patient for 1 hour (meaning the doctor stays with the patient 1:1 to nurse them).

He also added a standing order to administer an antipyretic injection IV if the patient’s temperature was above 38 degrees.

In one hand, Jun-hoo was carrying a chair as he returned to the patient.

In the other hand, he was holding an injection.

After mixing the antipyretic into the patient’s IV line, Jun-hoo placed the chair next to the patient and sat down.

He held the patient’s hand, which was as thin as a dry twig.

Woo-oong.

Woo-oong.

Inner energy drawn from the dantian [energy center].

Flowed into the patient’s body through Jun-hoo’s hand.

It was a kind of inner energy nourishing technique.

Inner energy had the effect of increasing the patient’s natural healing power.

He couldn’t use it often because inner energy consumption was extreme.

But patient Kim Cheol-soon was more than qualified to be Jun-hoo’s first nourishing technique.

We are doing our best.

From now on, you have to cheer up too, sir.

For 1 hour.

Jun-hoo infused inner energy into the patient.

Very small amounts slowly.

However, as his inner strength was depleted, his dantian became empty.

His body and head also became heavy.

He felt like he shouldn’t overdo it and should rest today.

“Doctor, you’re really a workaholic. You’re even keeping the patient.”

Min-ji approached and spoke to him just as Jun-hoo was getting up from his chair.

“If only the patient can be safe, I can be more than a workaholic.”

“Anyway, Doctor. I’ll check his vitals.”

Min-ji checked the patient’s condition and blinked her eyes.

“His temperature has returned to normal? His blood pressure and pulse were a little high, but they’ve all gone down too.”

“What happened to the ABGA [arterial blood gas analysis] that was done 30 minutes ago?”

“Ah. I didn’t tell you that. The ABGA also came out well. I suspected metabolic acidosis, but it was normal.”

“…….”

“Strangely, the patient seems to have gotten better while you were keeping him…….”

“Isn’t that just your imagination? I didn’t do anything.”

Jun-hoo smiled contentedly.

In fact, Min-ji’s words were correct.

Thanks to Jun-hoo’s inner energy nourishing technique, the patient’s condition had improved.

The problem was that he couldn’t explain inner energy.

“Maybe the patient recognized your sincerity.”

“Maybe. Good work, Nurse.”

“You worked hard keeping the patient too, Doctor.”

After leaving the intensive care unit, Jun-hoo immediately went to the nearby lounge.

But there was someone already in the lounge.

It was Ah-young.

Ah-young, who was sitting on the sofa, looked flustered when she found Jun-hoo.

She quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her doctor’s gown.

Jun-hoo couldn’t not know what that meant.

“Ah-young, what’s wrong?”

Jun-hoo strode towards Ah-young.