A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 423

Chapter 82: Emergency (4)

That evening, in the on-call room.

Min-seok hummed a tune as he poured hot water into a cup of ramen.

White steam billowed up.

The spicy scent of the ramen soup stimulated his appetite.

While the ramen was cooking.

Min-seok sat in his chair and looked out the window.

Today was his lucky day.

He had met and talked with Jun-hoo, who was like his idol, taken a picture, and received an autograph.

The photo taken with Jun-hoo was already set as his messenger profile picture.

‘He looks much younger in person. If I just saw his face, I’d think he was the same age as me.’

Min-seok recalled his meeting with Jun-hoo.

Surgeons called masters in Korea usually had a unique charisma.

They had an aura that overwhelmed the person they faced.

But Jun-hoo didn’t have even a speck of that kind of aura.

It was a unique case.

The more Min-seok thought about Jun-hoo.

Surprisingly, Min-seok felt a pang of sympathy for Jun-hoo.

Why?

Because Jun-hoo was not able to use his abilities to the fullest.

Jun-hoo had completed the Boost Up Program at Mayo [Mayo Clinic, a renowned medical center].

He had achieved the amazing feat of mastering seven sub-specialties of neurosurgery.

But that ability was going to waste.

Because he couldn’t perform surgeries in the ROK Army Medical Corps [Republic of Korea Army Medical Corps].

‘It would be an even greater honor if I could see or assist Dr. Jun-hoo performing surgery myself….’

Just as Min-seok was stirring the ramen with his chopsticks.

Ring, ring~

The on-call room phone rang annoyingly.

“Neurosurgery.”

Min-seok’s voice was brusque as he answered the phone.

But soon.

“Yes, yes.”

-……

“Yes?”

His pupils grew wide.

His lips parted.

The hand holding the receiver involuntarily tightened.

“I’ll go down there now.”

Min-seok threw down the receiver and chopsticks and ran towards the emergency room at full speed.

As if his doctor’s gown was on fire.

Arriving at the emergency room, panting.

Min-seok couldn’t hide his bewildered expression as he stood in front of a bed.

The patient, who had been fine just four hours ago, was dying.

His limbs were limply drooping, and he was only repeatedly emitting faint groans.

The patient’s name was Seo Gi-yeol.

He was a patient who had been hospitalized for ischemic stroke [a type of stroke caused by a blocked artery] and was receiving thrombolytic agents [medications to dissolve blood clots].

“Why is my chief’s condition getting worse? Wasn’t he being treated?”

Executive Assistant Haeseok, who was by his side as his guardian, asked accusingly.

His gaze towards Min-seok was also fierce.

Min-seok almost answered honestly, ‘I don’t know either.’

Clearly, the treatment was given in a timely manner.

There was nothing wrong with the treatment method either.

Even Jun-hoo didn’t raise any objections to Min-seok’s treatment method.

Then why on earth did this happen?

“Excuse me, doctor. I haven’t heard an answer yet?”

“That’s… it’s a special case, so we need to check it. Nurse Jung. Please check this patient’s vitals.”

“Yes. Coming.”

Min-seok called Nurse Jung, who was nearby.

Nurse Jung checked the patient’s vitals and informed him.

Temperature was 37 degrees Celsius.

Blood pressure was 160/120 mmHg [millimeters of mercury, a unit of pressure].

Pulse was 130 beats per minute.

Respiration was 9 breaths per minute.

The temperature was normal, but the blood pressure and pulse were slightly high, and conversely, the respiratory rate was a little low.

Even considering that the patient had hypertension [high blood pressure] and diabetes, it was difficult to see these numbers as normal.

‘Why, of all times….’

Min-seok bit his lip.

He was the type of person who didn’t discriminate against patients based on rank, but he couldn’t help but be conscious of the rank.

The patient was a one-star chief [a high-ranking military officer].

If a major disaster occurred, Min-seok would be in big trouble.

“Doctor. Why is my chief getting worse! Are my words not making sense?”

Haeseok asked again, neurotically.

He looked like he would grab him by the collar if he didn’t answer this time.

“The detailed reason… I think we need to do additional tests. First, we will take an additional Brain CT [Computed Tomography scan].”

“Haa… He doesn’t need surgery, does he?”

“The need for surgery depends on the test results.”

“You said he wouldn’t need surgery during the day.”

“The situation is different now than it was then.”

Min-seok strode up to the patient.

He gently shook the patient’s shoulder.

“Who….”

“Can you recognize me for sure?”

“Doctor?”

“Where is this?”

“Hospital.”

The patient answered in a dying voice. It was fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate. The patient was still conscious.

“Just a moment. We’ll move the patient.”

The ward caregiver, who had been called, led the patient’s bed out of the emergency room.

Min-seok stared blankly at the scene before picking up his cell phone.

There were only two professors specializing in the brain at Korea Doosoo Hospital.

One had gone into surgery at 5 p.m., and the other was away attending a seminar.

Min-seok left his spot and called the second professor.

An frustrating ringing tone continued, followed by a message instructing him to leave a message.

In that moment, all the strength drained from his arms and legs.

He didn’t know why the patient’s condition had worsened, and he was at a loss as to how to treat the patient.

He felt like he was shipwrecked in the vast ocean.

Bad luck.

Why, of all times….

Why did such an overwhelming thing happen when I was on duty….

He resented the heavens.

He resented the senior doctor who had asked him to switch duties.

He felt like a fool for accepting that request in the end.

Min-seok’s head, which had been drooping powerlessly, shot up again.

There was still one lifeline left.

The strongest lifeline in the world.

* * *

Korea Doosoo Hospital parking lot.

A man in military uniform got out of the driver’s seat of a car.

Four soldiers followed him out.

