It was just like clothing: no matter how fitting ordinary pieces were, tailor-made suits were still superior in every aspect.
Of course, it came with a price—the surgeon Zheng Ren's precious rest time.
As mentioned last time by Sister Zhao, the deputy chief of the CT room, Zheng Ren's expertise in 3D reconstruction of 64-slice CT scans and interventional radiology alone were enough for him to get a job with an annual after-tax salary of one million yuan in southern hospitals regardless of his skill at surgery.
Custom configurations and standard equipment, was there no difference between them?
Half an hour later, the preoperative discussion was interrupted by a case of acute appendicitis referred to the emergency department. The group started to get busy again.
Chief Physician Pan stared at his competent soldiers and felt a great sense of satisfaction.
He had never expected the emergency wards to become so successful a few months ago.
Even in his youth, it was beyond his power to establish the Sea City General Hospital emergency wards all by himself.
These young doctors were very good.
The day continued with only three to four surgical cases being admitted to the emergency ward. As long as the cases arrived before the latter half of the night, nobody would complain as both Su Yun and Zheng Ren could settle them quickly.
The next morning, Old Chief Physician Pan rushed to the emergency ward to check on Zheng Yunxia's preoperative preparations, going over every detail again to ensure a smooth operation.
There were no issues, so he asked Su Yun to wheel the patient into the operating theater before walking with Zheng Ren to the locker room and chatting along the way.
"Little Zheng, you've worked hard recently," Old Chief Physician Pan said, "Enjoy yourself in Beijing for a few days, and don't worry too much about the emergency department."
Had Zheng Ren been speaking to Chief Surgeon Liu, he would have wondered if he was prohibited from performing surgery ever again.
However, Old Chief Physician Pan was merely suggesting it out of pure kindness so that he could get some good rest.
Zheng Ren smiled and kept quiet.
"You should pay more attention when you visit Imperial Capital," Old Chief Physician Pan tirelessly advised, "Social networks, especially high-class connections, are very important. I've spoken with my comrades in 3011 and they said there had been an important breakthrough in the new surgical technique research. Can you guess what it is?"
Zheng Ren was momentarily stunned. How could he guess it?
However, looking at Old Chief Physician Pan's playful, childlike gaze, he had no choice but to make a few wild guesses.
Without a doubt, every answer was wrong.
"Let me tell you, this is a world's first surgical technique," replied Old Chief Physician Pan happily. Located in Beijing, the 301 Hospital (Chinese: ) or People's Liberation Army General Hospital (Chinese: ), which includes the PLA Postgraduate Medical School (Chinese: ), is a military hospital that is a direct subsidiary to the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission and the largest general hospital under the auspices of the People's Liberation Army. Its mission includes assuring the health of PLA and China's leaders.
Chapter 156 - Is the Surgery Doomed?
"What surgery is it?" Zheng Ren was surprised. The first in the world? That was unexpected.
"Prostatic artery embolization," answered Old Chief Physician Pan happily.
Prostate… Was that even something essential?
Zheng Ren's initial excitement instantly dissipated into thin air.
"Little comrade, what kind of expression is that?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan, his face serious.
"Nothing." Zheng Ren lowered his head and quickly changed his clothes.
"Think about it, our old comrades have given their all for the establishment of The People's Republic of China. Shouldn't they at least have a better quality of life?" asked Old Chief Physician Pan grimly.
Zheng Ren knew his words made sense. Elderly men usually had severe prostatic hyperplasia, a condition worse than death.
Instead of ordinary soft urinary catheters, a metal urethral sound had to be forced upward through the prostate into the bladder.
When dealing with ruffians feigning death in the emergency department, a few inductions of urinary urgency were enough to break their determination, let alone a urethral sound.
"There isn't any major blood supply to the prostate," Zheng Ren said hesitantly, recalling its anatomy.
"No, but it has a dense capillary network." Old Chief Physician Pan had obviously done his homework. "Especially in patients with severe prostatic hyperplasia, the capillaries are larger and thicker, so the usage of prostatic artery embolization is justified."
Huh… Zheng Ren was still confused. Despite his doubts, he would still attend the scientific research in Imperial Capital. After all, Professor Pei and Old Chief Physician Pan only wanted the best for him.
Locating an abnormal blood supply to a hepatic carcinoma was difficult enough, let alone the prostate.
Zheng Ren quickly finished changing his attire and darted out of the locker room. "I'm going to put on a lead apron."
Old Chief Physician Pan smiled and shook his head.
Zheng Ren sighed in relief after putting on the lead apron with radioactive energy conversion properties from the System.
Upon reaching the interventional radiology suite, Su Yun had already dr.a.p.ed the surgical site and was chatting with Zheng Yunxia.
During interventional radiological treatment for hepatic carcinoma, local anesthesia would be administered near the femoral artery at the base of the t.h.i.g.h before the artery was catheterized.
Like cannulating a vein, this could be considered the most minimally invasive surgery, and manipulation relied solely on the surgeon's skills.
