A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 447

Chapter 87: The Cold Wave (3)

An hour ago.

Hyeon-ho returned to the encampment after finishing his guard duty.

Darkness had fallen on the mountains.

The silence deepened, amplifying the feeling of isolation.

In that silence, the sight of tents huddled together evoked a sense of camaraderie, a shared warmth against the encroaching cold.

He figured the other soldiers were shivering in their tents, struggling to sleep.

He knew he would soon be in the same situation.

‘Is this why people become close when they suffer together?’

Hyeon-ho chuckled softly.

The sergeant who had been on guard duty with him had already gone into the tent, and Hyeon-ho moved to another.

He went inside and shook the leg of the soldier lying on the far left.

“Kim Yun-seong.”

“…….”

“Hey, Kim Yun-seong. Shift change.”

Hyeon-ho shook Yun-seong, his classmate, more firmly.

But Yun-seong didn’t move.

It was strange.

Yun-seong was usually sensitive and woke up easily. He had never dawdled when it was time to change shifts.

Feeling uneasy, Hyeon-ho went further into the tent.

Strangely enough…….

Yun-seong was outside his sleeping bag and had taken off his field jacket.

He was only wearing his quilted liner.

It was an absurd situation.

The current temperature was -12 degrees Celsius (10.4 degrees Fahrenheit). They were deep in the forest, and the cold wind was blowing mercilessly, making the wind chill even lower.

But he was rolling around outside his sleeping bag?

He was even taking off a layer of clothing?

Something was clearly wrong.

Hoping for the best, Hyeon-ho shook Yun-seong’s shoulder again, more vigorously this time.

Yun-seong still didn’t respond.

‘Shit. This is bad!’

Hyeon-ho rushed to the tent where the sergeant was.

“Sergeant Lee Cheol-jin.”

“What?”

“I think we need to take Yun-seong to the medical unit.”

“Medical unit? At this hour?”

“Yes. Yun-seong won’t wake up.”

* * *

Joon-hoo nodded at the medic’s report.

It was as if the thing he had been worried about had actually happened.

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it seemed clear that the patient was suffering from hypothermia.

“Company Commander, I have a question.”

The medic asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

“What is it?”

“Isn’t hypothermia a condition caused by a drop in body temperature?”

“That’s right.”

“But why did the patient come out of his sleeping bag and take off his clothes? Shouldn’t he be trying to stay warm?”

“There’s a reason for that.”

Joon-hoo began to explain, drawing on his medical knowledge.

First of all, the medic’s question was valid.

It didn’t make sense for a cold person to take off their clothes. It was as strange as a hungry person refusing food.

But there was a reason why hypothermia patients sometimes undress strangely.

It was because of… the brain!

If you are exposed to excessive cold for too long, the brain’s thermoregulatory function deteriorates, and the body misinterprets the cold as heat, leading to paradoxical undressing.

“Can you take the patient’s vitals again?”

“Yes, Company Commander.”

At Joon-hoo’s direction, the medic inserted a tympanic thermometer into the patient’s ear.

Beep, beep, beep!

“It’s 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).”

The medic then used a sphygmomanometer to measure the patient’s blood pressure.

The blood pressure was 100/70 mmHg, which was quite low. As the body temperature dropped, the blood pressure also dropped.

“How do you feel?”

Joon-hoo gently shook the patient’s shoulder.

“Ugh…….”

The patient only groaned and didn’t respond otherwise.

He was unable to speak.

The fist that had come out of the bed was clenched tightly.

In terms of GCS [Glasgow Coma Scale] (level of consciousness) score, it seemed to be around 6 points. 6 points indicated a SEMI-COMA state.

“When did the patient arrive at the aid station?”

“About 40 minutes ago.”

Joon-hoo frowned.

Even though he had been receiving heat therapy for a while, the patient showed no improvement.

If left untreated, there was a high probability of a major disaster as the blood vessels constricted and organ function declined.

“Let’s start with an NS [Normal Saline] (0.9% saline solution) line.”

“Do you give IV fluids to hypothermia patients?”

