Zheng Ren was finally relieved. He had been so immersed in thought about the patients' conditions and diagnoses that he had forgotten about this particularly complicated issue. However, it was hardly his fault as such affairs were usually handled by hospital management.
Fortunately, he had Su Yun, who was clearly the perfect assistant.
Whether Su Yun also thought the same remained a mystery.
Perhaps he was more interested in establishing that pet medical center.
"The professors are standing by, so don't push yourself too hard if you can't complete the surgery." Su Yun repeated tirelessly. "Your illness has weakened you; you're profusely sweating after that short walk. Did you do something unspeakable behind my back last night?"
"..." Zheng Ren was speechless.
…
…
All patients were transferred to the operating table at eight o'clock sharp.
After the doctors repeatedly confirmed the patients' medical records and imaging films, six surgeries began at the same time.
Mu Tao was in a good mood. He had performed retrograde 3D image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scans and compiled the data of three patients in the past two days.
The image reconstruction of the CT films made him feel that he had fully grasped the patients' conditions, which felt exhilarating!
There was absolutely no need to worry about intraoperative accidents in the slightest.
Mu Tao glanced at Old Wu, who was chatting with a few elderly professors, and left with a smile.
A doctor working in the hospital was instructed to assist Mu Tao in surgery. They then proceeded to change their attire.
When he began to scrub up, he noticed that Jin Yaowu and the rest had come to perform the surgical scrub at almost the same time. All of them were now at the same starting line.
However, Mu Tao firmly believed that the competition, which was merely a transition, was now completely unnecessary.
After all, he had mastered a core technology, one that could significantly minimize the risk of intraoperative accidents, while others had not. Was there still a need to compete? Absolutely not!
The doctor from Sea City had been smart enough to find an excuse to leave before the surgery began. As for Jin Yaowu and the rest… Hehe, the truth would utterly humiliate them!
Without letting pride consume his mind, he began to recall the imaging films of the patient who was about to undergo surgery.
One of the tumor-feeding arteries originated from the renal artery, which could have easily been overlooked by another surgeon.
Even if the surgeon was serious, responsible and finally managed to locate the artery, both patient and surgeon would have been exposed to significantly more radiation over time.
This patient was really lucky to have been chosen by Mu Tao.
It was incredibly important to learn and promote new technologies. Had it not been for the livestream broadcast by Montreal General Hospital in Canada, there was no way he would have suspected the origin of this tumor-feeding vessel.
He put on his lead apron and finished scrubbing up.
When Mu Tao returned to the interventional radiology suite with a steady gait, the doctor had already applied surgical dr.a.p.e on the operating site and was waiting for him to perform an arterial cannulation.
Mu Tao knew that all surgeries would be broadcast to the surgical demonstration classroom. Every operation would occupy a small section of the screen, and if anyone wished to watch a particular surgery in detail, each could be zoomed in on for the professors to study and evaluate.
He would definitely be the focus of discussion today. That was beyond question.
Mu Tao stood in front of the operating table, unhurried.
Pursuing speed would make him fall behind dramatically.
After calming his thoughts, he checked the patient's name and read the imaging films on the radiographic film viewer while recalling the 3D image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films.
This patient's condition was considerably tricky as the tumor-feeding blood vessel branched from the renal artery. Without the 3D image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT scan, the surgery would have taken at least three hours for him to complete.
Now, he only needed a little over half an hour to finish it.
Mu Tao quickly recalled and extrapolated the patient's blood vessel network for surgery before confidently picking up an arterial cannulation needle.
A flashback of blood came at the first prick.
The introducer sheath was then inserted. Following the insertion of the guidewire, Mu Tao estimated its location and turned on the imaging system at the perfect moment.
Instead of blindly superselecting every artery to locate the tumor feeding vessel, he specifically superselected, embolized and created an angiographic image of the hepatic artery before moving on to the renal artery.
Sure enough, a branch of the renal artery was directly connected to the liver. Although the vessel had many twists and turns, he could successfully superselect it as long as he was careful and attentive.
'The professors in the surgical demonstration classroom must be flabbergasted by now.' The thought greatly exhilarated Mu Tao.
He was delighted and proud to be able to perform the surgery so smoothly.
It was all because he had already figured out the origin of the tumor-feeding vessel. Perhaps the professors were complimenting him now that the surgery was over.
However, this was just the beginning. The surgery had taken Mu Tao only a little over half an hour.
He went to take a break while the other doctor compressed the puncture site for hemostasis.
The others had not come down yet, so perhaps he was already in the lead in terms of time.
A faster surgery despite the greater difficulty. Mu Tao believed he was the best among all other participants.
He sat on a chair in the operator's console room and closed his eyes to rest.
This was just the beginning! He had to impress all the professors.
