A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 180

Chapter 33: Parabola (5)

“Pardon?”

Dong-hoon doubted his ears after hearing Myung-han’s long sentence.

He wondered if he was hallucinating.

Myung-han had been in a state of panic.

He was just requesting to stop the surgery and trembling.

He even made a terrible attempt to put his hand on his head during the surgery.

But now, Myung-han had changed.

He expressed his opinion confidently, as if he were in a speech contest.

His eyes and voice were full of strength.

Could a person change so quickly?

“Please trust me. I will do my best to cooperate with the surgery.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but the patient needs to calm down.”

“I’m already calm.”

“There’s a high probability that it’s a temporary phenomenon. Panic attacks don’t suddenly get better without any treatment or medication.”

Dong-hoon brought the syringe close to the IV fluid connected to the central venous catheter.

But at that moment.

Joon-hoo, whose presence had been weak since the panic attack, stepped forward.

“Professor, shouldn’t we trust the patient?”

“We’ve had enough faith all this time. It’s the patient who betrayed our faith. He hid his panic disorder until the day before the surgery.”

Dong-hoon lowered his voice so the patient couldn’t hear.

“As a result, he deceived us, but can’t we understand how he felt? The patient just wanted to return to being a pianist safely through the awake surgery.”

“You’ve got a way with words. To return safely, he should just get a sedative injection and have surgery.”

“Professor, they say everything happens in threes. Please give him one more chance. I beg you.”

“I also ask you.”

Joon-hoo pleaded earnestly, and Chan-young added his support.

The patient also looked relatively calm.

Myung-han took a step back.

He obediently put the sedative he was holding on the dressing cart.

“Remember, I’m only holding back once. If another seizure occurs, I’ll administer a sedative unconditionally.”

“…….”

“And call the observation operating room now and tell the chief. This is my surgery no matter what anyone says, and today’s surgery will proceed as an awake surgery no matter what.”

“Yes. Professor.”

Joon-hoo, receiving Dong-hoon’s order, moved to the telephone installed at the entrance of the operating room.

He talked briefly and returned.

“The chief is furious. He said he won’t let you off the hook when the surgery is over.”

“Whatever.”

Dong-hoon dismissed the chief’s anger.

At least inside the operating room, no one could overrule Dong-hoon.

Because the captain of this surgery was the surgeon, no matter what anyone said.

Because he would bear all the responsibility, reward, and regret.

“Dr. Go, please watch the patient. He might raise his hand again. Joon-hoo, remap.”

At Dong-hoon’s order, the staff returned to their original positions.

Dong-hoon could finally hear the piano music flowing through the operating room.

He had been so focused on the surgery.

He had completely forgotten about the music for about 10 minutes due to all the twists and turns.

The song that Myung-han played was quite solemn.

It seemed like there would be a sense of tragic beauty whether the surgery was successful or not.

“Is the patient ready?”

“Yes. Anytime.”

“Then we’ll start the surgery. How do you feel now?”

Dong-hoon, with his eyes close to the microscope, stimulated the lower left part of the brain tumor with a probe shaped like a radio antenna.

“My left face feels a little tight. It feels like someone is pulling it.”

Myung-han, who was playing the electronic keyboard, replied.

“Left facial nerve in the brain tumor LDQ [lower left quadrant when the tumor is divided into quadrants]. It seems okay to remove this side.”

“Mapped. Professor.”

“How do you feel now?”

“My shoulder skin is tingling.”

“As expected, the nerves related to the arm are widely distributed. Joon-hoo, map it.”

“Yes. Professor.”

Mapping using the nerve stimulator ended earlier than expected.

He was expecting at least 20 minutes.

It ended in 10 minutes.

This was because the patient actively helped with the mapping.

When should I use the sedative?

Dong-hoon felt ridiculous for worrying about that.

Some nerves will be damaged, but this is excellent.

I’ll be able to save all the nerves related to playing the piano.

Dong-hoon smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the MRI images mapped by Joon-hoo.

With a map, there was no risk of getting lost, and without the risk of getting lost, there was no fear.

This surgery was as good as successful.