“IV fluids are the basis of all treatment, providing hydration and supporting blood pressure.”

Joon-hoo nodded.

While the medic was preparing to start the IV, Joon-hoo poked the area where the patient’s head and neck met with his index finger.

The area was where the Amun blood point was located and also where the midbrain, the center of thermoregulation, was located.

Thud!

While stimulating the blood vessels, Joon-hoo also infused some internal energy into the midbrain.

It was a task to restore the function of the deteriorated midbrain.

Then, Joon-hoo grabbed the patient’s wrist as if a doctor was taking the patient’s pulse and infused warm internal energy.

It was the ‘Warm Internal Energy Method’ that he had just trained and created.

“Company Commander, I’m ready to start the IV. Shall I begin?”

“No. Wait a minute. Give me the normal saline.”

“Yes. Here it is.”

Joon-hoo received the normal saline from the medic with one hand, and he also used the ‘Warm Internal Energy Method’ on the normal saline.

The lukewarm normal saline quickly became warm.

“Huh? The normal saline seems to have warmed up.”

The medic tilted his head, receiving the normal saline from Joon-hoo.

It didn’t make sense to the medic.

The temperature of the saline solution suddenly rose even though Joon-hoo had only been holding it in his hand for about a minute.

He wondered if this was a dream or reality.

“It must be your imagination.”

“No. The temperature of the normal saline is definitely…….”

“I know, so start the IV first.”

Joon-hoo mumbled vaguely.

He didn’t want the medic to think too deeply about the ‘Warm Internal Energy Method’.

Anyway, there was a reason why he used the ‘Warm Internal Energy Method’ on the normal saline.

Connecting warm IV fluids to hypothermia patients is also very helpful in raising their core temperature.

‘This should be fine.’

Confidence spread across Joon-hoo’s face.

The patient’s hypothermia was serious, but the treatment to overcome it was also considerable.

He was activating the midbrain, which had impaired thermoregulatory function, with blood point techniques.

He was infusing internal energy with the warm internal energy method, and he was also administering warm normal saline through an IV line.

Could there be a more perfect treatment for hypothermia patients than this?

Joon-hoo was confident that there wasn’t.

Thirty minutes passed since the treatment began.

Beep, beep, beep!

“Company Commander, the patient’s temperature is 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit)!”

The medic, holding the thermometer in his hand, raised his voice like an excited child.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Joon-hoo called the 3rd platoon leader out of the aid station. The 3rd platoon leader followed Joon-hoo with a look of annoyance.

The current time was midnight.

The night wind had become even more biting, and the mournful hooting of an owl could be heard from somewhere.

“I’m freezing to death. What’s going on?”

“Do you think I’m joking?”

Joon-hoo glared at the 3rd platoon leader with a fierce look.

The 3rd platoon leader lowered his eyes at the harsh atmosphere.

“What do you mean……?”

“I warned you not to treat patients carelessly, didn’t I? What happened with the hypothermia patient?”

“Didn’t I do as much as I could?”

“What do you mean, ‘as much as you could’?”

Joon-hoo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

It was a good thing that Joon-hoo returned to the aid station and performed emergency treatment. If the patient had been left in that state, a major disaster could have occurred.

The 3rd platoon leader’s treatment alone was not enough to raise the body temperature.

“You should have warmed up the normal saline and given it as an IV, or you should have put more layers of clothing on him.”

“…….”

“The temperature checks were a mess, too? If it’s hypothermia, you should have checked the temperature at least every 30 minutes.”

“…….”

“You checked the temperature for the first time and then just ignored him?”

“That’s…….”

The 3rd platoon leader hesitated and then continued.

“I’ve never treated a hypothermia patient before. I thought he would get better on his own if I put him in a warm place…….”

“Are you serious? You treat patients like that and then think about playing games on your phone?”

Joon-hoo grilled the 3rd platoon leader, his voice rising with each word.

In the Murim world [martial arts world], Joon-hoo had served as the leader of the Azure Dragon Unit, one of the three major armed groups of the Murim Alliance.

