Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 216

#216 Hawk Eyes, Woman’s Hands, Lion’s Heart (19)

Baek Yi-shin’s judgment was swift.

The problem was the lung.

The lung hadn’t fully expanded due to air in the thoracic cavity [the space around the lungs].

Without hesitation, he used scissors to widely open the pleura [the membrane surrounding the lung] and release the air.

Shh, shh-

The anesthesia team squeezed the ambu bag [a manual resuscitator].

In time with the rhythm, the pink lung inflated.

Once the surface of the lung was smooth and fully inflated, Baek Yi-shin shouted again.

Inotropics [medications that increase the force of heart contractions].

He was suggesting using medication to temporarily boost the heart’s strength.

The operating room, which had been paused for a moment, began to bustle again under his direction.

Thump, thump-

Seul-gi’s small heart, which had been in hibernation, beat powerfully as if it had met spring.

‘I want to run too now.’

As if shouting loudly to the world.

Shlurrrp-

The blood clots around the heart quickly disappeared.

It was like creating a playground for Seul-gi to run around in, making space for Seul-gi’s heart to beat.

The leader of the surgical field changed the situation like that, then spoke to the perfusionist again.

Second attempt.

What would happen this time?

Would Seul-gi’s heart and lungs become normal?

Everyone’s anxious gaze turned to Seul-gi’s monitoring equipment.

“…….”

70%.

50%.

30%.

Gradually reducing the reliance on the heart-lung machine.

Everyone held their breath and watched, even the ticking of the clock seemed loud.

The patient’s blood pressure and oxygen saturation fluctuated for a moment…….

“……It seems okay?”

Someone in the auditorium muttered cautiously.

Oxygen saturation was 99, 100.

It was a number of hope.

Seul-gi, who had lived with an oxygen saturation below 90 since birth.

It was the first time this little child had the number 100 without the help of a heart-lung machine.

“Wow!”

“It’s working, it’s working!”

“As expected…… it’s Professor Baek Yi-shin.”

Ma Dong-seop smiled.

The audience in the auditorium also sighed in relief.

The people in the operating room were the same.

Although their expressions were hidden by masks, you could feel the emotions of relief in their eyes.

Professor Baek Yi-shin was the only one who maintained the same composure from the beginning.

“Seon-han hyung, how did you know? That the problem wasn’t the heart, but the lungs.”

Ryu Myeong-in asked me as if his pride was hurt.

How did I know?

It wasn’t a difficult judgment.

After seeing Seul-gi’s future, I had studied heart surgery a lot.

Perhaps any cardiothoracic surgeon would have been able to predict it, not just me.

It was just that everyone’s eyes were temporarily blinded by panic.

“I just hoped it would be the simplest problem.”

I said without taking my eyes off the screen.

The surgery isn’t completely over yet.

A marathon runner who has run 42km only becomes a finisher when they cross the finish line.

So, we can’t let our guard down until then.

The runner named Baek Yi-shin was holding Seul-gi’s hand and approaching the final finish line.

Baek Yi-shin says.

TEE (Trans-esophageal Echocardiogram) [an ultrasound of the heart performed by inserting a probe into the esophagus].

A cardiac ultrasound performed by inserting a probe into the patient’s esophagus.

It is a test to check whether the surgery was successful.

All heart surgeries go through this final check.

The anesthesiologist says while looking at the echocardiogram screen.

The holes in the heart are well closed.

Of course, it’s not over yet.

The next part is important.

The path to the aorta (LVOT) [left ventricular outflow tract] and the path to the pulmonary artery (RVOT) [right ventricular outflow tract] are the key to the surgery.

Baek Yi-shin asks.

At those words, everyone stares at the echocardiogram screen.

What will be the result of the first surgery performed in Korea?

It was finally time for the answer to everyone’s questions to come out.

<……It's good without any narrowed parts?>

People with knowledge of heart surgery know.

