The Surgeon's Studio c1-799

by Black Ursa Prime

  [Those who still don't understand can ask your radiologists in the CT room, but of course, they would have to know 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan.]

  It was a short explanation, but as soon as the bombardment ended, the interventional radiologist noticed the host surgeon injecting drugs into the tumor tissue in the livestream.

  The drugs administered were Oxaliplatin and Irenotican, ordinary medication that he often used. There was nothing interesting about this procedure.

  He had missed the most exciting part of the surgery!!!

  He wanted to bang his head against the wall.

  Fortunately, he could still watch the surgery replay later, which calmed him down significantly.

  Drugs were administered, intra-arterial chemoinfusion was completed and the artery was embolized with an embolic agent. Upon taking another angiographic image, the tumor disappeared without a trace as if it had never existed in the beginning.

  'This surgery… is simply too amazing,' the interventional radiologist thought.

  He had to watch the surgery replay a hundred times tonight!

  The surgery had been beautifully completed in twenty-five minutes.

  Various emotions swirled through his heart. He absent-mindedly stared at the blank screen for a few seconds before switching the screen back to the homepage.

  The medical field was an experimental science that required vast experience before a new surgical technique could be widely studied.

  Otherwise… Unfamiliar surgical methods… The uneasiness of being forced to perform something way beyond one's capability… The struggle of referring a surgical case to a more experienced surgeon to prevent the patient from dying at one's own hands…

  Negligence was the cause of most deaths.

  Fortunately, this was the Information Age.

  Fortunately, the host surgeon had been selfless enough to educate others for free.

  After the screen switch, the interventional radiology froze for a few seconds before howling in anguish.

  His phone dropped, the screen blank. Not only was the surgery unrecorded, the past surgery replays had been deleted as well. Human flesh search engine (Chinese: ) is a Chinese term for the phenomenon of distributed researching using Internet media such as blogs and forums. Internet media, namely dedicated websites and Internet forums, are in fact platforms that enable the broadcast of request and action plans concerning human flesh search and that allow the sharing of online and offline search results.

  Chapter 158 - Practice Makes Perfect

  Shenzhen Economic Development Zone People's Hospital.

  Mu Tao and Wu Haishi were staring unblinkingly at the livestream in the chief office in the interventional radiological department.

  Ever since the account began broadcasting interventional radiology in Xinglin Garden, Mu Tao had registered one so that his master could directly access the website.

  The facilities in Shenzhen City were particularly good for ordinary doctors, but for Old Wu, a national expert, scholar and professor, the facilities available to him were even better.

  After learning that the surgery broadcast had begun, Mu Tao had come to the chief office and watched the livestream together with Old Wu.

  Clasping his hands together, his right middle finger gently and repeatedly tapping the back of his left hand, Old Wu was deep in thought as he stared at the screen.

  However, Mu Tao sat behind Old Wu with his expression full of doubt.

  He had known that the host surgeon was very competent.

  He presumed that the host surgeon's skills were slightly better, perhaps even on par with his.

  However, the broadcast today had given him a strong sense of discomfort.

  The earlier procedures were straightforward, and the only point of interest was that the host did not perform an arterial puncture this time, implying better coordination with their surgical assistant.

  However, the moment the angiographic footage appeared onscreen, Mu Tao was instantly caught in a trance.

  Instead of taking the usual pathway from the aorta into the hepatic artery, the host surgeon had directly inserted the micro-guidewire into the short gastric artery!

  He did not casually dismiss it as negligence as most tumor-feeding blood vessels came from the short gastric artery.

  Sure enough, when the micro-guidewire advanced further and to the right, Mu Tao was convinced that the short gastric artery was the tumor-feeding artery.

  He had come to that conclusion without confirming it with the angiographic footage.

  How had the host surgeon known? Had he done 3D reconstruction of a CT scan or was it something else?

  Instead of unnecessarily bothering Old Wu, who was quietly and attentively watching the surgery broadcast, he started to rack his brain and search for answers.

  He came up with various possibilities such as the host surgeon's experience, intuition, preoperative tests, intraoperative angiographic images and so on, but threw them all out.

  It was impossible!

  This was not a fantasy novel, and there was no such thing as prophecy.

  In the live broadcast room, the host surgeon started creating an angiographic image, and the entire tumor "lit up" just as how Mu Tao initially imagined.

  It also meant that the short gastric artery was the culprit feeding the tumor as opposed to other branches of the hepatic artery.

  This had occurred because the branches of the hepatic artery had been embolized after surgery, causing an abnormal proliferation of other blood vessels supplying the late-stage hepatic carcinoma.

  However… How had the host surgeon determined that the short gastric artery was the culprit rather than the phrenic or spinal arteries, or even the thoracic or abdominal aorta?

  Following the completion of angiographic imaging, subsequent procedures were dull and uninteresting in Mu Tao's opinion.

  If he had known preoperatively that the short gastric artery was the tumor-feeding artery in this patient, he would definitely have done as well as the host surgeon… Maybe…

  'I will surely perform as well as him!' Mu Tao cheered himself up.

