Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 26

26. 4 Seconds? No, 3 Seconds

After the minor commotion among the staff subsided, Nurse Lim Jeong-suk headed to the guardian waiting room.

“Are you the guardian?”

The patient Jeon Geon-myeon’s supervisor, who had been anxiously fidgeting with his phone, jumped up.

“It must be hard waiting for so long.”

“No, not at all. Is the treatment finished?”

“The treatment is still ongoing, and I came to talk about the patient’s condition.”

“Is his life in danger or anything…?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. However, the blood vessels in the cut on his right arm were severed, so we are currently performing vascular anastomosis [surgically connecting blood vessels].”

“Blood vessels severed? Is he going to be okay?”

“Yes, but since it’s vascular anastomosis, it will take some time. The blood vessels are small, so it’s being done carefully.”

“Waiting is nothing compared to what the injured person is going through.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you. You are the doctors who are treating our employee. Thank you for taking care of him.”

Company representatives accompanying patients injured at factory sites sometimes prioritized something else.

That was their right to know. Most of their questions were about the patient’s condition, the extent of the injuries, and the expected medical expenses.

It’s frustrating to see people being rude to the medical staff, even though the patient’s treatment should be the priority.

But this guardian seemed genuinely concerned about the patient.

“Please take good care of our Deputy Jeon.”

“Of course. Our doctor is very skilled and cares a lot about the patients. Please don’t worry too much and wait a little longer.”

“Excuse me, doctor? Just a moment.”

The guardian called out to Nurse Lim Jeong-suk as she was about to leave the waiting room.

“Yes?”

“I wanted to ask something.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Is everything else okay?”

“Yes? Everything else?”

“I mean… besides Deputy Jeon’s arm, is there anything else wrong with him?”

It might have been her imagination, but it was a strangely subtle question.

“The patient is currently receiving treatment for his arm. Then…”

Strictly speaking, it would be correct to say that there is something else wrong. But she couldn’t say that HIV was suspected.

That’s something the patient has to say himself.

* * *

“Ah! This won’t work…”

Tae-kyung paused as he was about to do the fourth suture.

When he tried to suture, the edges didn’t line up as well as he thought. The edges were smooth because they were cut by the grinder, but it wasn’t enough for suturing.

“Lee, give me straight scissors.”

“Here you are.”

Tae-kyung re-cut the edges with scissors to make them easier to suture. He repeats the process of inserting the needle into one artery and piercing the other blood vessel, just like before.

He adjusts the subtle strength so that blood flows well again through the severed artery without leaking.

Thirty minutes passed as he focused on the small blood vessels without even blinking.

“Lee, forceps.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Lee Chan-hee released the forceps that had been clamping the severed artery at both ends.

“Should I spray saline solution?”

“Yes, spray it thoroughly.”

When he sprayed the saline solution, no blood leaked from anywhere.

‘To be so nervous about vascular anastomosis.’

Tae-kyung felt relieved inside. He had performed vascular surgery several times before, but this was the first time he had been so nervous.

He was unconsciously tense because the patient was suspected of having HIV.

“The patient is doing well. The vascular anastomosis is finished, and I’ll suture the rest.”

Now it’s the suturing of the muscle and skin. Of course, it’s an important process, but it was much easier compared to the blood vessels.

‘4 seconds? No, 3 seconds.’

Lee Chan-hee, who saw the suturing speed, checked the second hand of the clock on the wall.

‘How much did he practice to be that fast…? I should buy a skin model and practice too.’

Tae-kyung quickly sutured at a rate of almost one stitch every 3 seconds. And he inserts a drainage tube to prevent complications caused by blood accumulation.

He clamps the drainage tube with forceps, pushes it into the muscle suture line, and the procedure ends with the final muscle suture.

“The procedure is finished.”

At Tae-kyung’s nod, Lee Chan-hee left the treatment room.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’re the one who worked hard, Doctor.”

“I’d like to talk to the patient for a moment. Would that be okay?”

“…….”

“It won’t take long.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I don’t know how difficult and painful it must be for the patient right now, but I can understand it a little because I’m a doctor. You said you had a test at the public health center earlier, right?”

“Yes, I had two tests.”

The patient’s attitude toward Tae-kyung was slightly different from before. It was because he had treated him with care even in a situation where AIDS was suspected.

He had been constantly searching for posts in online communities for people with HIV.

-The most upsetting thing is when I’m sick.

Among them, the most common posts were about hospitals.

-I went to a local hospital because I was sick and had a blood test. But I was refused treatment because I was an AIDS patient.

-It’s not just once or twice for me either. I even heard a doctor say, ‘Who will take responsibility if I get infected?’

-Everyone, just go to general hospitals. It costs a lot, but they still provide treatment there.

-For the record, I almost died of enteritis [inflammation of the small intestine], but I endured it without going to the hospital. I hate the way hospital staff look at you with contempt and refuse treatment.

The patient, Jeon Geon-myeon, kept thinking about the community posts he had seen that morning throughout the treatment.

And he thought that at least this person, Kim Tae-kyung, in front of him was a good doctor.

“To be honest, I was so scared that I didn’t even think about what to do next.”

“Of course, you can feel that way. I hope you get a second test.”

