A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 96

The Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts-Episode 96 (96/540)

The Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts Episode 96

Chapter 17: The Hunt (1)

Creak.

Jun-hoo was wheeling the patient’s bed to the operating room.

As the bed passed through the hallway, people coming from the opposite direction split to the sides.

In the hospital, witnessing the miracle of the Red Sea was a common sight [referring to the parting of the Red Sea in the Bible, here meaning people automatically making way].

“Which floor should I press for you?”

“4th floor. Thank you.”

He received courtesy from the hospital staff when boarding the elevator.

During the brief moment of free time, Jun-hoo looked down at the patient.

The patient’s name was Son Dae-cheol.

According to the TNM classification [a cancer staging system]:

(T: Tumor size, N: Lymph node metastasis, M: Metastasis to other organs)

The patient had stage 2A gastric cancer, T2N1M0.

If he underwent surgery and managed his health well, his survival rate was close to 70 percent.

However, Jun-hoo’s concern was the patient’s age.

The patient was an elderly man in his 70s.

His inelastic skin was wrinkled, and age spots were darkly cast.

There was concern about whether he could withstand the surgery with his elderly physical strength.

There was nothing he could do but hope the news article was accurate…

Before moving the patient.

Jun-hoo searched for articles about the chief.

According to the articles, the chief was a highly skilled gastrointestinal surgeon. The cumulative number of robotic surgeries had exceeded 500 cases.

“Doctor. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

After getting off the elevator.

It was when he was about to take the patient across the hallway and into the operating room.

The guardian suddenly requested a conversation.

Jun-hoo answered that he understood and sent only the patient to the operating room first.

Then he came back to the waiting room.

“You must be nervous since it’s time for your father to have surgery, right?”

“Yes. I’m nervous for no reason. But doctor…”

The guardian hesitated, looking at Jun-hoo.

“I might look too materialistic, but how much will the surgery cost?”

“The surgery cost… It’s hard to say exactly until we settle the accounts later, but it would be good to expect more than ten million won [approximately $7,500 USD].”

“T… Ten million won?”

The guardian’s eyes widened.

Jun-hoo was also surprised.

Hadn’t they received the surgery cost 안내 [guidance/information] yet?

“Robotic surgery is expensive because insurance doesn’t cover it. Didn’t you hear anything about it?”

“Ah… that’s… the professor said I needed the best surgery, so I only knew I was getting the best surgery.”

“…”

“I thought it wouldn’t exceed 5 million won [approximately $3,750 USD], no matter how expensive it was.”

A look of dismay flashed across the guardian’s face.

Regardless of how precious their parents’ lives were, surgery costs of more than ten million won were not something to be taken lightly.

What is this?

Could it be that the chief induced robotic surgery?

Jun-hoo’s brow furrowed at the ominous feeling.

Even though robotic surgery was recently in the spotlight, it was not a panacea [a solution for all difficulties].

Depending on the patient’s condition and financial situation, surgery could be performed sufficiently with a laparoscope [a minimally invasive surgical procedure].

However, under the guise of robotic surgery being the best, the chief seemed to have strongly recommended robotic surgery to patients and guardians who lacked medical knowledge.

Could that be why?

Jun-hoo already felt a sense of antipathy toward the chief.

If Jun-hoo was a visiting professor, he would have considered the patient’s and guardian’s financial situation when choosing a surgical method.

Were those who were driven to the edge, both physically and psychologically, not the patients and guardians?

To try to extract money from them…

That was not something a person should do.

“I guess we can’t change the surgery now?”

The guardian asked with a powerless expression.

“It’s probably impossible, but I’ll talk to the chief.”

“No. I don’t want to cause trouble for you for no reason.”

“That means…”

“It’s a surgery recommended by a skilled professor at a university hospital, so I have to trust it. As long as my father can get healthy, I don’t care if it costs a lot of money.”

“Still, I can say something, right? I’ll try to say it as carefully as possible.”

“Yes. Thank you. And please take good care of my father.”

The guardian bowed politely, and Jun-hoo also bowed.

Buzzing.

While returning to the operating room after parting with the guardian, Jun-hoo recalled the idiom “like father, like son.”