That Professor Yang Jin-woo’s words just now mean the success of this PRT surgery [presumably, a specific surgical procedure].

Baek Yi-shin also nodded while looking at the echocardiogram screen and said.

Clap clap-

Someone suddenly clapped.

It was Professor Wang Seong-han.

True to his energetic impression, it was a cool and enthusiastic applause.

And the applause gradually began to spread throughout the auditorium.

Of course, Baek Yi-shin in the screen cannot hear the applause.

He is just heading straight for the final stages of the surgery.

“As expected, it’s Baek Yi-shin, there’s no gap until the end.”

Professor Wang Seong-han muttered as if impressed.

Thorough to the end.

To ensure perfection in the surgery, the patient’s body moisture is controlled through ultrafiltration via the heart-lung machine.

Cannula removal.

Washing.

Bleeding control.

Chest tube insertion.

Pacing wire.

All these processes proceed quickly.

Finally, after closing the sternum, Professor Baek Yi-shin said.

Surgery complete!

The time it took from the incision to the completion of the surgery was less than 3 hours.

Heo Jun-im and Song Yu-ju bowed their heads.

You can feel the overwhelming emotions in their eyes.

Since they participated in a significant surgery, their feelings will be special.

Professor Baek Yi-shin answers briefly.

After ensuring that the patient can be transferred to the intensive care unit, Professor Baek Yi-shin leaves the operating room.

Watching that figure, my heart was also full.

‘How great would it be if I were in that position too?’

On the one hand, I also felt such complex emotions.

* * *

A little later.

“Professor Baek Yi-shin is entering.”

Clap, clap, clap-

Applause echoed in the auditorium.

The applause grew even louder as Professor Baek Yi-shin, dressed in surgical scrubs, went up onto the platform.

It was like welcoming a triumphant general returning from a difficult battle.

“It was a little later than I thought.”

Professor Baek Yi-shin said briefly, then opened the water bottle on the platform and gulped down the water.

“Cool…….”

“Keu…….”

Shin Sang-mi and Ryu Myeong-in exclaimed in admiration.

I agree.

Was Guan Yu like that after defeating Hwa Woong in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [a famous Chinese historical novel] and returning before the wine cooled?

The surgery was successfully completed, so he could have smiled with satisfaction, but his expression is still dry.

“I’ll take the questions I didn’t take earlier now.”

The Q&A session continued.

Since it was an unprecedented surgery, there were many questions.

Professor Baek Yi-shin answered clearly without showing any signs of fatigue.

Then, someone jokingly asked a question.

“Professor Baek said it ended later than expected, so could it have been faster?”

“Of course.”

“I can’t believe it?”

Professor Baek Yi-shin answered with a calm expression without any hint of a smile.

“It took more time to explain because it was a live surgery. And if I had worked with the assistants and nurses a little more efficiently, I could have finished it faster.”

Faster than this?

People had expressions as if they couldn’t imagine it.

In fact, Heo Jun-im and Song Yu-ju’s assistance in the operating room was impeccable.

But it could be even better than that?

“Ah, that’s right, since we’re on the topic.”

Professor Baek Yi-shin paused for a moment.

What is he trying to say?

As everyone listened intently, his mouth opened.

“I’m going to create the Baek Yi-shin Team.”

Baek Yi-shin Team?

My eyes widened.

The reporters got busy at the sudden declaration.

“Is it the same form as the Baek Yi-shin Team that existed before?”

“It’s similar, but a little different.”

“Are you creating a separate organization within Yonsei University Hospital?”

“Well, not like that.”

Baek Yi-shin swept back his graying hair and said.

“It could be said to be a kind of TF (Task Force) team that repeats ‘gather and disperse’ whenever there is surgery like today. It includes not only cardiothoracic surgeons, but also experts from related departments such as anesthesiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, and nurses.”

A sudden announcement.

Everyone was confused.

