A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 67

Martial Surgeon – Chapter 67

Chapter 11: Training (5)

Why did I overlook this suspicious detail before?

I should have focused more.

I should have been more suspicious.

Jun-hoo’s brow furrowed like crumpled paper.

Pediatric ward station.

Jun-hoo was reviewing Geon-woo’s emergency room records, and upon closer inspection, the details were quite remarkable.

[Arrived via the emergency room at 9 PM.

The patient was playing with toys alone and tripped.

He fell and collided with the corner of the desk. A CT scan revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament [ACL, a major knee ligament].]

At first glance, it might seem like something easily overlooked, but a closer examination revealed otherwise.

It would be understandable if he got hurt while playing with friends outside.

But to injure his knee, to the point of tearing the anterior cruciate ligament, while playing alone at home during bedtime?

It was not a logical situation at all.

Geon-woo was definitely not injured while playing.

He must have fallen and got hurt during abuse by his guardian.

-The child got hurt while playing alone.

It was a phrase that parents who commit child abuse often repeat like a mantra.

I should have noticed and suspected this earlier…….

Jun-hoo felt the sting of his mistake but was relieved that he realized it wasn’t too late.

The other staff members were completely unaware of the child abuse.

If Jun-hoo could step in and soothe Geon-woo’s pain, it would be meaningful enough.

Not yet, right?

Jun-hoo’s gaze lingered on the ward where Geon-woo was staying.

He wanted to examine Geon-woo’s body immediately and find evidence of abuse.

He was burning with impatience.

But he couldn’t be hasty.

He had to wait for the guardian to leave Geon-woo’s side.

That was the time to strike.

Only then could he prevent the guardian’s resistance and allow Geon-woo to open up more comfortably.

“Excuse me, Doctor. I have a question.”

Jun-hoo asked Sora, the nurse who was working nearby.

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“About Geon-woo, does his father come to the ward too?”

“Of course, he does. But he comes around 9 PM at the earliest, or 11 PM at the latest.”

“Do you know what he does for a living?”

“I haven’t heard anything about that…….”

Sora continued,

“Geon-woo’s father seems to care a lot about him too. He comes to the ward without fail after work.”

“I see.”

Jun-hoo nodded.

He needed to hear the details directly from Geon-woo or his father, but it seemed like the father was not involved in the abuse.

It was a stroke of luck.

That Geon-woo had someone to rely on.

“But Doctor, you’ve been showing a lot of interest in Geon-woo since yesterday, haven’t you?”

Sora tilted her head and asked, and Jun-hoo scanned his surroundings before speaking cautiously.

“I think Geon-woo is being abused.”

“Oh, come on. No way. His mother has such a nice personality. She smiles a lot and greets the staff well.”

“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

“Still, I think you’re being too suspicious…….”

“Of course, I hope I’m wrong. Anyway, let’s keep this a secret between you and me, Sora.”

Jun-hoo asked Sora for a few favors along with the confidentiality.

If she had time, she should visit Geon-woo and his mother’s ward and observe their behavior.

She should let him know Geon-woo’s father’s contact information.

And she should contact him immediately if the guardian left their side.

Jun-hoo blocked all the escape routes for Geon-woo’s mother.

With this, I can go hunting as soon as the roundup is over.

The meticulousness honed in the martial world was shining even in modern times.

Step. Step.

Leaving the pediatric ward station and arriving at the orthopedic ward.

Jun-hoo ran into Woo-hyun in the hallway.

“Seo Jun-hoo. Let’s talk for a moment.”

“Why? I have nothing to say to you. I’m busy with ward duties.”

Jun-hoo’s reply was curt.

Wasn’t Woo-hyun one of Seung-beom’s vicious gang members? Jun-hoo couldn’t bring himself to see Woo-hyun in a good light.

“You’re so prickly. Actually, it’s nothing much…….”

Woo-hyun scratched the back of his head and continued,

“There’s a surgery this morning, and I was wondering if you could scrub in [assist in the surgery]?”

“…….”

“It’s a disc surgery, and it doesn’t take that long…….”

Woo-hyun, who had been acting like orthopedic surgery was nothing, had been showing signs of weakness since yesterday afternoon.

