A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 257

Chapter 49: The Typhoon (2)

“Patient.”

“Yes.”

“Could you lower your pants a bit?”

The patient flinched at Jun-hoo’s instruction.

But only for a moment.

The patient’s waistband slid down.

The legs, having endured long years, were as thin as dry branches.

To minimize the patient’s potential shame, Jun-hoo quickly laid a surgical drape as wide as a tablecloth over the patient’s thigh.

Swish.

Swish.

The right femoral artery [thigh artery], where the catheter would be inserted, was disinfected with povidone.

The hair on the patient’s thigh had already been neatly shaved.

A preemptive measure to prevent infection.

“Lidocaine [local anesthetic], please.”

“Here.”

Min-kyung handed over a 1cc syringe, which Jun-hoo took.

“It’ll sting a little.”

Thump, the syringe pierced the skin around the blood vessel.

Jun-hoo anesthetized the area near the artery and chatted with the patient.

The patient, whom he thought was taciturn, surprisingly had a talkative side.

He freely shared things that weren’t even asked.

For example, how his recently adopted dog was so lovely he couldn’t help but adore it, or how his eldest son had recently gotten married, and so on.

It was unclear whether he was talkative because he was nervous or if he was naturally talkative.

But one thing was certain.

The patient’s face, which had been stiff, had relaxed somewhat.

The ten wriggling earthworm wrinkles on his forehead had now reduced to three.

Jun-hoo enjoyed chatting with patients.

He tried his best to narrow the distance with them.

-Don’t get too attached to patients. You’ll only get hurt later. What if problems arise after surgery or treatment?

His colleagues often dissuaded Jun-hoo.

They warned that excessive emotional investment would lead to equally strong aftereffects.

They worried that the patient might make unreasonable requests later.

But Jun-hoo thought differently.

He was convinced that doctors should empathize with patients as much as possible.

Patients are…

Beings to be looked at closely and cherished.

Beings to be looked at for a long time and loved.

Jun-hoo believed that only with this kind of awareness could a doctor grow.

In fact, the renowned doctors Jun-hoo respected cherished their patients to an extreme degree.

Because the patient is precious, they always do their best and cannot neglect development, right?

Jun-hoo had no intention of giving up his beliefs.

He simply wanted to complete the righteous path he was currently walking.

“Relax and be comfortable. We need to finish the exam quickly so you can go see Nurung-i.”

“…….”

The patient nodded instead of answering.

He must be happy just thinking about Nurung-i.

One more wrinkle disappeared from his forehead.

“Then, let’s begin. Number 10 blade.”

Jun-hoo inserted the blade Min-kyung handed him into the scalpel handle.

Click.

The sound of the blade being fixed to the handle was as cheerful as the sound of a click pen.

Jun-hoo made a 0.5-millimeter incision in the patient’s femoral artery, which had been pre-disinfected and pre-shaved.

Swish.

The skin tore along the scalpel.

Blood gushed out from the torn skin.

Even though he was making a very shallow and short incision, the sensation conveyed to Jun-hoo’s hand was not like that.

It felt like he was holding a long sword instead of a scalpel.

It felt like he wasn’t just slightly cutting the skin, but tearing Madu’s chest open in a long, straight line.

So deeply that both lungs on the left and right would be exposed.

The reason was simple.

It was because of the Mana Vision he had unfolded earlier.

It was because Jun-hoo was experiencing all sensations several times more intensely through the Mana Vision.

Rather, it’s good.

If the senses are amplified, surgery can be performed delicately.

Usually, medical accidents also occur when concentration decreases and senses become dull.

Behind the mask, a smile appeared on Jun-hoo’s lips.

There was one more good thing about using Mana Vision.

It was that he could realistically feel the surgery as if he were engaging in a sword fight in the Murim world [martial arts world].

Again, it was because his senses were amplified.

Jun-hoo’s body was in the operating room.

But Jun-hoo’s mind had already recognized the operating room as a battlefield.

And after earning the title of ‘Flawless Sword,’ Jun-hoo had never lost a battle.

* * *

“Gauze, please.”

“Yes.”

Jun-hoo wiped the incision where the catheter would be inserted with gauze.

The gauze was stained crimson.

Thump, the used gauze was discarded into the kidney basin.

“Catheter, please.”

“What size should I give you?”

“Give me a 2mm one.”

“Isn’t that too thin? 4mm seems just right.”

Min-kyung, who was assisting Jun-hoo, said in a blunt voice.

(She was using polite language because the patient was present.)

A thin catheter wasn’t always good.

Depending on the purpose and situation.

There were times when a thick needle had to be used and times when a thin needle had to be used.

In the case of the patient being treated now.

4mm was the standard.

“Sunbae [senior colleague], the patient’s blood vessels are too thin. If we use 4mm, the blood vessels might burst.”

Jun-hoo leaned towards Min-kyung.

He said in a whisper.

“It looks fine to me? Aren’t the blood vessels of elderly patients usually like this?”

“I touched it earlier, and the patient’s blood vessels are less elastic and thinner than those of the same age. We have to use 2mm.”

“Okay.”

Min-kyung nodded obediently.

And as a result, Jun-hoo’s judgment was correct.

Thanks to using a 2mm thick catheter, the catheter safely entered the patient’s femoral artery.

‘Wow! He’s really amazing. He’s teaching me even though it’s his first cerebral angiography today?’

Min-kyung purely admired Jun-hoo. She didn’t feel even 0.1 grams of jealousy or inferiority.

That time had already passed a long time ago.

She knew that being jealous of Jun-hoo would only harm herself.

What’s the point of lamenting that a rabbit can’t hunt like a tiger?

But still.

Even considering Jun-hoo’s genius talent, cerebral angiography was not an easy procedure.