Yu Seung-yong and Yu Seung-beom.

Father and son connected by the same blood.

Since he didn’t have a good relationship with Seung-beom, it seemed unlikely that he would form a good relationship with Seung-yong.

* * *

Buzzing.

After putting on his surgical gown, Jun-hoo entered the operating room.

Under the brilliant shadowless lamp that cast no shadows, a cluster of sleek and sophisticated robotic arms hung.

It was the Da Vinci robot, which could be seen as the main character of this surgery.

The joints of the robotic arms were covered with vinyl to prevent contamination.

A short distance away was the console where the robot could be operated.

The console had a monitor, pedals, and handles that could be held and moved with both hands.

It looked like the cockpit of a robot from a cartoon movie.

Robotic surgery…

Jun-hoo stared at the console for a while.

Opinions were divided on whether robotic surgery was really more effective than other surgeries.

No hand tremors (because it’s a robotic arm).

Boasting a three-dimensional view compared to laparoscopy.

Fast recovery after surgery, etc.

While some people advocate for robotic surgery for various reasons.

There were also opinions that there was no significant difference when compared to laparoscopic or thoracoscopic surgery [surgery using a thoracoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a camera attached] by a skilled surgeon.

Jun-hoo’s opinion was… closer to the latter.

Is robotic surgery really worth spending more than 10 million won on?

Jun-hoo didn’t think so.

Also, Jun-hoo was confident that he would be able to perform surgery better than a robot in the distant future.

Hand tremors?

Ridiculous!

Jun-hoo, who had fought countless life-and-death battles in the Murim [martial arts world], did not know hand tremors.

Obstructed surgical view?

That could be overcome with the help of internal energy-enhanced vision and anatomical knowledge.

No matter how he looked at it, Jun-hoo thought he was no less capable than a robot.

In the future, if medical technology develops further and remote robotic surgery becomes possible.

If robotic surgery is proven to be far superior to open surgery or laparoscopic surgery in a perfect field.

Then he would have to learn robotic surgery properly.

Is that why?

Jun-hoo had no great attachment to robotic surgery right now.

Okay. Let’s take a look with my own eyes today. Whether you’re really that great or not.

After taking his eyes off the robot.

Jun-hoo moved to the treatment room to prepare for surgery.

* * *

Surgical preparation was completed in 10 minutes.

This was because the items related to robotic surgery were well organized separately.

“Doctor. Are there any precautions to take when Chief is scrubbing in for surgery?”

Jun-hoo asked the scrub nurse who had prepared for surgery with him.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you have nothing to fear in a hundred battles [a quote from Sun Tzu’s *The Art of War*].

Jun-hoo didn’t want to show even a fingernail’s worth of weakness to the chief.

“Precautions? Hmm… There’s not much for you to do since it’s robotic surgery. But if I had to pick one thing…”

“If you had to pick one thing?”

“Work ethic. Some of the intern doctors were caught dozing off by the chief and got severely scolded.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem for me.”

Jun-hoo nodded.

Jun-hoo’s goal was to analyze everything from A to Z of this robotic surgery.

That was the only way to develop a sense that surpassed robots.

“Doctor. Good luck.”

“You worked hard too, nurse.”

The scrub nurse left the operating room, and the patient took over the baton.

The waiting patient entered the operating room on the bed.

“What’s the patient’s name?”

“Son Dae-cheol.”

“You’re the patient who came to receive robotic gastric cancer surgery, right?”

“Yes.”

After completing the timeout to confirm the patient, Jun-hoo connected the patient monitoring device to the patient.

Beep beep beep.

The regularly heard mechanical sound.

The patient’s pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, oxygen saturation, etc. appeared on the monitor.

The electrocardiogram graph was busy moving up and down.

Shortly after, the 3rd-year resident in charge of the first assist and the anesthesiologist entered the operating room in turn.

“Is the surgery preparation all done?”

“Yes, senior.”

“Shall we see if you’re just good at talking or not?”

Sang-hyuk began to carefully check around the operating table and the dressing cart.

He was thinking of finding something to pick on if possible.

Didn’t Mi-ho tell him in the break room earlier?

Jun-hoo treats his seniors like dirt and his work is lukewarm.