  Those arterial branches were nothing compared to the ultra-fine blood vessels supplying the liver. He should be able to superselect them… He could even repeat the process if the first superselection ended up in failure.

  Immersed in his own thoughts, Mu Tao moved his right hand slightly as if currently standing in the interventional radiology suite, wearing a lead apron and performing the surgery himself.

  No…

  He soon realized a frustrating truth—even if he knew that the short gastric artery was feeding the tumor, there was no way he could successfully superselect it on the first attempt.

  Practice made perfect.

  That was the case in every stage performance, even more so in an operating theater.

  Mu Tao still had basic self-awareness, which was a necessity in the medical world. As a leading figure in the new generation of interventional radiologists in the country, he was undoubtedly one of the best amongst his colleagues below the age of forty.

  'If I can't do it, then the host surgeon must be a demon in the nation, perhaps even the world's best professor too,' Mu Tao thought.

  The broadcast soon ended, and he could imagine the subsequent procedures with his eyes closed.

  Once the microcatheter entered the liver alongside the micro-guidewire, chemotherapy drugs would be administered and the artery embolized with an embolic agent. An angiographic imaging would then be used to ensure the absence of omission before the surgery ended.

  "What have you noticed?" asked Wu Haoshi after the surgery broadcast was over.

  "The host surgeon's skills are superior to mine, so I think he is at least in his fifties, perhaps a top specialist in the country or even an internationally-renowned expert," answered Mu Tao.

  The constant tapping of Old Wu's right middle finger on the back of his left hand became faster.

  "That's no
t what I'm asking. Do I need you to tell me about the host surgeon's identity or how well he performed?" Old Wu expressed his dissatisfaction.

  Mu Tao was his closed-door student, so there was absolutely no need for ceremony.

  "Then…" Mu Tao hesitated, unable to understand his master's question.

  "The host surgeon superselected the short gastric artery instead of the hepatic artery. What do you think about that?" asked Old Wu.

  "I've a few guesses." Mu Tao blurted out all the possibilities that had come to him earlier.

  Old Wu continued to ponder, the tapping of his fingers now a drumbeat.

  Mu Tao was aware of his master's habits. The more rapid his tapping, the faster he was thinking.

  "I think the host surgeon must have concluded that the tumor tissue had established a new feeding artery and found it through preoperative 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan," Old Wu finally said with confidence.

  "3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan… can't produce such detailed results, right?" asked Mu Tao doubtfully.

  "That's because you haven't reached such levels of proficiency." Old Wu shook his head and said, "I've only met one person who has, but he passed away two years ago."

  "Who is he?"

  Old Wu waved his hand, signalling that he was not to be interrupted.

  "The first batch who learned interventional radiology was the doctors of the radiology department, and I was considered part of the second batch," Old Wu continued, "Those engaged in CT imaging began to study interventional radiology after large-scale development of radiofrequency ablation, which is still dominated by clinicians until now."

  Mu Tao was stunned. He had no idea what his master was talking about.

  "It seems like the host surgeon has a huge team that allowed them to superselect the short gastric artery, but an ordinary CT radiologist couldn't possibly have performed such a delicate task. It had to have been the host surgeon. They had to have been the one to perform the 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan!" Old Wu stood and waved his right arm in excitement.

  "Master, please take care of your blood pressure," Mu Tao quickly advised, shocked by Old Wu's behavior.

  "I'm fine." Old Wu smiled and said, "Download the surgery recording. It'll be our learning materials for this afternoon's session."

  Mu Tao nodded, but froze as soon as he switched to the main page.

  "What's wrong?" asked Old Wu.

  "The surgery recording disappeared," replied Mu Tao, stupefied.

  "..." Old Wu was momentarily stunned and said angrily, "What?!"

  Staring at the exasperated Old Wu, Mu Tao dared not to say a word.

  Old Wu regained his composure a few minutes later and said in a croaky voice, "Follow me to the CT room."

  "Huh? What for?" Mu Tao was puzzled.

  "To learn 3D reconstruction of CT scans." Old Wu's expression was stony.

  Chapter 159 - Lucky To Meet You On A Snowy Night

  Zheng Ren stepped down and allowed Su Yun to maintain pressure on the wound for hemostasis.

  "That was smooth," Old Chief Physician Pan complimented after witnessing the speedy surgery, its results completely different from that of the previous operation.

  "So far, so good." Zheng Ren smiled. "The artery has been fully embolized, so the patient may feel pain and nausea after surgery. Just administer drugs accordingly and she'll be fine."

  The latter statement was meant for Chang Yue, who was waiting in the operating theater.

  Chang Yue joyfully agreed.

  Even though interventional radiology was alien to her, the tumor's disappearance on the angiographic footage was easy to interpret.

  The surgery's success signified that Miss Yun would live past half a year, which was undoubtedly good news.

  After changing his attire, Zheng Ren answered Old Chief Physician Pan's questions about interventional radiology on their way back to the emergency ward.

  Even though most of his questions were basic, Zheng Ren clearly explained the answers to him in vernacular without losing his patience.

  Old Chief Physician Pan was exhilarated, whereas Zheng Ren was surprised at his intense d.e.s.i.r.e for knowledge despite his advancing age.

