A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 52

The Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts-52

Chapter 9: Next Destination (2)

“…….”

The tension of the calm before the storm swirled around the emergency room.

Anxiety was evident on the faces of the staff.

Someone wiped the cold sweat from their palms with their doctor’s gown.

Someone else anxiously watched the emergency room entrance, even while working.

Thus, worry and anxiety were spreading rapidly.

“The atmosphere is intense, isn’t it?”

So-jin, standing next to Jun-hoo, asked him.

“Yes. This is my first time experiencing this kind of atmosphere in the emergency room.”

Jun-hoo replied, feeling the nervous energy flowing through the emergency room.

Just 10 minutes ago.

The emergency medicine professor gathered the residents and specialists and briefly explained the situation.

A drunk driver had caused a chain-reaction collision.

There were a total of four vehicles involved and 10 patients.

An innocent pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk was also caught in the accident.

119 paramedics [Korean emergency services, similar to 911] who were dispatched urgently were performing CPR and other treatments while transporting the patients to the hospital.

Most of the patients were in critical condition.

The professor told the emergency medicine staff to brace themselves.

He also organized emergency resuscitation teams of three people.

Jun-hoo was assigned to Team 3 with So-jin and Sung-min.

“That’s a bit of an odd thing to say? ‘In the emergency room’?”

“I’ve experienced situations where people were in critical condition before.”

Even as he answered, Jun-hoo felt a pang in his heart.

In the Murim world [a world of martial arts and cultivation], Jun-hoo had witnessed countless people being injured and dying.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything for those who were suffering.

He didn’t have the skill to save people.

He could cut down 100 villains.

But he had to writhe in helplessness because he couldn’t save even one precious person.

That feeling remained as a knot [a metaphor for unresolved trauma or regret].

In modern times, Jun-hoo had decided to become a surgeon.

“Don’t panic and stay calm. That’s the most important thing when dealing with emergency patients.”

“Yes, senior.”

“Yoon Sung-min, don’t act clueless and play the senior role properly in front of Jun-hoo.”

“Understood.”

Sung-min nodded casually after hearing So-jin’s words.

Wiiiing.

Soon, a series of siren sounds were heard.

The moment of the decisive battle had finally arrived.

The staff’s eyes became serious all at once.

“Those who are treating patients should continue to do so and only come to support when called. Resuscitation teams, head to the triage room.”

The emergency medicine professor took the lead and headed to the triage room, followed by the resuscitation team members.

Jun-hoo lightly tapped his cheeks and joined the line.

I won’t stand by and watch anyone die helplessly anymore.

No, I won’t let anyone die.

Jun-hoo quickened his pace and joined the line.

* * *

Wiiiing.

The loud siren sounds didn’t stop. It was as if the ambulances were screaming to save the patients.

Drrrrk.

The ambulance trunks opened and the stretchers with patients lying on them landed on the ground all at once.

Although it was from a distance, Jun-hoo felt that the patients’ conditions were serious.

Most of them were unconscious.

They were bleeding from their heads or limbs.

There were also patients whose joints were twisted to a bizarre degree.

There were as many as three patients who were still undergoing CPR.

Myeong-hoon, who was a little further away from Jun-hoo, shook his head as if he was disgusted by the sight, but Jun-hoo was not.

Rather, he focused on examining the patients.

He knew that he couldn’t properly treat the patients if he turned a blind eye to their pain, suffering, and injuries.

“First and second-year residents and interns, help the paramedics send the patients to the emergency room.”

“Yes.”

At the professor’s instruction, Jun-hoo ran towards the ambulances with the other staff.

Showcasing his extraordinary physique.

He transported the stretchers to the emergency room and laid the patients on the emergency room beds.

Moving patients from the stretcher to the bed was not easy.

It literally required strength.

And care had to be taken to ensure that the patient was not injured during the transfer.

But Jun-hoo, who had mastered martial arts, lifted each patient onto the bed in a flash.

By himself.

Some of the paramedics were dumbfounded to see Jun-hoo like that.

“Listen carefully and move. Team 1, patient Lee Tae-won in Zone 1, Team 2, patient Kim Sung-hwan in Zone 1, Team 3, patient Go Jung-hwan in Zone 1. Team 4…….”

The moment Team 3 was assigned to Zone 1, Sung-min frowned.

He muttered to himself, ‘Damn it. I have no luck.’

This was because Emergency Room Zone 1 was the area that dealt with ultra-emergency patients whose lives were on the line.