Of course, there were also disadvantages, one of them being prolonged radiation exposure. Patents were usually unaffected as surgery would be completed in one hour, and that would probably be the end of it.
However, there was a high chance that surgeons had to perform multiple interventional radiology-assisted surgeries in a day, which meant incredible amounts of radiation exposure.
Fortunately, Zheng Ren needed not worry about this issue as he had awesome equipment from the System.
Upon noticing Zheng Ren, Su Yun asked, "Shall I catheterize the artery?"
"Sure." Zheng Ren nodded and began his preparations: performing a surgical scrub, disinfecting his hands and putting on a surgical gown.
The catheterization was complete when he approached the operating table. The introducer sheath was neatly placed, and the micro-guidewire was already ten centimeters into the artery. Su Yun quietly held the guidewire in the assistant's position and waited for Zheng Ren to begin.
'It's nice to have a surgical assistant,' Zheng Ren thought again.
The livestream in Xinglin Garden began at the same time.
[The god has rarely broadcasted his surgery recently, do you guys know why?]
[A lack of new surgical patients, maybe? After all, it's boring to watch the same surgery broadcast over and over again.]
[That's right. There are video recordings of past surgeries as well.]
[Didn't you notice that all video recordings disappeared three days ago? We have to pay attention to future surgery broadcasts as the god won't impart any knowledge for free.]
[What, why didn't I notice it? Fortunately, I've downloaded his previous surgery broadcasts. Is the god planning to sell surgery recordings?]
Every viewer gradually became familiar with each other as comments whizzed past the screen in the live broadcast room. The more fast-firing were obviously junior doctors, but nobody knew if there was a mogul behind them.
[This is… What the f*ck, it's a hepatic carcinoma!]
[What's so surprising about it? Interventional radiological treatment for hepatic carcinoma is rarely seen but n
ot unprecedented.]
[Indeed, interventional radiology is one of the most effective treatments for hepatic carcinoma, and radiofrequency ablation is said to have the same effect as surgical resection.]
[It's a pity that small hospitals don't have interventional radiology departments. After watching the god's recent surgeries, I've the urge to learn interventional radiology now.]
[You have to wear a lead apron that weighs between fifteen to twenty kilograms while maintaining your accuracy. Can you do that? Young man, stop daydreaming and focus your attention on general surgery. It has a bright future too.]
As comments overwhelmed the screen, the host surgeon was blindly inserting the microcatheter, which was a boring procedure.
Soon, the screen changed to the surgeon's point of view, and angiographic footage appeared.
[Huh? Something is wrong.]
Unless there was an unforeseen event, viewers generally did not comment after the surgery began as some parts on the screen, especially delicate manipulations that were often the essence of the surgery, would be blocked and viewer experience would be debilitated.
However, as soon as the angiographic footage was broadcast, a lone comment flew past the screen.
The ID name clearly stated that the commenter was an interventional radiologist.
Someone recognized the ID as the interventional radiologist who had complained that everyone did not understand the pain of an interventional surgeon.
Luckily, he had taken the rarer career pathway of an interventional radiologist. If an ordinary general surgeon put the corresponding label on his ID… They would still be indistinguishable from the others.
[What happened? Please enlighten us.]
[I don't see… What the f*ck, isn't this a surgery for hepatic carcinoma? Why is the host surgeon targeting the short gastric artery?]
[Am I hallucinating? Is he going to embolize the short gastric artery and perform a laparotomy for gastrectomy afterward?]
Following the insertion of the micro-guidewire, not only were the interventional radiologists caught in a trance, but the general surgeons also felt that something was wrong.
Everyone knew basic anatomy and the normal vasculature pathways.
Logically, the host surgeon should embolize the branches of the hepatic artery that were supplying the hepatic tumor, right? Why was he heading straight toward the short gastric artery?
[Hey, interventional radiologist, please explain if the embolization of a short gastric artery will have any detrimental effect on the body. Is it the same as the uterine artery?]
The advancement of the micro-guidewire fueled viewers' doubts even further.
Since this surgery was all Greek to them, they started throwing questions at the interventional radiologist one after another.
[Unlike the uterus, once the short gastric artery is embolized, the stomach will undergo ischemic necrosis shortly after. As for the consequences, the necrosed stomach will have to be surgically removed!]
The interventional radiologist used an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, which was a rare sight.
Considering one to be inadequate, he added three more exclamation marks at the end to express his deepest consternation.
If this was the account's first livestream, it would be concluded that the host surgeon was a novice and the surgery doomed.
However, after observing hundreds of surgery broadcasts in the past few weeks, those who had doubted this account had been mercilessly humiliated.
Now, no one dared to even suggest that the host surgeon had f*cked up as anyone who had done so had received a loud slap to the cheek within three minutes.
[What does the god have in mind?]
[I don't know…]
[Let's watch quietly. I've absolute confidence in the god.]
The comments were few, and the atmosphere in the live broadcast room gradually fell to silence.