  "Chief Physician Pan, why are you so interested in interventional radiology?" asked Zheng Ren, unable to contain his curiosity.

  "My old age restricts my ability to learn or perform surgery myself, but it's better to learn everything that can save lives," Old Chief Physician Pan replied, "Sometimes I wonder how many lives we could have saved if such technologies had existed back in the day."

  Zheng Ren remained silent.

  He presumed that Old Chief Physician Pan was thinking about the bloodshed on the battlefield many years ago.

  If current technologies—interventional radiology, central vein catheterization, surgical resection and so on—had existed in the past, many lives could have been saved.

  It was a pity.

  Zheng Ren kept quiet, not knowing how to console the old man.

  "You must seize this opportunity when you visit Imperial Capital," Old Chief Physician Pan advised again, "With a better platform to accommodate your high skill, your true power shall be revealed. Sea City General Hospital is too low-standard for you."

  "What about our emergency department?" asked Zheng Ren casually, knowing full well the answer Old Chief Physician Pan was going to give.

  He was not the brightest bulb in the room.

  "Will the Earth stop spinning in your absence?" answered the old man, his tone full of love.

  They both remained silent afterward.

  Old Chief Physician Pan went directly to the licensing agency, claiming that he wanted to acquire a license for the emergency department to perform interventional radiology as soon as possible.

  Zheng Ren returned to the ward. Upon reaching the corridor, he saw a few men in black suits carrying a coffin.

  The elderly man had passed away?

  Zheng Ren quickened his pace to take a look at the situation.

  The white-haired madam noticed Zheng Ren and bowed slightly, her manners still graceful and gentle despite the tears welling up in her eyes. "Doctor Zheng, thank you."

  "Auntie, that's too polite of you, I don't deserve it," Zheng Ren quickly said. "Uncle has passed away?"

  "Yes, he is gone." Her tone was soft like a drizzle in early spring, leaving no trace as the clouds dissipated. "Peacefully, without any suffering. That is good."

  Zheng Ren felt sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do. He had done his best by arranging a single room for the old man to depart this life in peace.

  "Thank you so much. My son will return from the United States in two days. After the funeral is over, we'll visit you again to express our gratitude."

  "Is there anything I can do to help?"

  "No, I'll trouble you no more." The more gentle the white-headed madam's tone, the more uncomfortable Zheng Ren felt.

  Decades of proper upbringing was forcing the madam to suppress her intense sorrow and calmly converse with him. This type of person undoubtedly made the world a better place.

  After sending the serene old man off, Zheng Ren stared at the unoccupied room, feeling the emptiness in his heart.

  Even though they had gotten along only for a day, the memory of the elderly woman reciting the Biography of Xiang Yu by the bed last night still played out before his eyes, embedding itself firmly into his mind.

  'Perhaps this is also a good ending.' Zheng Ren shook his head after a long while and comforted himself.

  Life and death were fated. It was all one could ask for to leave this world without suffering.

  Soon, Zheng Yunxia was transferred back to the ward, accompanied by Chang Yue, Su Yun, Xie Yiren and the Chu sisters. It was a magnificent scene.

  A random family member asked Zheng Ren, curious, "Chief Zheng, why are there so many doctors escorting her, is she a director?"

  Zheng Ren froze for a moment before replying wit
h a smile, "No, she isn't."

  "Good joke, Chief Zheng. Why are so many doctors escorting her if she isn't a director? Let me guess, she has to be a chief of department or a wealthy woman. I saw her yesterday, she must be the type who tends to keep a low profile."

  'Of course, she has nothing to maintain a high profile with anyway,' Zheng Ren thought.

  However, there was no need to explain the situation in detail to the family member. Besides, Zheng Ren was not the kind who loved to gossip, so he merely smiled and helped transfer Zheng Yunxia to the hospital bed.

  There had been no adverse reaction post-surgery thus far.

  "Chief Zheng, I saw that the tumor had completely disappeared," Zheng Yunxia said excitedly to Zheng Ren.

  Patients were given local anesthesia in interventional radiology, thus remaining conscious throughout the surgery. They could simply turn their head left to observe the angiography.

  Generally, any attentive patients could become semi-experts after undergoing interventional radiology once or twice, or could at least judge the situation based on the angiographic broadcast.

  Zheng Ren smiled. "This time, the embolization has been successful, but you may feel uncomfortable after surgery, so don't forget to tilt your head to the side. Otherwise, if you suddenly feel nauseous and vomit, the contents could enter your lungs and suffocate you. Inform Chang Yue if you experience any pain as well. She'll give you painkillers."

  "I do feel a little nauseous now," Zheng Yunxia said seriously.

  "10mg of metoclopramide, intramuscular injection," Zheng Ren instructed.

  Chang Yue acknowledged it and ordered a nurse to administer the drug.

  It had been fortunate for Zheng Yunxia to encounter Chang Yue and Zheng Ren on a snowy night, opening a door for her to enjoy a brand new life.

  Every cloud had a silver lining.

  Zheng Ren was also aware that Chang Yue had been secretly looking for a job for Zheng Yunxia—cleaning the emergency wards, for example—as she was too embarrassed to trouble him any further.