Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 7

#7 Fresh Intern Shin (6)

“Move!”

Clatter, clatter!

Thoracic surgeons burst through the door and rushed in.

The large machine beside them was clearly an ECMO [Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, a life support system that oxygenates blood outside the body] at a glance.

ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation).

It’s called the ‘last lifeline’ for patients whose hearts are in critical condition.

This is because it is considered the last resort when resuscitation is unlikely with artificial respiration, CPR, or cardiac massage.

In other words, it is currently the last resort to buy time.

One of the thoracic surgeons rushed over and asked me,

“How long has it been?”

“It’s the 6th cycle… so, 12 minutes!”

“Good thing we got a call in advance.”

They quickly moved the machine next to the patient.

.

The pride of the university hospital.

Among them, Yonkuk University’s Department of Thoracic Surgery is known as the top class in Korea.

The female doctor at the front said,

“I’ll use both femorals, so step back.”

Her tone was calm and composed, like still water.

The staff crowded around the patient flinched and stepped back.

That’s what her name tag said on her gown.

Flap!

Soon, two thoracic surgeons skillfully spread the drape. It was as if an operating room was being created on the spot.

Dr. Song Yoo-joo said, wearing a mask and cap,

“Starting ECMO insertion.”

“Senior, the patient is shaking a lot because of the compressions, is it okay?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Soon, Dr. Song Yoo-joo placed her hand on the shaking patient’s thigh.

Swoosh—

Her careful gaze scanned the patient’s body.

She didn’t seem fazed at all, even in this urgent situation.

“Starting with the medial side, V A N… Let’s get the vein first.”

Dr. Song Yoo-joo, muttering to herself, stuck a needle into the patient’s thigh.

Thwack—

Finding a blood vessel while shaking up and down would not be easy.

But Dr. Song Yoo-joo’s touch was unwavering.

Before long, dark red blood rose into the syringe.

Low exclamations echoed from around.

“Wow, as expected of Yoo-joo.”

“Senior, do you have an ultrasound on your fingers?”

People around clicked their tongues in amazement, but she remained calm.

“Stop the nonsense. Guidewire.”

“Yes!”

The doctor next to her prepared the wire.

The guidewire, coiled like a snake, was seen entering the patient’s body.

The doctor examining the heart with ultrasound said,

“I see the guidewire entering the IVC (inferior vena cava) [a large vein that carries blood from the lower body to the heart].”

“Next, artery.”

Following Dr. Song Yoo-joo’s calm voice, the thoracic surgeons on the other side prepared to insert the next needle.

‘Amazing.’

I swallowed hard.

The process proceeded as smoothly as flowing water.

Even to my intern eyes, it was clear that Dr. Song Yoo-joo’s skills and leadership were extraordinary.

On the other hand, the thoracic surgeon on the opposite side of the patient seemed relatively inexperienced.

Dr. Song Yoo-joo calmly instructed,

“Glasses, focus. Since oxygenation is in progress, the artery will be bright red.”

“Okay, Senior.”

The resident with thick glasses carefully inserted the needle, sweating profusely.

After fumbling a few times, bright red blood filled the syringe from his fingertips.

Then, the glasses-wearing resident’s eyes widened.

“Uh, Senior… suddenly, I can’t get any regurge [backflow of blood into the syringe]!”

“Hold still.”

Soon after, Dr. Song Yoo-joo sharply instructed,

“Interns, stop compressions!”

Suddenly!

At Dr. Song Yoo-joo’s word, the interns performing CPR stopped like ice.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the syringe on the other side.

“Now. Move it little by little again and pull the syringe.”

“Yes…”

The hand of the resident wearing glasses moved carefully, and soon bright red blood filled the syringe again.

“Is it done?”

“Yes.”

“Then slowly push the guidewire in.”

“Okay…”

“You have to stop immediately if you feel any resistance. If you force it in, the blood vessels will be damaged and the patient will die.”

“Ugh…”

The glasses-wearing resident carefully inserted the wire, sweating profusely.

Swoosh—

Fortunately, the guidewire went in without any problems, and the watching doctors breathed a sigh of relief.

The subsequent process went smoothly.