But what?

Contrary to Mi-ho’s words, Jun-hoo’s work was neat.

Today was his first time scrubbing in for gastrointestinal surgery.

Today was also his first time scrubbing in for robotic surgery.

The necessary items were neatly prepared. Even the angles of the items were set like a private’s locker in the military.

So even if he wanted to say something harsh, he couldn’t.

“…”

Sang-hyuk stared silently at Jun-hoo for a while.

Jun-hoo, who didn’t know about the episode between Mi-ho and Sang-hyuk, was also staring at Sang-hyuk.

“Is there anything you want to say?”

“No, never mind.”

Sang-hyuk shook his head.

He decided to trust Mi-ho for now.

Mi-ho was the ace of the 1st-year residents, and it had been several months since Sang-hyuk had known her.

Inevitably, he felt more weight in Mi-ho’s words than Jun-hoo’s.

It’s no use pretending to be nice.

It’s no use pretending to be good at work.

If you live together, everything will be revealed someday.

Sang-hyuk muttered inwardly.

Shortly after, the chief surgeon Seung-yong arrived in the operating room.

“Have you arrived? Chief.”

Sang-hyuk and Jun-hoo greeted as if they had 맞춰서 [planned/coordinated]. Seung-yong nodded and accepted the greeting.

“It seems like the supplies are all prepared and the anesthesia is over. Let’s start the surgery right away. Because my schedule is busy.”

“Chief. I’m sorry, but I have something to say.”

Jun-hoo said boldly, looking at Seung-yong.

It was unusual for an intern to speak before the chief performed surgery, so everyone’s attention was focused.

“What is it?”

“I had a conversation with the guardian on the way here. But it seems that the guardian didn’t receive proper 안내 [guidance/information] about the robotic surgery costs.”

“…”

“It seems that the surgery costs are burdensome… So I’m asking if it’s possible to change to laparoscopic surgery.”

Sang-hyuk was taken aback by Jun-hoo’s words.

Robotic surgery is not covered by insurance, so the surgery costs are much higher than the patient or guardian expected.

So when receiving the surgical consent form.

This fact must be clearly mentioned.

It seemed that the person who received the consent form had glossed over that point.

Wasn’t Mi-ho the one who received this patient’s consent form?

To make such a basic mistake…

At the same time, Sang-hyuk appreciated Jun-hoo’s courage in keeping the patient’s surgery costs in mind and notifying the chief.

“Ah. I solved that well. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Seung-yong replied cheerfully.

“If you say solved…”

“It means the guardian agreed to robotic surgery. I persuaded them myself, so there won’t be any complaints.”

“…I understand.”

“Everyone stand in your positions and prepare for surgery. There’s no time.”

At Seung-yong’s urging, the curtain rose on the full-scale surgery.

“Number 10.”

Swoosh.

With the scalpel he received from the circulating nurse, Seung-yong made 1-centimeter incisions in 6 places on the patient’s abdomen.

Then he inserted ports into each incision.

A port is a kind of funnel.

It was a tool to help the treatment tools and cameras attached to the robotic arm enter the surgical site without contamination.

“CO2 (carbon dioxide) injection.”

“Yes, Chief.”

At Seung-yong’s instruction, Jun-hoo connected a gas tube to the port and injected carbon dioxide.

Robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery.

This is because the view is secured by injecting carbon dioxide into the patient’s abdomen to inflate the abdomen.

Click. Click.

While Jun-hoo was injecting gas.

Sang-hyuk performed the docking operation to connect the robotic arm and the treatment tool.

“The surgery process is smooth today. Everyone is doing well.”

With Seung-yong’s encouragement, the real surgery preparation was over.

Seung-yong moved to the console, and Jun-hoo and Sang-hyuk guarded the side of the operating table.

Wee-ing.

The mechanical sound echoed as the robotic arm was activated.

Jun-hoo kept his eyes on the mechanical arm as if he were 견식하듯 [observing/scrutinizing] the 초식 [martial arts moves] of the 무림인 [martial artist] in the Murim [martial arts world].

Now we’ll see.

How great robotic surgery is that it costs ten million won.

And whether he can surpass the robot or not.