Chapter 157 - The Host Surgeon Has A Huge Team
The interventional radiologist from a third-tier city stared at the livestream on his phone and frowned.
This host surgeon was highly talented, that was beyond question.
He had been eager to pit his skill against the host's when he had first started watching the livestream.
However, after watching more surgery broadcasts, he was now well aware of the huge gap between them.
The thing was, he also knew how to perform interventional radiological treatment for hepatic carcinoma.
However, medical charges for interventional radiology were astronomical. Wealthy patients would normally seek doctors in Imperial Capital or Sorcery Capital, and the poor simply could not afford the cost and chose to give up in the end.
Thus, he performed only a dozen interventional surgeries for hepatic carcinoma a year.
Even so, that had not stopped him from gaining more knowledge on the subject.
Had the host surgeon found an abnormally proliferating tumor-feeding vessel? The interventional radiologist quietly sat in a corner, phone clutched in sweaty palms.
'Oh yeah!' An idea suddenly popped into his mind.
He recalled that 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films were attached alongside the patient's details at the beginning of the surgery. Should he take a look at it?
He hesitated for a few seconds.
The host surgeon's "unconventional" superselection of the short gastric artery piqued his curiosity. He really wanted to read the films, but was unwilling to miss the most interesting parts of the surgery.
A few seconds later, he brought up the patient's profile onscreen.
Yes, the patient had undergone interventional surgery before, and as for the 3D image reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films…
Upon seeing them, the interventional radiologist was shocked.
What detailed 3D reconstructions of the 64-slice CT films! These were exactly what all interventional radiologists yearned for.
All hepatic tumor-feeding arteries had been embolized in the previous surgery, so the tumor tissue had reestablished blood supply from the short gastric artery.
He understood now!
The host surgeon was not alone in their battle. They had a huge team with access to policies, financial and physical resources, and unimaginable manpower.
A 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan of the liver was the result of a highly advanced test… Even the branches of the short gastric artery were clearly visible on the CT films. Although it was more difficult to perform, it was still much more efficient than blindly searching for it while wearing a heavy lead apron.
'I'm so envious.' Infinite jealousy consumed the interventional radiologist's heart.
However, there was no hatred.
Why would he be resentful when there were no bonuses and promotions involved?
He was merely envious of the god's resources, their huge team and their incredible 3D reconstruction of a 64-slice CT scan of the liver.
In comparison, he had no one else to communicate with and could only improve his skills by watching surgery broadcasts in Xinglin Garden.
Moreover, most doctors around him had no idea Xinglin Garden existed.
The intense pressure from their own families, the endless night shifts and difficult scientific research were overwhelming enough. Who could spare time to learn new skills in Xinglin Garden?
As for scientific research… The interventional radiologist pursed his mouth in a smirk. Most cases were made-up reports as they simply had to pay to publish medical journals below the national level, and as for national medical journals… Apart from a few well-reputed ones, they were more expensive than the rest with nothing to show for.
The thought of spending more than ten thousand yuan just to publish an SCI journal cut the interventional radiologist's heart as if he had been stabbed in his c.h.e.s.t, the knife twisting and damaging every structure around the wound.
Wait, why was he even thinking of this nonsense in the middle of the surgery broadcast?
After getting his answer from the 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films, the interventional radiologist immediately switched back to the livestream.
The operation was proceeding smoothly. The micro-guidewire had entered the liver through the short gastric artery and stopped just one centimeter away from the tumor.
[The host surgeon has an amazing team.]
Since the interventional radiologist did not want to miss any interesting surgical procedures, he quickly commented without elaborating.
[Hey, how did you know?]
[Legend, have you found the host surgeon's workplace through the human flesh search engine1?]
[I want the host surgeon's workplace address; I'm going to further my studies and will even resign to achieve my goal, so don't even think about stopping me. I must learn this technique!]
The one bullet attracted dozens more that blotted out the subtle insertion of microcatheter on the screen.
The interventional radiologist was particularly troubled. His sole purpose for watching the livestream was to observe these fine manipulations, but even this was impossible now.
[Just shut up and read the patient's preoperative 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films.]
[It's just simple 3D image reconstruction of the CT films, what's so interesting about it?]
[Has the host surgeon made flowers out of the films?]
This was usually the case on the internet—an online world of contrarians. Despite being professional doctors, the viewers would still verbally assault anyone who told them to shut up.
The interventional radiologist was helpless. He was aware that most viewers were general surgeons who did not understand interventional radiology, which was why they could unscrupulously bombard him with criticism.
Despite his strong urge to turn off the comment section, he was reluctant to waste the golden opportunity to educate the others on interventional radiology.
Holding the phone in his hands, the radiologist began to type his explanation.
[The host surgeon found an abnormally proliferating tumor-feeding artery originating from the short gastric artery in the 3D reconstruction of the 64-slice CT films, which was why they superselected that artery in the beginning instead of adhering to the standard protocol of searching for the hepatic artery.
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