A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 275

Chapter 52: Eradication (5)

Inside the CT scan room, Yuri steadied herself, her hand against the wall.

The dizziness, which she had managed to ignore until now, intensified tenfold.

A sharp ringing echoed in her ears.

The world spun, and her stomach churned.

She barely managed to swallow the bile rising in her throat.

“You’re a nurse at our hospital, aren’t you? You don’t look so good,” the radiologist, already in the room, said to Yuri.

Yuri couldn’t answer.

Instead, she just nodded.

Realizing the seriousness of her condition, the radiologist helped her onto the examination table.

The radiologist gave her instructions for the scan, but they just washed over her. She couldn’t focus.

Yuri’s mind was a mess. It felt like her brain was melting.

She couldn’t even think straight anymore.

Proper sentences wouldn’t form, only fragments of words connected.

Dr. Junhoo… was he… right?

Am I… seriously ill?

I’m sick, I’m going to die like this.

I don’t want to. I don’t want to die.

Weeeeee.

The CT scanner whirred to life. The table Yuri was lying on began to slide into the machine.

After being swallowed by darkness,

Yuri’s consciousness faded like a thick fog.

At the same time, on a bench in front of the CT scan room,

Junhoo stared at the door, his teeth chattering.

His eyes were anxious, and his mouth was dry.

Yuri’s condition was much more serious than he had anticipated.

First of all, Yuri had a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) [an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain].

Blood vessels consist of arteries, veins, and capillaries, but in patients with brain arteriovenous malformation,

the blood flow didn’t circulate in the normal order of artery → capillary → vein.

It circulated directly from artery → vein, bypassing the capillaries.

“What does that matter? Isn’t it okay as long as the blood flows well?”

Some might ask.

But of course, there was a problem.

The blood flow from the artery, which has relatively high blood pressure, flows directly into the vein without passing through the capillaries.

This could cause bleeding in the veins.

Just like the cerebral hemorrhage that had occurred in Yuri’s brain parenchyma [the functional tissue of the brain]!

Thirty minutes ago, Junhoo had confirmed the bleeding in Yuri’s brain with a ‘Naegong Cerebral Angiography’ [a technique using internal energy to visualize blood vessels].

The reason he had forcibly dragged Yuri to the emergency room.

The reason he had rudely demanded a CT scan from the emergency physician was also because of that.

Drrrrr.

The CT scan room door opened.

Junhoo’s thoughts were interrupted.

Seeing Yuri being helped out into the hallway by the radiologist, Junhoo bit his lip.

The accident had finally happened.

Yuri’s condition had deteriorated rapidly.

The Yuri who went into the examination room and the Yuri who came out were completely different people.

“This person seems to be in very bad shape?”

“Yes, I know. I’ll take it from here.”

Junhoo sat Yuri, who was staggering in a daze, on a bench.

He assessed her GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) score [a neurological scale used to assess level of consciousness] to evaluate her level of consciousness.

She only opened her eyes in response to pain, scoring 2 points.

She only made incomprehensible moaning sounds, scoring 2 points.

She had an evasive flexion response, scoring 4 points.

Her total score was 8 points.

She was in a stupor, a situation that required quick action.

Before returning to the emergency room, Junhoo placed his hand on Yuri’s head once again.

As if performing a Naegong Cerebral Angiography, he channeled the Naegong [internal energy] from his dantian [energy center] into Yuri’s head.

He focused it on the middle cerebral artery where the bleeding had occurred.

Through Naegong, Junhoo could feel it.

The small clumps clustered around the ruptured blood vessel, the things called hematomas [a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues].

Seonpung Gong (Whirlwind Attack) [a martial arts technique].

Junhoo visualized his Naegong, drawing small concentric circles.

Soon, a tiny vortex formed inside Yuri’s head.

The vortex of Naegong collided head-on with the hematoma.

Like paper passing through a shredder, the hematoma was torn to pieces.