One of the reporters quickly raised his hand.

“Does that mean it’s a team that only does important surgeries?”

“All surgeries are important.”

Baek Yi-shin dismissed the reporter’s words and added.

“But among them, there are difficult surgeries.”

The most difficult and challenging surgery in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.

A surgery that no one in Korea has ever tried.

He is going to create a team dedicated to those things.

“I’m sorry to the professors from other universities gathered here, but I already think that the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Yonsei University Hospital is the best in Korea.”

Professor Baek Yi-shin spread his palms horizontally.

As if measuring the height of something invisible.

And, raising that hand even higher, he said.

“I’m going to raise this to the world’s best level.”

Click, click-

The sound of camera shutters echoed.

The audience’s reactions were mixed.

Some were uncomfortable, some cheered.

Ma Dong-seop has his mouth wide open.

Shin Sang-mi and Ryu Myeong-in have sparkling eyes.

I couldn’t react because my heart was beating too hard.

“The reason I’m saying this in this place is, first, because I’m an attention seeker.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

‘Gwanjong’ [관종] is an abbreviation for ‘attention seeker’.

It is a slang word that means a person who likes people’s attention.

It was also a word used to criticize Baek Yi-shin among doctors, but he said it himself.

“The second reason is…….”

I took root in my chair.

It wasn’t a delusion.

Professor Baek Yi-shin was definitely looking straight at me among the many audience members.

“There may be sprouts in this place who are qualified to join the Baek Yi-shin Team.”

The reporters raised their hands all at once.

The auditorium became noisy.

After throwing a bomb at everyone, Professor Baek Yi-shin disappeared leisurely.

Today, Professor Baek Yi-shin made two hearts beat.

* * *

“Do you feel refreshed?”

“Yeah.”

Hospital Director Professor Lee Yun-jung sighed deeply.

He felt resentful.

That human being who sits calmly in the hospital director’s office and sips coffee.

It was a moment to confirm once again that he is a figure who does not know where he will bounce.

“What’s wrong, it’s not the first time you’ve heard it?”

“I didn’t know you would suddenly announce the formation of a team in that place. It wasn’t even confirmed yet.”

“You said you’d let me create a team if I promoted the hospital while doing external activities, right?”

Kkeueueung…….

The hospital director had a headache.

It was a great relief that today’s public surgery was successful.

I can only pray that the post-operative progress will be good in the future.

“But Professor Baek, your surgical skills are still the same?”

“Of course.”

“Weren’t you feeling unwell? You even dropped your drink at a drinking party a while ago…….”

“Ah, that?”

Baek Yi-shin shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“I’m weak at drinking.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you know?”

I’m an idiot for worrying even for a moment.

The hospital director drooped his shoulders, and Baek Yi-shin yawned and leaned back on the sofa.

“Well, it’s true that my eyesight isn’t what it used to be.”

Baek Yi-shin closed his eyes as if fatigue was finally coming over him.

I used to be able to operate all day long.

Now, I have to take breaks sometimes during surgery.

“I also felt my eyes getting blurry for a moment when I was cutting the pulmonary artery root earlier. I pretended to be okay, but it was still dizzying.”

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m just getting old, what else.”

The body is aging.

That expression is accurate in some ways.

I’ve worked my whole life in an operating room where the sun doesn’t shine all day.

“But I’ll still be usable for a few more years, so don’t worry.”

“Are you planning to train a successor in the team for a few years before retiring?”

“Well, something like that.”

“……Are you talking about Song Yu-ju?”

The hospital director asked cautiously, as if guessing.

If it’s Song Yu-ju, the expression ‘Baek Yi-shin’s successor’ would be fitting.

She was already rumored to be a genius in the hospital.

However, Baek Yi-shin’s answer was somewhat unexpected.

“There’s one more besides her.”

“Who?”

Baek Yi-shin did not answer.

He just looked somewhere far out the window with a languid smile.