“I’m sorry. For making you come back because of me. I couldn’t help it because there was an emergency patient.”

The man continued.

“You guys go buy dinner and go to the PC cafe [internet cafe] near the hospital. I’ll go there as soon as I’m done.”

The man, Jun-hoo, said, handing a card to one of the soldiers.

Maybe it was his imagination, but the soldiers seemed to like this situation even more.

After parting ways with the soldiers, Jun-hoo hurriedly ran to the emergency room.

Thirty minutes ago.

He was on his way back to the unit after finishing his outpatient clinic at Korea Doosoo Hospital.

Suddenly, he received a phone call.

It was Min-seok’s call.

Min-seok told him that the condition of the ischemic stroke patient that Jun-hoo had found had worsened.

He asked if he could help.

Jun-hoo immediately turned the steering wheel.

He returned to Doosoo Hospital like a bolt of lightning.

Because he could clearly see that the situation would become serious.

Even university hospitals can’t properly handle emergency patients when their on-call schedules get messed up.

It was pointless to even talk about the situation at Doosoo Hospital, which was even worse.

“What happened?”

Jun-hoo asked, standing in front of the patient’s bed.

Guardian Haeseok and Min-seok looked at Jun-hoo at the same time.

The patient was only blinking, as if he was sleepy.

“Let’s go out and talk for a moment.”

Min-seok took a seat in the hallway away from the bed.

He must have been through a lot.

His face looked haggard when he saw him again after only a few hours.

“First of all, thank you so much for coming. It must have been a difficult decision.”

“I don’t care about being bothered. More importantly, please notify me of the patient’s condition.”

“Okay.”

Min-seok’s notification began.

Min-seok’s voice was full of resentment.

He said that there was no problem with the timing of the treatment or the method of treatment, but he didn’t know why the patient’s condition had worsened.

“Why on earth did this happen? Did I make a mistake without knowing it?”

“No. Dr. Hwang didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why….”

“To put it simply, you just had bad luck.”

“Bad luck?”

Jun-hoo nodded instead of answering.

The following was Jun-hoo’s reconstruction of this disaster.

The thrombolytic agent dissolves the blood clot.

In the process, the undissolved blood clot tears the thin blood vessel wall.

Or, as the blood vessels widen, the increased blood flow damages the blood vessel wall.

This causes a cerebral hemorrhage [bleeding in the brain].

Both were extremely rare cases.

It was a case that had only happened twice during Jun-hoo’s training period in Korea and the United States.

To use a proverb….

It was a case of falling backwards and breaking your nose [experiencing bad luck in an unexpected way].

“What were the test results?”

Jun-hoo changed the subject.

“There was bleeding in the passage from the patient’s MCA (middle cerebral artery) [a major artery in the brain] to the PCA (posterior cerebral artery) [another major artery in the brain]. I think we need to go into surgery.”

“Let’s talk while looking at the images.”

“Yes. Doctor.”

Jun-hoo followed Min-seok to the station.

He stroked his chin while observing the patient’s brain CT that Min-seok had pulled up.

If the bleeding occurred at a blood vessel branch, it would be good to wait for the bleeding and hematoma [a collection of blood outside blood vessels] to be absorbed naturally.

But, mercilessly, the bleeding site and the amount of bleeding were unusual.

Immediate action was needed.

“Is there anyone who can perform the surgery?”

“That’s….”

Min-seok trailed off and scratched the back of his neck.

He felt like he knew the omitted part without even hearing it.

“Dr. Hwang can’t perform the surgery?”

“I’m not confident in handling it alone. And if I go into surgery, there will be no one to see emergency patients.”

“You can leave emergency patient care to the residents.”

“Well… to be honest, I’m just not confident.”

Min-seok answered honestly.

Jun-hoo did not scold Min-seok because he knew how he felt.

Wasn’t Min-seok a neurosurgeon who had just obtained his license?

It was understandable that he would feel burdened and afraid to perform the surgery.

The analogy may be inappropriate….

How horrified would you be if you just got your driver’s license and were told to drive on the roads of Busan [a major city in South Korea] for the first time?

“Then can I perform the surgery?”

“Honestly, we would welcome it… but procedurally, it doesn’t seem acceptable.”

“That’s the norm.”

Jun-hoo sighed and answered.

There was no case of a surgeon from A University Hospital moving to B University Hospital to perform surgery on a patient.

Because….

When a problem occurs with the patient.

In the end, the responsibility lies with Hospital B, where the patient is hospitalized.

It could also tarnish the reputation of Hospital B, saying that they brought in a doctor from another hospital because they lacked the skills.

Usually, in these cases, the patient is transferred.

“Then shouldn’t we quickly find a means of transportation?”

“The winds are strong, so the helicopter can’t take off. Then we have to move by ambulance, but it will take at least two hours to get to Seoul [the capital of South Korea]. Because it’s rush hour.”

“…….”

“In that time, the patient may suffer permanent nerve damage.”

Min-seok bit his lip after finishing his words.

It was a dilemma where they couldn’t perform surgery at the hospital.

But they couldn’t transfer him either.

No wonder he had called Jun-hoo, whom he had just met.

Even as he couldn’t make a decision, precious time was slipping through his fingers.

Now, a decision was really needed.

Jun-hoo clenched his fists as he looked at the bed where the patient was lying.

“What is the major of the director of Doosoo Hospital?”

“Neurology.”

“Do you know his contact information?”

“Yes. He’s a senior alumnus from our medical school, so I know it.”

Indeed, the medical community had a narrow network.

“But why are you asking that?”

“Please make a phone call. I need to settle this once and for all.”

“If it’s a settlement….”

“You already know what I’m going to say, don’t you?”

Jun-hoo continued with a serious expression.

“I’ll operate on the patient.”