“ECMO ON.”

“Flow is good. There doesn’t seem to be any recirculation either. Good.”

“Good work.”

Everyone relaxed at Dr. Song Yoo-joo’s words.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

I was so focused that I couldn’t even breathe, and I felt completely drained.

‘…Did we save him?’

I looked at the clock on the wall.

3:22 AM—

It exactly matched the time of death I saw in my dream.

But patient Kim Jung-soo did not die. He was connected to the ECMO, the second heart, and his life was extended.

Now, all that’s left is to find the cause and correct the problem with surgery or a procedure.

Glancing to the side, Kim Snake looked like he had aged ten years.

When our eyes met, his pupils trembled.

At that moment, the internal medicine on-call professor hurriedly arrived.

“What’s going on?”

Kim Snake hesitated and answered.

“V.fib [Ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening heart rhythm] suddenly occurred early in the morning, so we repeated CPR… and since the rhythm didn’t return, TS (Thoracic Surgery) inserted ECMO.”

“ECMO?”

The professor looked at the thoracic surgeons with surprised eyes.

Then, Dr. Song Yoo-joo took off her mask and nodded.

“Yes. Internal medicine contacted us in advance, so we weren’t late.”

“Good job, good job.”

The professor sighed in relief.

Soon the situation was sorted out, and the doctors patted each other on the shoulder, saying they had worked hard.

It was clearly a different scene from the future I saw in my dream.

* * *

My throat is parched.

I’m not in my right mind.

I stood in front of the vending machine in the protector’s lounge and rummaged through my pockets. Damn it, I don’t have any coins at times like this.

“I’m going crazy.”

Thud—

I slammed my forehead against the cold vending machine to cool down.

I needed some time to clear my head.

So, what I saw was really something that would happen in the future?

“Are you okay?”

Then Yeon-seo approached and said.

“You don’t look good, did you do too much compression?”

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“I only did ambu-bagging [manually assisting breathing with a bag valve mask], what.”

Yeon-seo’s eyes looked somehow excited as she said that.

Why is she so excited again?

“The thoracic surgery seniors were really cool just now!”

“Ah, uh.”

“Especially Senior Song Yoo-joo! Her charisma was amazing! I want to be a cool doctor like her later!”

Her eyes were sparkling as if she had met an idol.

According to Yeon-seo, Dr. Song Yoo-joo is a third-year resident in thoracic surgery.

There are rumors that she is skilled and has leadership, so she is favored by professors.

Three years ago, she was also the person who received A+ grades in all departments and was named ‘Intern of the Year’.

‘Yeah, she looked amazing at first glance.’

I recalled the situation a moment ago.

The way she calmly and confidently controlled the scene.

If there is a model I should emulate as I live my intern life, it would be that.

“By the way, how did you know? That patient Kim Jung-soo would have recurrent V.fib.”

“That’s…”

Yeah, I’m curious too.

All the details matched up too closely to be simply dismissed as a coincidence.

I have no choice but to think that I really saw the future in my dream.

“It was just a hunch.”

“A hunch?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a fresh answer as fresh as your name, Oppa [Korean term for older brother or male friend], Shin Seon-han, are you hiding something from me?”

She said that and playfully looked into my eyes.

I don’t know what to say.

“Hey, interns.”

Then Kim Snake interrupted our conversation and entered the lounge.

“Dr. Kim Bum-soo.”

“Get out of the way if you’re not going to get a drink.”

His face was as pale as paper as he said that.

Could he be dehydrated from stress in such a short time?

It’s only natural since the patient he was in charge of almost died just now.

Kim Snake put coins into the vending machine with trembling hands, then spat out to me as if throwing it away.

“There’s a saying, beginner’s luck.”

“Yes?”

“You were lucky this time. It was a stroke of genius to send him to the ICU and contact the ECMO team.”

Kim Snake said weakly.

Then he glared at me fiercely.

“But don’t be arrogant just because you’re an intern! It’s like a cow stepping back and catching a rat [a lucky accident]. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes.”

I nodded obediently.

There’s no point in arguing, so it’s best to go into humble mode at times like this.