“Thank you for your hard work, patient. You were going to do so well, so why did you make us suffer so much earlier?”

Dong-hoon asked the patient.

“Well, I’m also amazed. I briefly made eye contact with Dr. Joon-hoo, and…”

“…….”

“I felt like I was possessed by a god for a moment. I felt like I was scolded by a god. So I woke up.”

“It seems like the god of music helped the patient.”

Dong-hoon mentioned a god he didn’t even believe in.

Other than that, he couldn’t find a reason why the patient calmed down.

“I’ll put you back to sleep. Leave the rest to us and get some rest.”

As the anesthesiologist administered propofol and fentanyl again, Myung-han’s eyes slowly closed.

* * *

What is going on?

Sung-duk, with his arms crossed and a dissatisfied expression, tilted his head.

Dong-hoon didn’t follow his and Jae-hyun’s instructions.

He was proceeding with the surgery on his own.

Sung-duk’s mood was completely soured.

But what?

Brain mapping was successfully completed without administering a sedative.

It was a result that was hard to believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.

Even Sung-duk, who majored in neurovascular surgery, felt that this surgery was going to fail.

“Director Park. Are there cases like this? A patient in a panic overcomes the panic on their own?”

“This is my first time too. It’s common to be unable to cope if a seizure occurs in the operating room, not in an everyday space.”

“Huh… what kind of windfall is this?”

Sung-duk’s wide-open lips almost reached his ears.

The worst situation suddenly turned into the best situation.

Awake surgery.

Awake surgery using sedatives.

Non-awake surgery.

There were three main types of surgery that could be performed on Myung-han, and he was able to proceed with the best surgery among them.

“I’m glad I didn’t listen to Director Park. If we had done a non-awake surgery, we wouldn’t have been able to map it, right?”

“…….”

“If we couldn’t map it, the nerves related to the performance wouldn’t have been intact either.”

“That’s right. That’s why I told you, right? My opinion is not always right.”

“It’s okay. Even monkeys fall from trees [everyone makes mistakes]. Will there be no problems from now on?”

“With Professor Shin’s skills, there won’t be any problems.”

“Oh, I feel full even though I haven’t eaten. I’m sorry, but I’ll make a call. It looks like the surgery will be successful, so I have to give the reporters a heads-up in advance.”

Sung-duk got up from his seat and distanced himself from Jae-hyun.

He made a phone call.

Jae-hyun watched Sung-duk and shook his head.

How can a person be so cunning?

He completely forgot that he was acting like he was going to devour Dong-hoon.

As the surgery went well, he gave me, who advised him on non-awake surgery, a look.

He confidently makes phone calls to reporters….

Sung-duk was a person who I couldn’t like no matter how many times I saw him.

Anyway, it’s a really unique case.

Without administering sedatives.

How can the condition improve so dramatically like this?

It’s hard to dismiss it as a coincidence….

Jae-hyun’s gaze did not leave Joon-hoo in the monitor.

After the patient had a seizure.

Joon-hoo was closely watching the patient.

If the patient’s symptoms suddenly improved, it was clear that Joon-hoo had done something.

I have to ask him when the surgery is over.

* * *

After the brain mapping was completed, the full-scale brain tumor resection began.

The staff was looking at the brain through a microscope.

Thanks to the high magnification of the microscope.

The walnut-shaped brain looked vividly as if it could be held in the hand.

Large and small blood vessels passing through the brain.

Nerves intricately tangled like a maze.

Wrinkles, the ridges of the brain that bulged out, and the grooves of the brain that were deeply sunken, etc.

“Joon-hoo. Look at the mapping and draw a boundary.”

“Yes. Professor.”

Joon-hoo rested the scalpel (a tool consisting of a blade and a handle for inserting the blade, commonly called a knife) in his right hand.

With his left hand, he inserted the No. 15 blade into the scalpel.

Click!

No. 15 is mainly used in plastic surgery and is a perfect blade for delicate incisions.

Keeping the pre-mapped MRI images in mind.

Joon-hoo drew a boundary line on the brain tumor with a scalpel.