He was desperately trying to avoid scrubbing in for surgery.

“Oh my. Why is the great Woo-hyun so weak? You used to make light of orthopedic surgery.”

“I don’t know. It just doesn’t suit me.”

“Not that it doesn’t suit you, but isn’t it just hard?”

Woo-hyun frowned at Jun-hoo’s provocation but didn’t get angry.

Woo-hyun was the one asking for a favor.

Woo-hyun was the one in need.

So, he had no choice but to accept whatever Jun-hoo said.

“You’re aiming to be a surgeon, right? Isn’t it good to get into a lot of surgeries? Just do it for me.”

If Jun-hoo didn’t change his surgery schedule, the annoying Woo-hyun would suffer.

And Woo-hyun’s suffering could be Jun-hoo’s joy.

But if he changed the surgery schedule, Jun-hoo would gain more surgical experience through scrubbing in.

Which joy would be greater?

It was a problem that didn’t even need to be considered.

“Then, hyungnim [older brother/term of respect], say, ‘Please help me just once.'”

“Hey, why are you calling me hyungnim between friends? It’s so cheesy.”

Woo-hyun was disgusted.

“Since when were you and I close enough to ask for favors? And telling me to go into the operating room means you want me to suffer instead.”

“…….”

“I think I should get at least this much in return? Or forget it.”

“Ugh…….”

“If you’ve said everything you need to say, I’m leaving.”

Jun-hoo was about to pass by Woo-hyun when Woo-hyun’s voice caught him from behind.

“H-Hyungnim. Please help me just once.”

Turning around, Jun-hoo saw Woo-hyun’s face flushed red as he finished speaking.

He had chosen practicality over pride.

Seeing Woo-hyun, who had been arrogant throughout medical school, relying on Seung-beom, lower himself was like a taste of sesame salt [a small but satisfying victory].

Step. Step.

Jun-hoo turned around and approached Woo-hyun. He put his hand on Woo-hyun’s shoulder and began.

“Alright, my little brother. This hyungnim will suffer a little instead.”

Jun-hoo immediately turned his steps toward the operating room.

He was punishing Woo-hyun, who had only picked fights with him even though they were supposed to be partners who trusted and relied on each other.

And he was gaining surgical experience.

This was killing two birds with one stone.

* * *

That morning, in the operating room.

Jun-hoo was scrubbing in for surgery.

The surgical staff was as follows.

Fellow 1st year, Byung-gu.

Resident 3rd year, Won-seok.

And the scrub nurse and Jun-hoo.

The surgery was a lumbar discectomy, commonly known as disc surgery.

Considering the patient’s condition and symptoms, the surgery was performed using a general resection method rather than laser or endoscopy.

The process was as follows.

1) Incision of the skin in the area with the lesion.

2) Resection [removal] of the arch-shaped bone located on the back of the spine, called the lamina.

3) Removal and decompression of the protruding disc.

During the surgery.

Jun-hoo diligently assisted.

He retracted the incision site without any movement.

He wiped away blood with gauze at the appropriate timing.

He performed irrigation (saline wash) to secure the field of vision, and so on.

Compared to Jun-hoo’s abilities, the difficulty of the actual procedures he was performing was low and easy.

So, he had plenty of time to think.

-At this level, I could handle it alone without surgery?

That was the thought that Jun-hoo had the most while watching the surgery.

The disc that had come out of the spine and was putting pressure on the vertebrae.

Jun-hoo thought he could treat this disc with internal energy.

Wouldn’t it work if he emitted materialized internal energy and pushed the protruding disc back into place?

Then, it seemed like there would be no need for the cumbersome procedure of surgery…….

The potential and possibilities were sufficient, but.

This was a treatment method that was difficult to use in the hospital.

Jun-hoo’s treatment method was highly likely to be seen as quackery by others.

There was another problem as well.

Even if the treatment method was recognized, people would likely treat Jun-hoo as a strange person.

In the worst case, they might even consider him as a research subject.

Jun-hoo thought that he could use the internal energy disc treatment when he went abroad for medical 봉사 [volunteer work] or became a military doctor.