“Are you talking about a confirmatory test?”

“That’s right. The two tests you had at the public health center were both screening tests, which are the first test.”

The patient had searched for related articles, but he didn’t know much about the second test. He was more drawn to the heartfelt posts.

“HIV has a first test and a second test. If the first test comes back positive, a second test is requested, and if that comes back positive, you are diagnosed with an HIV infection.”

“So, is it possible that I might not be positive?”

“I don’t think I can answer that here right now.”

The sensitivity of the first test is high, so sometimes the second test comes back negative. But Tae-kyung didn’t add that comment.

He couldn’t give the patient false hope in an uncertain state.

“Thank you for being honest with me.”

“You’re welcome. If you have any questions, please ask. I’ll answer as best as I can.”

“If I get a confirmed diagnosis, will I be able to live a normal life?”

“Yes, you can. But you have to manage it well. Korea has its own management system, so it’s well-organized in that respect. There’s no burden of drug costs like in other countries either.”

“Can I ask you one more question?”

“Of course.”

“Should I tell my company that I’m suspected of having HIV?”

It was an unexpected question.

Tae-kyung thought about how to answer. Then his gaze, facing the patient, turned to the floor of the treatment room. He saw bloodstains from the patient’s artery.

“I think this question is a matter of the patient’s personal choice.”

“I guess it’s my personal problem, right? I feel like I asked a pointless question.”

“However, I thought about what I would do if I were the patient. If it were me, I would honestly tell the company.”

“Thank you so much for treating me today.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Doctor, maybe… just maybe…”

The patient hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth again.

“If I get a confirmed positive result on the second test, I will have to live as an AIDS patient from now on. If I get hurt or sick and need to come to the hospital, can I come to you then too?”

“Of course. If I can treat you, I will treat you like today. I promise.”

The expression of the patient, Jeon Geon-myeon, who had entered the hospital with unfocused eyes, was quite different from the beginning.

“I think I can find courage because of you, Doctor.”

He gave Tae-kyung a brief smile, said goodbye, and left the treatment room.

“Thank you.”

* * *

“Oh my gosh! You had your blood vessels all sutured. Didn’t it hurt?”

“I was anesthetized, so it didn’t hurt too much.”

“Still, that’s something. Anyway, Deputy Jeon, you worked hard. The president has instructed me to tell you not to worry about hospital bills at all and just focus on recovering. Got it?”

“Yes, Manager, thank you.”

Jeon, who had finished his treatment, was leaving the hospital lobby with his manager, who was his guardian.

“Don’t worry about work and get some rest for a few days and eat delicious food.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, why are you apologizing when you’re the one who got hurt?”

“It’s because I was careless.”

“No matter how focused you are, accidents can happen unexpectedly when you’re working in the field. Don’t keep thinking about what already happened. I’m sorry, Deputy Jeon.”

“Why are you apologizing, Manager?”

“Either way, it happened at our company. I should have paid more attention… I can only imagine how upset your family would be if they knew.”

“Manager, would you like to sit down for a moment?”

Jeon pointed to a bench in the hospital courtyard.

“Why? Are you tired?”

“It’s not that… I think I really need to tell you something, Manager.”

* * *

“Where did Doctor Kim go?”

“He finished treating the patient a little while ago and went into the examination room.”

“Are there any outpatients?”

“Soo, do you think we should go with you?”

A junior nurse at the station was asking Lim Jeong-suk, who was going to apologize to Tae-kyung, whether they should go with her.

“I think it would be better for the team leader and me to go as representatives. It’s not good to go in a big group.”

“We’re just sorry.”

“Are you really sorry?”

“Of course. While I was working earlier, I thought about what Doctor Kim said and even remembered the Nightingale Pledge [a declaration of commitment to uphold ethical standards in nursing].”

“It’s been a long time since I heard that. I don’t even remember when I took the oath. But where did the team leader go?”

“Here he comes.”

Team Leader Choi, who came out of the bathroom, approached with an awkward expression.

“Why do you have that expression on your face, Team Leader?”

“I’m worried about what will happen if the doctor is so angry that he quits.”

“Why did you do that if you were so worried?”

“I deeply regret it, so stop it.”

“Doctor Kim won’t quit, so don’t worry and go talk to him.”

“Still, I feel reassured that I’m going with Nurse Lim.”

Team Leader Choi headed to Tae-kyung’s examination room with Nurse Lim Jeong-suk.

Knock knock-

“Doctor?”

She knocked on the examination room door, but there was no sound from inside.

“Doctor Kim?”

“I don’t think he’s there.”

“No, he definitely went in, though.”

Click-

“Doctor, are you in…!”

Nurse Lim Jeong-suk, who was opening the examination room door, was startled to see Tae-kyung in a strange position.

“What are you doing right now, Doctor?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Why are you doing that there…?”

Team Leader Choi, who followed her in, also asked Tae-kyung.

“Shh! Be quiet!”

Tae-kyung, who was squatting close to the wall by the window, whispered softly and gestured to the two of them.

“Both of you, quickly lower your heads.”

“Yes? Ah!”

Nurse Lim Jeong-suk, who followed Tae-kyung’s gesture and looked out the window, immediately bent down and squatted.