“Hoo.”

Junhoo let out a breath he had been holding.

His forehead was already beaded with sweat.

The work that had lasted for about a minute felt like an hour, because this task required such a high degree of control.

What if the Naegong had touched other blood vessels or nerves besides the hematoma?

The thought alone was horrifying.

Junhoo would have become a murderer instead of a doctor.

Fortunately, I bought at least some time.

If the hematoma had been left alone, it would have grown larger, compressing the brain, and eventually causing brain herniation [when brain tissue shifts from its normal position].

Holding Yuri in his arms, Junhoo returned to the emergency room.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

He laid the moaning Yuri on the bed.

Suddenly, his heart ached.

Yuri, who was more dedicated and considerate of patients than anyone else, was now hovering between life and death due to a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a brain arteriovenous malformation.

Why does heaven always try to take the good people first?

Is it because good people are precious even in heaven?

I will never let Yuri go.

She still has a lot to do on earth.

Junhoo declared inwardly towards the mysterious Tao (Way of Heaven) [the fundamental nature of the universe in Taoism].

He would never let Yuri be taken away.

“Well, I didn’t expect the situation to turn out like this. You were right after all,” the emergency physician approached the bed, scratching the back of his head.

He looked embarrassed, so he must have checked the CT scan results.

“I don’t particularly want to blame you, doctor. At least at the time of the examination, there was no reason to consider Yuri’s condition serious.”

“Are you taking my side?”

“No. I’m just stating the facts.”

Junhoo’s answer was calm.

If he hadn’t had ‘Naegong Cerebral Angiography,’ Junhoo would have made the same judgment as the emergency physician.

“We need to start surgery right away. Did you call neurosurgery?”

“Yes. I notified them as soon as I confirmed the test results. They’ll be down soon.”

“Let’s start an IV and connect some injections before that. Nurse Yoon.”

“Yes, I’m on it.”

The emergency room nurse approached the bed, pushing a dressing cart.

After securing Yuri’s IV line and connecting Hartmann’s solution [a sterile solution of electrolytes and water used for intravenous administration],

she began mixing various injections into the Hartmann’s solution.

Only then did Junhoo feel the tension that had been building up ease.

Things were going well, and it seemed like they would continue to go well.

But nothing in this world was ever easy.

The neurosurgeon, who rushed down to the emergency room, delivered bad news.

“I’m sorry, but surgery won’t be possible.”

“Hey, what the hell are you talking about? If neurosurgery can’t do brain surgery, are we going to have orthopedics do it?” the emergency physician retorted in disbelief, speaking for Junhoo.

“It’s not that I don’t want to do it, it’s that I can’t. There’s no surgery T.O. [time off] no matter what.”

“…….”

“The two professors who do brain surgery went to a seminar. The others are busy with their regular surgery schedules,” the neurosurgeon said to the emergency physician in an annoyed voice.

It was an answer filled with neurosurgery’s own grievances.

“I know neurosurgery is tough, but isn’t this a bit much? We’re a Big 5 hospital [one of the top 5 hospitals in South Korea], and we can’t do emergency surgery?”

“If the schedule gets messed up, we can’t. Not even if the president comes.”

“You’re lying. What are we going to do now? This person isn’t just any patient, she’s a nurse at our hospital.”

The emergency physician sighed and looked down at Yuri.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this. I didn’t want to deliver this kind of news,” the neurosurgeon bowed his head towards Junhoo.

It was a polite apology.

“What can’t be helped, can’t be helped. I’m a neurosurgeon myself, so I understand.”

“Huh? Weren’t you the patient’s boyfriend?”

“No. I just came to the hospital for a favor. I’m a second-year resident at Shinwon University Hospital in Seoul.”

Junhoo gave a weak smile to his colleague.

-Why can’t a Big 5 hospital perform surgery?

The emergency physician had asked with a dumbfounded expression earlier.