“You’re doing well. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“…….”

“But let’s remove a little more of the ligamentum flavum [a spinal ligament]. We need more decompression.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Following the teachings of Fellow Byung-gu, 3rd year Won-seok was performing the surgery.

The surgery was currently heading towards its climax.

The lamina had already been resected.

He was in the process of removing the ligamentum flavum, which was in contact with the disc.

While assisting, Jun-hoo once again imagined himself performing the surgery.

If I were the surgeon, how would I proceed with the surgery?

He was approaching it with an active attitude.

“Doctor. Here it is.”

The surgical tool that Jun-hoo handed to Won-seok, who was watching the surgery, was the punch.

It was a clamp mainly used in obstetrics and gynecology or dermatology, and it was often used when grasping biological tissue.

In orthopedics, it was also used to grab and tear off the ligamentum flavum.

“Oh, thank you. I needed a punch anyway.”

Won-seok looked at Jun-hoo and continued.

“By the way, you know how to hand over surgical tools without being told? Even though you haven’t assisted much before?”

“I’m a bit quick-witted.”

“You’re not just quick-witted? You could even get salted shrimp in a temple [achieve the impossible].”

Won-seok didn’t hold back on his praise for Jun-hoo.

In fact, the surgical staff didn’t have much expectation for interns.

Because they don’t know anything.

So, they would praise them as A-turns even if they just did what they were told.

But Jun-hoo was different from ordinary interns.

Usually, interns who come into the operating room are clueless and often can’t hand over the surgical tools properly even when asked.

Because the number and purpose of surgical tools were so diverse.

But what do you know?

Jun-hoo demonstrated an amazing skill of handing over surgical tools even before they were requested.

As skillfully as a veteran who had assisted in many surgeries.

“I’m still far from my seniors. I’ll do suctioning.”

When Won-seok tore or fragmented the ligamentum flavum, Jun-hoo sucked it up with a suction device.

The two people’s teamwork was excellent.

Surgical tools did not get tangled or collide, interfering with each other.

Of course, Jun-hoo’s meticulous suction control played a part in this.

Jun-hoo predicted the movement path of Won-seok’s punch and avoided it in advance.

“Okay. Now you see the ruptured disc, right? Won-seok, remove the disc and decompress it.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Following Byung-gu’s instructions, Won-seok began to remove the protruding disc.

Won-seok’s hand movements were firm.

There was no hand tremor, and the treatment was also bold.

Of course, it wasn’t as good as Dong-hoon, whom he saw yesterday, but there was enough to learn.

Today’s surgery is also going to be a success, learning a lot and ending smoothly.

Then, is the only remaining task to find evidence that Geon-woo was abused?

While Jun-hoo was thinking about his next schedule.

The finale of the surgery arrived.

Won-seok cleanly removed the protruding disc and sprayed a hemostatic agent [stops bleeding] on the surgical site.

Together with Fellow Byung-gu, he carefully evaluated whether there were any nerves or blood vessels that had been touched.

It seemed like the surgery was going to end successfully, but unexpected bad news came.

“Doctor. The patient’s vitals are fluctuating? Please check.”

The anesthesiologist’s notification was ominous.

The patient’s body temperature and respiratory rate were within the normal range, but.

Blood pressure was 90/60mmHg.

The pulse was 130.

Oxygen saturation, which was 98 percent, had dropped to 93 percent in an instant.

The operating room turned cold as if it had been hit with cold water in an instant.

The staff was in a state of chaos.

Jun-hoo was the first to come to his senses in the face of the unexpected adversity.

Jun-hoo pointed to the electrocardiogram, which had changed to an abnormal rhythm, and said.

“Doctor. Immediate treatment is needed. If we continue like this…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Despite Jun-hoo’s warning, the staff was collectively in a daze. Their thoughts were momentarily paralyzed as such an unexpected situation unfolded.

Panic in a situation where every minute counts…….

Then, there’s no choice but to use special measures…….

I’ll make them snap out of it.

Jun-hoo put internal energy into his voice and used the technique of Lion’s Roar [a powerful shout using internal energy].

“Everyone, come to your senses! The patient needs treatment!”