He carried out the work of dividing the area to be resected and the area not to be resected through the boundary line.

Joon-hoo applied swordsmanship to that work.

Cheonligungeon.

This was the 10th form of the Cheongpung Swordsmanship, which focused on curves rather than straight lines and accuracy rather than speed.

As the logic of the form was added.

Joon-hoo’s hand movements using the scalpel changed wonderfully.

The wrist undulated, and a smooth boundary was created on the brain tumor along the trajectory.

Joon-hoo’s appearance using the scalpel resembled the noble demeanor of a calligrapher.

Even until the work was finished.

Joon-hoo’s hand never stopped even once.

“Wow, that’s crazy. There’s no one who can follow you when it comes to using a scalpel.”

“Hehe. You did much better than expected. Thank you for your hard work.”

Chan-young admired, and Dong-hoon was satisfied when the work was finished.

Joon-hoo’s work was so excellent that it was not a waste to receive high praise.

Of course, it was not a big deal for Joon-hoo, who was a swordsman in the world of martial arts.

“Ultrasonic aspirator.”

After receiving the ultrasonic aspirator from the scrub nurse.

Dong-hoon began to resect the brain tumor along the boundary.

Weeeing.

Along with the faint sound of the aspirator.

The pieces of brain tumor outside the boundary line were torn to pieces and sucked into the suction plate.

Since there was little to do from now on.

Joon-hoo also felt relieved.

Joon-hoo sprayed saline mixed with antibiotics with a sprayer to prevent the cerebral blood vessels from drying out and causing bleeding.

Occasionally, when microvascular bleeding occurred, he used suction or gauze to stop the bleeding.

He also did not forget to hand over the necessary surgical tools to Chan-young, who was assisting Dong-hoon.

While assisting, Joon-hoo was lost in thought.

He looked back on why Jungan suddenly succeeded.

The answer was in the conversation with the hermit, Kang Baek-tong.

-Jungan is different from ordinary martial arts. Depending on the person, you can master it in a day.

-…….

-The right thoughts that you need to put in Jungan are not just right thoughts. It must be thoughts that contain your sincerity.

Indeed, when he succeeded in Jungan.

Joon-hoo put his sincerity into the right thoughts for the first time.

He poured out not just lip service but all the feelings he felt for Myung-han.

Disappointment in Myung-han for hiding his panic attacks, the earnest desire for Myung-han to come to his senses, etc.

Joon-hoo kept the feelings and thoughts at the time of succeeding in Jungan deep in his heart.

So that he can take it out anytime.

Anyway, Jungan’s power is amazing.

I didn’t know it would stop a panic attack at once.

In terms of games, it can be seen as a status abnormality removal skill.

I’ll use it often in the future.

It seems like it will be especially useful when teaching nervous juniors.

A happy smile was already on Joon-hoo’s lips.

Thanks to the staff’s efforts.

The meningioma resection was completed in an hour.

Thump!

The brain tumor fell onto the silver curved plate.

The size of the brain tumor remaining in the brain was 1.6cm x 1.6cm.

This was larger than the resection range that was expected to be 1.2cm x 1.2cm in advance.

However, this was rather a great achievement.

As much as the tumor was removed less.

It meant that the nerves were preserved.

The remaining tumor was a good size to be sufficiently removed by gamma knife surgery using radiation.

“Everyone worked hard.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After the surgical site was restored to its original state, the staff exchanged congratulatory greetings.

Although they couldn’t see their mouths because they were wearing masks, the staff’s eyes toward each other were clearly smiling.

The awake surgery was once driven to the edge of a cliff.

As a result, it ended perfectly.

Beeeeeep.

Joon-hoo, who came out of the operating room, threw away his mask, surgical cap, gloves, gown, etc., into the medical waste collection box with a light heart.

Joon-hoo was happy that he had completed Jungan.

He was happy that he had finished the surgery that his teacher had observed wonderfully.

Above all, he was happy that he could protect Myung-han’s life as a pianist.

If I were to express this feeling in musical notation, wouldn’t it be a crescendo [a gradual increase in loudness]?