Neurosurgery and thoracic surgery, even in Big 5 hospitals, might not be able to perform emergency surgeries.

Because there was a severe shortage of manpower.

Work that was hard and didn’t pay well was bound to be phased out.

In a capitalist market, that is.

‘Ha… what do I do now?’

Junhoo’s mind became complicated.

He wanted to perform the surgery himself.

In fact, a few months ago, Junhoo had directly performed surgery and saved a patient in a similar situation, when surgery was impossible because there was no professor available.

But this was not Shinwon University Hospital.

Even if he died and came back to life, he would never be granted permission to perform surgery as a doctor from another hospital.

Then should he look for another hospital that could perform the surgery?

As the atmosphere around the bed grew cold and heavy,

the neurosurgeon cautiously spoke up.

“Um, I talked to the professor earlier?”

“Yes, and?”

“After I notified him of the patient’s condition, he said that conservative treatment might be worth trying. What do you think about switching to conservative treatment instead of surgery?”

“You mean waiting for the hematoma to be absorbed while administering diuretics [medications that increase urination to reduce fluid buildup]?”

“You’re a specialist, so we understand each other right away.”

Yuri’s cerebral hemorrhage occurred in the brain parenchyma.

There was a passage for cerebrospinal fluid [the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord] to flow through the brain parenchyma.

So, with proper medication, the hematoma could be diluted in the cerebrospinal fluid and absorbed on its own.

“If we mix diuretics with antihypertensive drugs [medications to lower blood pressure] and electrolyte supplements, we can see sufficient effects with conservative treatment.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m against it,” Junhoo shook his head.

“Are you ignoring our professor’s judgment?” the neurosurgeon’s expression sharpened.

His voice also became aggressive.

“If you come to our hospital, shouldn’t you follow our hospital’s rules?”

“I don’t know why the story of ignoring someone is suddenly coming up. I’m simply making a medical judgment.”

“So, are you saying that your judgment might be better than our professor’s judgment?”

Junhoo clicked his tongue at the neurosurgeon’s retort.

After hearing that surgery was impossible,

the neurosurgeon seemed to firmly believe that Junhoo was simply opposing the treatment because he was upset.

But that was far from the truth.

In the Murim world [a world of martial arts], Junhoo’s alias was ‘Impeccable Sword’.

To rephrase, it meant that he did not wield his sword with his heart and emotions, meaning there were no flaws in his swordsmanship.

As Yuri’s life was at stake, Junhoo was currently in the state of ‘Impeccable Sword’.

He was colder than ice.

“You said earlier that you notified the professor directly?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“When you notified him, did you tell him the GCS score?”

“That’s…”

“You didn’t, did you? The patient was perfectly conscious before the CT scan. That’s the first error,” Junhoo launched a rapid-fire counterattack.

The neurosurgeon’s eyes widened as he was bombarded by Junhoo.

The attack and defense switched in an instant.

“As you can see from the CT scan, the hematoma is over 120cc. As a rule, hematomas larger than 120cc should be removed with surgical treatment, not conservative treatment.”

“…….”

“In short, the notification was wrong, so the professor decided on conservative treatment. How about it? Does it still look like I’m ignoring your professor?”

“Ugh…….”

“If you think I’m wrong, contact the professor again. Notify him of the GCS score and the size of the hematoma. If the professor still says that conservative treatment is good, I will obediently agree to conservative treatment.”

“Is that so? Let’s see.” As if to say, let’s have a showdown.

The neurosurgeon immediately took out his cell phone from his gown.

He switched the call to speakerphone and tried to connect with the professor.

The professor surprisingly answered the phone quickly.

As soon as he heard the neurosurgeon’s second notification,

the professor started by cursing.

-Hey, you crazy bastard! Can’t you notify properly? Are you trying to harm an innocent patient? Or are you trying to screw me over on purpose?

The professor roared like a tiger.