Min-kyung also started learning cerebral angiography in her second year.

Even now, in her third year, she hasn’t completely mastered cerebral angiography.

There were several reasons.

First, unlike general surgery, which is performed under anesthesia, cerebral angiography is performed while the patient is awake. So it’s more burdensome and nerve-wracking.

Second, it’s difficult because the field of vision and the hands don’t work together. The eyes have to look at the front monitor, and the hands have to move separately.

Finally, delicate force control is essential. If you lose focus even for a moment, the catheter can enter the wrong blood vessel, which can lead to terrible accidents.

These are just the three biggest problems, and if you count the minor problems, there’s no end to cerebral angiography.

Because of the reasons above, there were many more cases where professors directly performed cerebral angiography.

‘I hope there are no problems. I’m worried.’

Like leaving a child by the water.

Jun-hoo seemed to be completely unaware of Min-kyung’s anxious feelings.

He was just skillfully manipulating the catheter.

He held the entrance of the catheter with his left hand and pushed the guide wire into the catheter with his right hand.

Jun-hoo’s gaze was fixed on the monitor.

Maybe it was a delusion…

Jun-hoo seemed to have forgotten how to blink.

His wide-open eyes didn’t seem to want to close.

His eyes were determined, as if he were having a life-or-death staring contest with someone.

Come to think of it, Jun-hoo was always like this.

He always showed a desperate appearance in all procedures and surgeries.

Those aspects were admirable, even though he was a junior.

“Sunbae. Shouldn’t you be looking at the monitor instead of me?”

Jun-hoo said in a voice as small as a mosquito.

It was because of the patient.

“What? How did you know I was looking at you when you’re only looking at the monitor?”

Min-kyung asked, startled.

“I looked at the monitor with my left eye and briefly looked at Sunbae with my right eye.”

“Crazy! You can do that? Are you even human? Not a robot?”

“I can do it. And I also knew that you tapped the floor three times with your toes since the procedure started.”

“…….”

Min-kyung was speechless with disbelief.

It was exactly as Jun-hoo said.

Min-kyung had a habit of tapping the floor with her toes when she was nervous.

She did that about three times while worrying about Jun-hoo.

“As expected, Seo Jun-hoo, you’re a starfish.”

“Isn’t it extraordinary?”

“…Yeah, you’re great.”

Min-kyung stopped thinking about Jun-hoo. She stopped worrying about Jun-hoo.

For example, Jun-hoo was a being living in the fourth dimension.

Min-kyung, who lived in the third dimension, could never understand Jun-hoo.

She didn’t know that Jun-hoo was from the Murim world [martial arts world].

She also didn’t know that he was unfolding the Mana Vision, a secret martial art of the Seo Clan.

In fact, Min-kyung’s reaction was natural.

Swish.

Swish.

Jun-hoo’s hand movements became more delicate and faster.

Eventually, Jun-hoo aced even the most difficult part of cerebral angiography.

That is, the course of raising the catheter from the aortic arch of the heart to the carotid artery arch.

Surprisingly!

The catheter never damaged the blood vessel wall even once!

The catheter never went astray into the pulmonary artery or subclavian artery.

A skill that was hard to believe he was doing angiography for the first time.

When Min-kyung first did angiography, the chief who was watching beside her stopped the procedure midway, saying that she would catch the patient if she continued like that.

It must have been from that time.

The time when Min-kyung started to relax and take the strength out of her body.

With Jun-hoo next to her, she felt as reliable as a professor, not a first-year resident.

Soon, the catheter entered the cerebral blood vessels in one fell swoop. The splendid curtain of cerebral angiography rose.

“Patient. We’re going to inject the contrast agent now.”

Jun-hoo continued in a kind voice.

“Your head will feel hot and your eyes will flash. Don’t be too surprised. And if I tell you not to swallow, you shouldn’t swallow.”

“What does swallowing have to do with it?”

The patient asked with a puzzled expression.

“Even the subtle act of swallowing can affect the test results.”

“I understand. I’ll do that.”

“Doctor, give me the contrast agent.”

“Yes.”

Min-kyung handed Jun-hoo the syringe filled with contrast agent.

Only then did Jun-hoo blink.

[Never blink during the procedure. Only blink when the procedure is stopped.]

Min-kyung learned another one of Jun-hoo’s hidden habits today.

Admirably…

The minor habits that Jun-hoo had were all for the patient, and all for the purpose of perfectly succeeding in the surgery.

It was truly a respectable mindset.

“Okay, swallow. Your eyes will flash.”

Thump!

Jun-hoo inserted the syringe needle into the catheter nozzle.

Following that, he injected the contrast agent.

The inside of the cerebral blood vessels reflected on the front monitor was instantly filled with gray.

It was because of the contrast agent.

Click, the moment the contrast agent was injected into the blood vessels was saved as a panoramic video.

The video recording of the right internal carotid artery was completed without incident.

“Patient, you endured well. Please continue to do as you’re doing now.”

Jun-hoo removed the syringe filled with contrast agent.

Trickle.

Blood flowed down from that spot.

The blood poured out due to the internal pressure difference.

“Wash it.”

Min-kyung handed Jun-hoo a syringe filled with saline solution, and Jun-hoo washed the area around the catheter with saline solution.

Swoosh.

The stream of saline solution spraying from the syringe was strong.

Even after the washing was finished, Jun-hoo was busy.

He flicked the IV line with his thumb.

An action to prevent the remaining air in the IV line from blocking the blood vessels.

In other words, an action to prevent air embolism [air bubble blocking a blood vessel].

Looking at Jun-hoo, who didn’t miss anything.

Min-kyung clicked her tongue.

‘Am I here to teach angiography? Or am I here to learn?’

The current situation was just confusing and confusing.