A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 333

Swish.

In-cheol used the forceps in his hand to pick up a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant and disinfected the area around the patient’s nose and inside both nostrils.

He covered the patient’s nose with a white sheet.

The tips of In-cheol’s fingers, while disinfecting, trembled slightly. He seemed unusually nervous.

“…….”

Momentarily, In-cheol’s eyes met mine.

Jun-hoo nodded slightly, as if to say he was okay and not to worry too much.

In-cheol nodded, following Jun-hoo’s lead.

“I need an endoscope camera and an ultrasonic aspirator.”

“What? You’re going to use both at the same time?”

Soo-hwan asked, tilting his head in surprise.

It was standard procedure for the surgeon to use the ultrasonic aspirator and the assistant to use the endoscope camera.

“I use both hands well. I can do it alone.”

“It’s better to use one hand properly than to use both hands poorly, don’t you think?”

“I’m not standing here to perform surgery poorly,” Jun-hoo retorted firmly.

Soo-hwan looked at Jun-hoo with eyes that seemed to say, ‘Look at this guy’s audacity?’

And he readily handed the aspirator and endoscope to Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo held the aspirator in his left hand and the endoscope camera in his right hand.

The endoscope camera entered the patient’s right nostril, shining a bright light.

Like an explorer exploring an unknown cave.

The video of the nasal cavity being filmed by the endoscope was being displayed on the monitor in front.

Thanks to the pre-operative trimming of nose hairs, the patient’s nose was quite clean.

The mucous membrane inside the nose blocked the path of the advancing endoscope.

It was the first gateway to pass through to reach the pituitary gland.

Jun-hoo inserted the aspirator he was holding in his left hand into the patient’s left nostril.

The endoscope and the aspirator met dramatically.

Click!

Weeeeng.

He activated the power switch.

The aspirator made a loud noise and rotated like crazy.

The aspirator ground away at the mucous membrane inside the nose, and each time, fragments of the membrane scattered messily in all directions.

‘This guy… he wasn’t ordinary at all?’

Soo-hwan’s eyes widened as he watched Jun-hoo’s surgery.

He thought Jun-hoo was trying to make up for being ignored by him by using both hands, but that wasn’t it.

Jun-hoo was purely good at using both hands.

He was just good.

There wasn’t even a hair’s breadth of tremor in his arms and wrists.

It was like a robot’s arm.

Even more amazing was his left arm, which was holding the aspirator.

The vibration of the aspirator would surely be transmitted to his arm, but Jun-hoo’s left arm was unshakeable.

What?

How on earth is he suppressing the vibration?

Even other neurosurgery professors can’t do this?

After pushing the rising suspicion to the back of his mind, Soo-hwan stared at the monitor in front of him with wide eyes.

It was to check the extent of the incision in the mucous membrane.

It was best to minimize the incision in the mucous membrane for the patient’s recovery.

But, to no avail, Jun-hoo cut the nasal mucous membrane to a minimum.

Only Soo-hwan’s eyes became dry.

“Now do you understand a little? Why I chose Jun-hoo as the surgeon?”

Dong-hoon’s eyes, looking at Soo-hwan, were smiling slyly.

“Hmph. Don’t be too complacent. The real game starts now. No matter how well you do this, it’s all useless if you can’t remove the tumor properly.”

“You look like you’re hoping Jun-hoo fails?”

Soo-hwan closed his mouth because it wasn’t worth answering.

But it was true that he didn’t like Jun-hoo in his heart.

Soo-hwan didn’t like residents who were often said to be show-offs.

He had often seen cases where they ruined the surgery by raising their noses and pretending to be good.

While the two were chatting, the incision of the mucous membrane inside the nasal cavity was completed.

When the mucous membrane was removed, a dark and empty space unfolded.

It was called the sphenoid sinus [a cavity in the sphenoid bone behind the nasal cavity].

The problematic pituitary adenoma [a benign tumor of the pituitary gland] was located above the sphenoid bone covering the roof of the sphenoid sinus.

“Professor. Would you like to take over the endoscope?”

“Okay.”

Soo-hwan took the endoscope that Jun-hoo handed him.

Originally, in pituitary adenoma surgery, the role of the otolaryngologist [ENT surgeon] was to secure the field of vision and coach on the anatomical structure of the nose.

‘He knows his place, unexpectedly.’

A smile spread across Soo-hwan’s lips.

Unexpectedly, Jun-hoo didn’t insist on using the endoscope himself until the end.

He seemed to know that Soo-hwan’s knowledge and experience were superior to his own in the subsequent surgical procedure.

Jun-hoo pushed the suction tube into the patient’s left nasal cavity.

Cheeee.

Jun-hoo sucked up the mucous membrane scattered messily near the sphenoid bone.

He also irrigated (saline irrigation) to prevent the surrounding mucous membrane from drying out.

A whitish foreign substance-covered liquid poured out of the patient’s nose.

In-cheol wiped it off with gauze.

After a brief cleanup, the second act of the surgery began.

Soo-hwan secured the field of vision inside the nasal cavity, and Jun-hoo advanced toward the sphenoid bone with the ultrasonic aspirator.

The aspirator bravely moved forward, grinding the sphenoid bone like shaved ice.

A hole of 1cmX1cm size was drilled in the sphenoid bone.

“Professor, is this size of the hole enough?”

“No. Make it bigger. It should be 1.5cmX1.5cm in size to make it easier to remove the tumor.”

Soo-hwan’s voice, which had become soft, gave Jun-hoo an instant realization.

Soo-hwan had already become his fan.

* * *

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Jun-hoo said first, and In-cheol repeated after him.

The tense atmosphere of the operating room, which had been as taut as a stretched rubber band, loosened and crumbled like water-soaked tissue.