The second surgery…
The third surgery…
Everything was smooth sailing. Mu Tao used only two hours and fifteen minutes to complete the interventional radiological treatment of three patients whom he had chosen in advance.
Mu Tao gave himself a thumbs up for a job well done. It was not arrogance but the self-confidence of an excellent doctor.
The confidence of a surgeon who had mastered a core technology!
"Master Mu, get some rest. I've gained knowledge from the beautiful surgeries you've performed," said the doctor assigned to be Mu Tao's assistant.
"Oh, please don't address me as 'master'. Just Brother Mu is fine," replied Mu Tao with a smile.
"Your proficiency in surgery is much superior to most professors, so you're indeed worthy of the title 'master'," insisted the doctor.
Mu Tao could feel the sincere admiration in the doctor's compliments.
However, he merely continued to smile faintly with a tinge of pride.
The doctor's limited knowledge merely allowed him to recognize that Mu Tao was skillful without realizing the true highlight of the surgeries.
"You'll reach my level one day if you study hard," Mu Tao encouraged him.
"Okay, I will." The doctor nodded seriously.
Mu Tao removed his lead apron, revealing his own surgical attire completely drenched in sweat.
It was difficult to perform such a delicate task while wearing an armor-like lead apron that weighed a few kilograms, even for Mu Tao, who was in his late thirties.
Unlike in Shenzhen Economic Development Zone People's Hospital where Mu Tao would shower after surgery,
He went directly to the surgical demonstration classroom in his sweat-soaked surgical attire.
'The professors must be all over my surgical technique now.' The thought put a smile on Mu Tao's face.
Unlike a fifteen-minute operation in some hospital where the catheter was not properly inse
rted into the hepatic artery and the surgery rashly ended with an irresponsible infusion of chemotherapy drugs, Mu Tao had actually taken a long time to complete his surgeries.
However, the embolization had been done perfectly, and he was even confident enough to assume that he had performed every procedure almost flawlessly.
Close to perfection!
Mu Tao was convinced that even Old Wu would be unable to perform the operation as smoothly as he did.
Not that Old Wu's skill was inferior to his, but a geriatric in his sixties would certainly have trouble performing such a surgery in a heavy lead apron.
Many elderly people would experience backache and muscle soreness after carrying a bag of rice weighing between fifteen to twenty kilograms, let alone a lead apron in interventional radiology.
The golden age of general surgeons was between thirty to sixty years old, but interventional radiologists were only able to perform surgery in their peak physical state between the age of thirty-five to forty-five.
This was possible only if one was accepted as a disciple and personally taught by a well-reputed master at the age of thirty-five.
Most specialized interventional radiologists in the country had trouble achieving greater heights past their golden age.
Just like Mu Tao had imagined, the professors were staring unblinkingly at the screen with a surgery being played out on it.
However…
It was somewhat different from what he had initially anticipated…
It was not a replay of his surgery, but an ongoing operation!
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Chapter 207 - That Day, That Night, That Man (Part 4 of 5)
Mu Tao was momentarily stunned. Then, he realized that since he had finished earlier, they had to have directed their attention to other ongoing surgeries.
The surgery projected on the screen demonstrated proficient superselection of a micro-guidewire into the artery.
The maneuver… looked familiar.
Mu Tao absent-mindedly approached Old Wu and accidentally knocked into a chair with his knee, causing him to grimace with pain.
Old Wu looked at him and reprimanded him quietly, "Why are you so careless? You're not a child anymore. "
Mu Tao ignored Old Wu and stared at the screen in surprise. Could it be that the professors were actually watching a surgery livestream in Xinglin Garden together?
"Sit down and watch," Old Wu whispered, his eyes fixed on the livestream.
Mu Tao, who was very familiar with Old Wu, knew that the old man was on the verge of an explosion from his tone of speech.
Old Wu had been a grumpy man in his youth, but with his advancing age, he had been controlling his temper and significantly reducing his outbursts.
Mu Tao quickly sat down without objection, unwilling to face punishment later.
"Master, are you watching a live broadcast in Xinglin Garden?" asked Mu Tao softly.
"What live broadcast? We're watching an ongoing surgery now," replied Old Wu.
"..." Startled, Mu Tao paid closer attention to the screen.
He tried to recall the familiar-looking imaging film on the screen. A few seconds later, he slapped his t.h.i.g.h. Was this not the film that the young doctor, the "self-proclaimed" boss, studied in the CT room that night?!
"What are you doing?!" Old Wu snapped, obviously taken by surprise.
"Master, I know this man," replied Mu Tao quickly to calm his master's rage.
"Of course, Professor Pei has introduced him to you before."
"No, I saw him in the CT room when I went to perform 3D reconstruction of the CT scan that night," said Mu Tao.
"Huh?" Old Wu perked up.
"He was looking at the angiographic footage without performing image reconstruction at the time." Mu Tao added.