Kim Snake took out an ion drink and turned around, then hesitated for a moment and handed it to me.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Drink this.”

“…?”

“You worked hard.”

Staggering.

Kim Snake disappeared from the lounge with awkward steps, and Yeon-seo and I stared blankly at his back.

What is this awkward situation?

Yeon-seo said.

“Oppa, I think you got points.”

“Really?”

“I’ve never seen that senior give anything to anyone… Kim Snake giving you a drink is almost a love confession.”

I don’t know. What is that.

I don’t want to receive that kind of thing.

When I made a sullen expression, Yeon-seo burst into laughter.

“Why, isn’t it good! You’ll get a good evaluation from internal medicine at the end of the month!”

Yeon-seo patted my back as if congratulating me.

Is that so?

…Well, everything is good if the end is good.

Let’s not think too deeply today. Otherwise, my head might explode from overload.

* * *

At the same time, the thoracic surgery office.

Song Yoo-joo turned on patient Kim Jung-soo’s EMR (electronic medical record) and was recording the procedure.

Inserting ECMO does not mean the treatment is over. From now on is the beginning of treatment, and careful management is required until the process of finding and correcting the heart problem.

Typing.

Her hands moved busily over the keyboard.

Without her hat and mask, she had a sharp and determined cat-like impression.

“Did you finish well?”

Then a doctor as big as a bear came in and said.

Ma Dong-seop.

He is a third-year resident like Song Yoo-joo.

The sight of the two sitting side by side looks like a meeting between a giant country and a dwarf country.

“Another lollipop? You’ll get cavities.”

“It’s better than rotting lungs.”

“Is it a substitute for cigarettes?”

“He’s been quitting smoking for two years.”

Song Yoo-joo bit the lollipop.

She was a heavy smoker during her intern days, but she quit smoking when she became a thoracic surgeon.

If you look at the lungs of lung cancer patients every day, the thought of smoking disappears.

But sometimes when she wants to put something in her mouth, she has to eat something like this to satisfy her desire.

Ma Dong-seop asked.

“Did Glasses do well? He was so excited to follow you to insert ECMO next to you.”

“He was trembling.”

“Look at him kindly. Who is good from the beginning? Everyone grows up learning like that.”

“I was good from the beginning?”

“You’re so great.”

Ma Dong-seop chuckled.

I had forgotten for a moment, but she is a talent known as S-class even within the medical office. Sometimes she seems like she lives in another world.

“Well, you’ve been good at everything since you were an intern.”

Ma Dong-seop’s eyes were filled with emotion.

During her intern days, I vividly remember all the departments competing to take Song Yoo-joo.

That she chose thoracic surgery, an unpopular major, was a mystery no matter how much I thought about it.

Of course, Song Yoo-joo is showing off her strong presence, but thoracic surgery is still suffering from a shortage of manpower.

Ma Dong-seop suddenly clapped his hands.

“Ah. By the way, there’s a strange intern in internal medicine.”

“Who?”

“He’s from Ilwoon University.”

“Ilwoon University? That failed university?”

Song Yoo-joo asked back.

No one in the medical community didn’t know about Ilwoon University. That’s because it’s very rare for a medical school to be closed.

“His name was Shin Seon-han? Maybe it’s because he has no school to return to, but he’s working really hard even in internal medicine.”

“I guess so.”

“But the funny thing is, the patient’s treatment just now was that intern’s opinion.”

“What?”

“The intern ran to Kim Snake and told him with his eyes wide open. He said that refractory V.fib is expected, so ECMO should be inserted.”

Pause.

Song Yoo-joo’s typing stopped.

…An intern in his first month is a chick. It’s a time when they’re busy digesting only the work thrown at them from above.

But what did he do?

Predicting ventricular fibrillation recurrence and thinking of ECMO in that situation is not a judgment that a novice intern can make.

“Isn’t it funny? For an intern.”

Ma Dong-seop’s lips were smiling with interest as he said that.

Even from Song Yoo-joo’s lips, who rarely pays attention to others, the end of the lollipop was subtly moving.

Song Yoo-joo tapped the end of the keyboard with her finger and said.

“I know, for an intern.”