Perhaps that’s why he was so skilled at scolding his subordinates.

‘I’m still a resident, am I pushing him too hard?’

‘Is this what they call being a *kkondae* [꼰대] (an older person who is condescending or bossy) these days?’

It wasn’t that he hadn’t wondered about that.

But Joon-hoo believed that his decision was right.

Joon-hoo was simply pointing out the parts where the 3rd platoon leader had failed to fulfill his duties and responsibilities as a doctor.

If this is *kkondae-jit* [꼰대짓] (acting like a *kkondae*),

Then all criticism and pointing out should disappear without a trace.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry for treating and caring for the patient insincerely.”

“You shouldn’t have done anything to be sorry for in the first place.”

The 3rd platoon leader was sweating profusely at Joon-hoo’s questioning. The cold sweat dried in the cold wind, and his face turned even colder.

The 3rd platoon leader had thought Joon-hoo was a gentle and easygoing person.

He thought that if he just *matchwoojumyeon* [맞춰주면] (went along with) his mood, he wouldn’t bother him.

But what?

There was no tiger like this tiger.

It was hard to come to his senses as Joon-hoo glared at him and picked apart his mistakes one by one.

It felt like his limbs would be torn apart if he got caught on a similar case again.

“Is there anything else you’re sorry for?”

“Again?”

“Yes. Again.”

“Um…… I don’t know.”

“You should also be sorry to the patient. He almost died because of you.”

“That’s right. I’m also sorry to the patient.”

“But why are you telling me that?”

“Yes?”

“You should go directly to the patient and tell him you’re sorry. Are you going to bow to the west when the person is in the east? [a Korean idiom meaning to do something completely wrong or in the wrong direction]”

“Ah…… No.”

“Is there anything else you’re sorry for? Besides me and the patient.”

“Again and again?”

The 3rd platoon leader had a dumbfounded expression on his face. He was at a loss, caught in a storm of scolding.

This was the first time in his life that he had been driven to the brink with words.

If he could, he wanted to hide in a rat hole.

“Is there anything else to be sorry for?”

“Of course, there is. Think about it quickly.”

“……I don’t know.”

“Does it end if you say you don’t know? You should try to find out if you don’t know.”

“I don’t know no matter how much I think about it.”

“The last person you should be sorry to is…….”

Joon-hoo paused and then continued.

“It’s you.”

“Me? Why to me……?”

“You should be sorry to your conscience as a doctor. A person who can’t be ashamed of himself is a monster.”

“Ugh…… I was really wrong. Please forgive me, Company Commander. This will never happen again.”

The 3rd platoon leader answered with his shoulders drooping.

Only then did Joon-hoo stop wielding his tongue like a sword.

Originally, Joon-hoo also hated *japneun geol sareumeul jwi-japdeushi* [잡는 걸 사람을 쥐잡듯이] (to catch someone like catching a rat).

Because sometimes the wounds on the heart are deeper and last longer than the wounds on the body.

But this kind of discipline was unavoidable.

In particular, it was necessary to scold those who were mentally lazy, like the 3rd platoon leader.

Anyone who has experienced social life will know.

If you speak nicely, they will *gieooreugo* [기어오르고] (try to climb on top of you, take advantage).

In other words, you have to *hwak jjigeo nulleojwooya* [확 찍어 눌러줘야] (firmly press down on them) from then on.

“Company Commander, something terrible has happened!”

Just as he was about to end the conversation, a medic rushed out of the aid station.

Under the moonlight, the medic’s face was pale.

“The hypothermia patient had a heart attack!”

The medic’s urgent voice echoed in his ears.

The 3rd platoon leader’s eyes widened in shock.

Joon-hoo frowned.

Why?

The hypothermia patient’s temperature had clearly returned to normal.

The treatment was perfect.

If he was going to have a cardiac arrest, shouldn’t it have happened earlier?

Only for a moment was he flustered.

Joon-hoo regained his composure with his unique coolness.

And he ran into the aid station, even stepping on *bobeop* [보법] (a martial arts footwork technique).