“Stop grumbling and just follow me.”

So-jin powerfully pulled Sung-min’s gown and moved to the bedside.

Jun-hoo arrived at the bedside one step ahead of them.

The male patient that Team 3 was in charge of appeared to be in his mid-30s.

There were no obvious signs of external injury, but his face was pale with no blood.

The paramedics were still performing CPR on the patient.

It was literally a life-or-death situation.

“Thank you for your hard work, paramedics. Let’s switch now. Senior Sung-min, please perform intubation and connect the ventilator. I’ll do chest compressions.”

“I’m already preparing, you know?”

“I’ll connect the patient monitoring device first.”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Jun-hoo placed his clasped hands on the patient’s chest and began chest compressions.

Each time Jun-hoo applied pressure.

The patient’s body thrashed like a fish out of water.

You can’t die like this.

Cheer up.

For your sake, for your family’s sake.

Jun-hoo’s chest compressions, filled with earnestness, continued steadily for a full 4 minutes.

Normally, it would be necessary to switch every minute due to physical exhaustion, but Jun-hoo insisted that he could do it alone.

In fact, Jun-hoo’s chest compressions were no different from when he first started.

His arms were extended at right angles.

The rhythm and pressure were also the same.

Jun-hoo’s body had already entered the superhuman stage.

He couldn’t get tired even if he wanted to from just chest compressions.

Because he didn’t have the burden of physical strength.

Jun-hoo calmly observed the treatment situation even while performing chest compressions.

Sung-min was finishing the intubation and connecting the oxygen respirator to the tube.

He was also securing an IV line in the arterial blood.

So-jin was attaching the patient monitoring device to the patient and checking vital signs and electrocardiogram.

The teamwork of the three was quite good.

If we keep going like this, it’ll be okay.

Jun-hoo was relieved inside.

“Jun-hoo, are you okay? Don’t you need to switch? You’ve been compressing for over 5 minutes already?”

So-jin asked Jun-hoo with a worried expression.

“I’m fine. Focus on the other treatments instead.”

Jun-hoo deliberately insisted on chest compressions.

He thought it was right to leave the treatments other than chest compressions entirely to So-jin and Sung-min.

Because the two were emergency medicine residents and would have expertise in other resuscitation techniques.

“It’s reassuring to have you holding on. But tell me anytime if it’s too hard.”

“Yes, senior.”

“Sung-min, prepare the defibrillator. Nurse Lee, please get me 3 ampules of epinephrine.”

So-jin firmly controlled the team members and gave orders.

She looked reliable.

“Team 3! If you’re done with the treatment, please send one person over here!”

A desperate request for help came from another bedside.

So-jin said she would go.

She told Jun-hoo and Sung-min to keep an eye on the patient and give orders for tests or other things, and then left.

“It’s been a while since my heart was pounding like this. At least it’s a relief that the patient we treated is stable.”

“…….”

“If a patient you directly treated dies, you’ll be depressed all day that day.”

Sung-min said in a relieved voice and stared at Jun-hoo.

Even though the patient’s heart rhythm was recovering, Jun-hoo had been expressionless since earlier.

He didn’t show any signs of joy at all.

It was his first time saving someone in the emergency room, so he should be proud, but.

“Hey!”

“…….”

“Hey! Are you ignoring me?”

It was when Sung-min nudged Jun-hoo’s shoulder that Jun-hoo seemed to wake up from his dream and suddenly came to his senses.

“You saved the patient, so why are you spacing out?”

“I had something to think about.”

“What are you thinking about at a time like this?”

“The patient’s blood pressure and pulse are dropping little by little. The electrocardiogram is also suddenly changing.”

“…….”

“I’ve been wondering since earlier. Why did the patient lose consciousness and have to receive CPR when there were no signs of external injury at all?”

Only after hearing Jun-hoo’s point did Sung-min feel a sense of unease.

Until just now, the patient was in critical condition, so he didn’t have any thoughts, but it was different now.

It was definitely strange, wasn’t it?

Why was a patient who looked fine on the outside so critical?

As he regained his composure, Jun-hoo’s question began to stab at Sung-min’s core.

“That’s… something we can find out from now on. I was planning on ordering tests anyway.”

“Treatment seems to be a priority over testing.”

“Why?”

“Look at the electrocardiogram again.”

Sung-min carefully examined the electrocardiogram and was shocked.

His hair stood on end and goosebumps appeared on his arms.

The electrocardiogram, which had barely started moving, was taking on an abnormal shape.