"He must have done it afterward. Every blood vessel he accurately superselected had a purpose," Old Wu said softly, "But the main point is that he is somehow able to distinguish between a cirrhotic liver nodule and cancerous tissue."
Mu Tao remained silent.
That day, that night, that imaging film.
Impossible!
That could not be true!
Mu Tao was caught in a trance.
It was possible to use a 3D image reconstruction of a CT scan on large, solid tumors.
However, the film he had seen that night showed numerous nodules, which could have been either cirrhotic nodules or cancerous tissue.
It was difficult enough to use 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan to retrogradely locate an abnormal blood vessel, let alone distinguish benign and malignant nodules.
Was this a joke? It was possible to perform image reconstruction on every suspected nodule, but the workload would be humongous. What if one narrowed it down to highly suspicious nodules for testing? In Mu Tao's view, there were at least eighty of them, and checking each and every one of them would be troublesome as well.
If he had been the one to check the patient, even two whole days would probably be insufficient.
Then, Mu Tao noticed the areas that had been successfully embolized.
The embolization had been done flawlessly, which reflected the surgeon's proficiency in this domain.
He remained quiet.
His previous complacency and pride were now clear indications of his ignorance.
Since when did Sea City, a small town, have such an experienced interventional radiologist?
Old Wu was one of the first batch who had been involved in interventional radiology and a senior professor with peerless skill. Even so, Mu Tao's master—Wu Haishi—did not have such prowess. Who the hell was performing the surgery now?
The young doctor with a ridiculously low emotional quotient, who could not even remember his face and even proclaimed himself a "boss"?
Impossible!
The sudden change in mood greatly depressed Mu Tao.
Eight abnormalities captured post-angiography were embolized one after another, delicately and beautifully, like a masterpiece being finished by an artist.
Following the complete embolization of the last small tumor nodule, the host surgeon again created an angiographic image, which revealed the complete absence of abnormalities in the liver.
In the surgical demonstration classroom, all the elderly professors applauded, offering reverence and compliments to the host surgeon in the live broadcast.
'Amazing!' Mu Tao snapped out of his thoughts and clapped.
Old Wu was the first to speak up. "Let him perform the surgery."
The others agreed.
Mu Tao was somewhat depressed, but he understood perfectly.
Despite his measured steps, the young doctor had performed a technique beyond his capabilities, something that could not be offset by speed alone.
'It looks like my near-limit speed still isn't enough. Perhaps slowing down would offer more benefits in the future,' Mu Tao thought.
Jin Yaowu's voice came from behind. "Based on one surgery alone? Don't you think it's sloppy?"
He had just finished his surgeries on his pre-selected patients and had caught only the last imaging session.
When everyone agreed to nominate the host surgeon as the chief surgeon of the scientific research, Jin Yaowu was the first to object.
"Yaowu, sit down," said Professor Pei, tapping the chair beside him.
The other professors gave Jin Yaowu a peculiar stare as he approached Professor Pei, drainin
g him of his initial courage and indignation. He lowered his head, averting his gaze from Professor Pei's. His confidence slowly faded away.
"Yaowu, this is the host surgeon's seventh surgery." Professor Pei added calmly.
"..." Jin Yaowu was dumbfounded.
Mu Tao was flabbergasted as well.
What? The host surgeon was on his seventh surgery when he had only completed three?
This had to be a fantasy.
Mu Tao's self-image crumbled once again.
Slow? The host surgeon was just fast and precise in his manipulation…
How had he not heard of such a surgeon before this?
Had he hatched from a stone egg1?
"Treat subsequent operations with the utmost care. I don't want any problems to come our way," an older professor said grimly, "Give me a copy of the angiographic footage. I'll go back and study it again."
Even though the professors had decided on their chief surgeon, they continued to exchange views on the surgery instead of leaving the room.
It was humiliating for the surgeons whom the professors had dropped from the competition, but their focus had obviously been drawn to a more important issue—the host surgeon had been able to accurately distinguish between a benign and a malignant hepatic nodule.
"We've to study this later," said Old Wu lightly as he glanced at the last angiographic image, feeling somewhat nostalgic.
"Master, do you think his technique is similar to that of the host surgeon from Xinglin Garden?" asked Mu Tao softly.
"Their techniques look similar, but I don't think he is the surgeon," Old Wu replied, "Doctor Zheng's maneuver appeared slightly amateurish, and some parts weren't handled well. However, he has mastered the usage of 3D image reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan just like you, although he is far more experienced than you in that field."
Mu Tao immediately understood after hearing Old Wu's explanation.
It was a new technology, and those who mastered it first would have an upper hand. However, he had a better platform and a highly-skilled master, so would he not have a brighter future than Boss Zheng?
The Surgeon's Studio c1-799 Page 103