In-cheol removed the sheet covering the patient’s face.

The surgery was over.

“I can’t believe it even after seeing it with my own two eyes. This is a resident’s skill.”

Soo-hwan shook his head and muttered.

“See? What did I say? I told you there was nothing to worry about?”

“Honestly, looking at the results alone… it wouldn’t be strange if you had done the surgery yourself.”

“It looks that way to me too.”

“Jun-hoo, have you ever performed pituitary adenoma surgery before?”

Soo-hwan turned his gaze to Jun-hoo and asked.

“No. Today is my first time.”

Jun-hoo’s answer was half right and half wrong.

Of course, it was true that today was his first time performing the surgery itself.

However, Jun-hoo had stimulated the optic nerve with the occipital lobe puncturing method [a mental training technique] and performed pituitary adenoma surgery in his head nearly ten times.

Not only that, Jun-hoo’s training was not reckless either.

He usually unfolded Dong-hoon’s pituitary adenoma surgery process, which had been converted into a formula, during his imagination training.

Formulaic surgery processes of skilled professors combined with virtual surgery in the head using the occipital lobe puncturing method were like wings that would make Jun-hoo a great surgeon.

The ambidextrous gourd technique [ability to use both hands equally well] that uses both hands freely, and the Great Surname’s Howol Twelve Hands [a martial arts technique for delicate hand movements] that enables delicate hand movements, made it pointless to talk about the power of these two martial arts.

“I sincerely apologize for ignoring you. I didn’t know it would be this good.”

“No. I still have a long way to go compared to the two professors.”

“You even know how to be humble. Anyway, the highlight of the surgery was when you resected the tumor.”

Soo-hwan looked up at the ceiling of the operating room with a wistful look.

The white ceiling became a drawing paper, and the image of Jun-hoo removing the tumor was clearly drawn on it.

Even though the posterior of the tumor was stuck to the optic nerve, Jun-hoo removed only the tumor with precise hand movements.

He drew a boundary line between the optic nerve and the tumor and showed off his performance as if he would not invade even 1 millimeter inside that line.

Soo-hwan’s mouth was still wide open whenever he thought of that moment.

“Good job, Jun-hoo. You saved my face.”

“You’re welcome… In-cheol also worked hard.”

Jun-hoo smiled awkwardly, praising In-cheol as well as accepting the pouring compliments.

Then, he looked down at the pituitary adenoma in the silver curved tray.

The amount needed for the tissue test had already been taken out separately and sent to the laboratory.

The cancer tissue in the curved tray would be discarded as medical waste.

The cancer tissue was only the size of a little fingernail and had a crimson color.

It looked like normal tissue to the naked eye.

If there is cancer tissue in the human body, could it be that there are humans like cancer in society as well?

Only knowing themselves, constantly proliferating, pretending to be normal, humans who cause widespread damage to those around them.

Before leaving the operating room, Jun-hoo threw the adenoma in the curved tray into the medical waste container.

* * *

4th floor lounge.

Jun-hoo was sitting side by side with Dong-hoon on the old and worn sofa, drinking canned coffee.

Neither of them could rest for long.

They had another surgery scheduled in 30 minutes.

“How do you feel about performing pituitary adenoma surgery for the first time?”

Dong-hoon asked with a smiling face.

“It’s hard to say this, but…”

“But what?”

“Honestly, it was fun. The method of approaching the brain through the nose instead of the head was also refreshing, and it was also new to collaborate with the otolaryngology professor.”

“Surgery is fun… you’re saying something that would be a big deal if others heard it.”

“Perhaps the expression ‘I was able to feel a sense of accomplishment’ would be more accurate than the expression ‘fun’.”

After finishing speaking, Jun-hoo took a sip of canned coffee.

The coffee was sweet and bitter.

The blood, sweat, and tears that had been shed so far were bitter, and the fact that the surgery was successfully completed was like sweetness.

“You won’t fail the specialist exam. Then you will naturally apply for a fellowship.”

Dong-hoon paused and continued.

“Have you decided on a subspecialty?”

“No. Not yet.”

“You’re unusually hesitant, unlike you. Is there a reason?”

“There are many things I want to do, but there are few things I can do. I want to master all the subspecialties related to neurosurgery.”

“You’re going to master all the subspecialties? Are you serious?”

“Yes. Professor.”

“Ambition is good as long as it’s big, but you have to give up if it’s at an unattainable level. If you master all the subspecialties, you have to apply for a fellowship in all 7 specialties.”

Dong-hoon recited the subspecialties, folding his fingers one by one.

Cerebrovascular part.

Brain tumor part.

Cervical and lumbar part.

Stereotactic nerve part.

Pediatric neurosurgery part.

Hand surgery part.

Trauma surgery part.

It would take up to 14 years to master all the subspecialties of neurosurgery because the fellowship training course is usually 2 years.

But 14 years was too long for Jun-hoo.

The neurosurgery support rate had been hitting the bottom for a long time, and the reality was that there were even worried words that surgeons should be imported from overseas.

When he thought about the lives of patients that he might lose powerlessly during the long period of 14 years, when he thought about the lamentations of the guardians, Jun-hoo’s heart was already breaking.

He would be able to provide immediate treatment to any patient who came if he mastered all the departments…

“Jun-hoo. Why don’t you choose the brain tumor area as your subspecialty?”

Dong-hoon cautiously brought it up.

Dong-hoon’s voice was sweeter than ever.

“The most common type of brain surgery is brain tumor surgery.”

“…….”

“So, if you subspecialize in the brain tumor part, it also means that you can see that many patients. Then it’s not that far off from your original purpose, is it?”

Dong-hoon’s temptation was now taking a blatant form.

Jun-hoo fiddled with the empty coffee can and opened his mouth.