Zheng Ren handed his medical license and scientific research invitation letter to the captain.
His tone sounded serious, and he even addressed the captain as "comrade", a term rarely used nowadays.
The captain attentively read through the medical license and eyed Zheng Ren, comparing him to his photo before shifting his gaze to Cui Heming, who was ashen-faced and drenched in sweat.
"Follow me." The captain was also a responsible man. Although what Zheng Ren mentioned was alien to him, Cui Heming's condition made him believe the claim.
A life was at stake, so the captain decided to take risks.
After emergency protocol verification, Zheng Ren entered the c.o.c.kpit.
The captain had already adjusted the frequency and began to contact the control tower in Imperial Capital.
"Imperial Capital International Control Tower, this is flight N2992. Good morning."
"N2992, please speak."
"There is a patient with a life-threatening condition on my plane, and a doctor amongst my passengers wants to speak with the air traffic controller."
There was a startled silence on the other end of the phone. Evidently, the staff on duty had never encountered such an unconventional operation in his life.
The captain glanced at Zheng Ren and handed the intercom to him.
"Imperial Capital International Control Tower, hello. I'm a doctor onboard flight N2992." Zheng Ren's voice was deep and resonant with a sense of an indescribable authority. "A passenger is in critical condition, preliminarily diagnosed with type I aortic dissection. Please contact the medical staff in Imperial Capital and request an air ambulance."
The captain was stunned. It was more than enough if the control tower sent an ambulance to stand by at the airport, but an air ambulance? This young doctor must be out of his mind.
Even in Imperial Capital, only a few large hospitals had access to an air ambulance, which would be deployed only in an emergency.
Moreover, he was asking air traffic control to develop a separate route specifically for a helicopter in busy airspace above Imperial Capital International Airport. Did he seriously think this was a simple task?!
The staff on duty in the control tower remained silent. They were unable to comprehend and comply with Zheng Ren's request.
Zheng Ren blurted out a series of numbers. "This phone number belongs to Professor Pei Yingjie of the hepatobiliary hospital in Sorcery Capital. Please contact Professor Pei."
He hesitated for a brief moment and said firmly, "Please inform Professor Pei Yingjie that I'm Zheng Ren and the diagnosis is confirmed. Ask him to request an air ambulance and inform Anzhen Hospital and Fuwai Hospital to prepare for emergency surgery!"
Anzhen Hospital and Fuwai Hospital offered the best cardiovascular treatment within the country. Zheng Ren had no idea which professor was proficient in performing an "elephant trunk" procedure, also known as aortic arch replacement, which was why he brought up both hospitals.
"Copy… Alright." The staff of the control tower was flabbergasted. The caller had directly name-dropped and demanded a hospital in Imperial Capital send an air ambulance? How influential this professor must be! Perhaps he was a leading authority in the medical world between seventy to eighty years old.
The control tower terminated the conversation without going through regular protocol.
Puzzled, the captain's muscles contracted as if entering a combative state, as he considered Zheng Ren a desperado hijacking his aircraft.
Zheng Ren detected the captain's clear hostility and quickly returned the intercom, making an innocent face to indicate that he meant no harm.
"Are you sure Imperial Capital will dispatch an air ambulance?" The captain noticed Zheng Ren's attitude and recalled the medical license he had seen previously. Deep down, he was awed by the angels in white, but remained doubtful about Zheng Ren's behavior.
"Who knows." Zheng Ren shook his head. "I'm just trying my luck. The rest will depend on fate."
Zheng Ren then left the c.o.c.kpit and returned to Cui Heming's side.
The high dosage of antihypertensive drugs and a double dosage of analgesic reduced and stabilized Cui Heming's blood pressure. He was currently lying on the flattened seat in the first-class cabin; his eyes were closed and he was trying his best to remain as calm as possible.
"How is his blood pressure?" Zheng Ren asked.
"180/110mmHg," answered Su Yun immediately.
Enduring the agonizing pain in his c.h.e.s.t, Cui Heming managed to open his eyes and asked, "Doctor Zheng, am I alright?"
"I'm here, so you'll be fine," replied Zheng Ren confidently.
Cui Heming slowly extended his sweaty hand, which Zheng Ren grasped while consoling him. "You know that I'm very good."
"I trust you, Doctor Zheng." Cui Heming gradually closed his eyes again and mumbled repeatedly, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. Doctor Zheng is here, Doctor Zheng is here…"
Xia Hua was astonished. Were there any well-reputed doctors at all in Sea City, a prefectural-level municipality this doctor named Zheng Ren came from? However, as an experienced doctor, he could detect an absolute sense of authority and security Zheng Ren radiated to the patient.
Where did this power come from?
Su Yun was stunned as well. Even though he was Zheng Ren's "flawless" assistant, in terms of sense of authority… he had seriously considered himself much superior to Zheng Ren.
If he had another two years to practice, he would surely steamroll Zheng Ren without difficulty.
That had been his thought in the past, but the more he got along with Zheng Ren, the more uncertain he was about his beliefs.
Could he really surpass Zheng Ren?
Probably.
The fact that an unfamiliar patient had absolute trust in Zheng Ren further confused Su Yun.
How long had it been since he last received this sort of trust?
Apart from Zheng Ren's superb medical skills, there was something else that the highly intelligent Su Yun failed to grasp.
A deadly silence dominated the cabin with the only sound being Cui Heming's heavy, regular breathing.
More than ten minutes later, the captain opened the door and walked out of the c.o.c.kpit.
"I just received news from the control tower stating that an air ambulance is en route to Imperial Capital International Airport." The captain himself could not believe the words that just came out of his mouth.
Chapter 174 - Air Ambulance
The captain deliberately lowered his voice to ensure the patient remained undisturbed.
Even so, both Su Yun and Xia Hua heard the good news clearly.
The muscles on Su Yun's beautiful face spasmed involuntarily. He then lowered his head and allowed his black bangs to dance in the air.
The captain's words repeatedly swirled through Xia Hua's mind, stunning him for a few seconds.
He could not believe it.
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Provincial Capital Medical University was the largest hospital with the highest annual income and the total number of patients treated—ordinary and difficult cases included—in the province.
However…
Xia Hua had never encountered the use of an air ambulance to transport emergency patients. In fact, apart from movies and TV dramas, he had never seen an air ambulance despite having worked in the medical field for almost twenty years.
The astronomical cost of deploying a helicopter aside, the hospital's helipad alone required a great deal of land.
It would be faster to directly send the patient to the hospital via regular ambulance than to convert a parking lot to a temporary helipad.
Xia Hua believed that few Class Three Grade A Hospitals in Imperial Capital had air ambulances.
However, where did this guy order its deployment?
Requesting one alone was a huge favor.
What the f*ck!
"That's good." Zheng Ren smiled at the captain and went to monitor the pa
tient's condition, still whispering, "Thank you."
The captain did not disturb Zheng Ren, who remained beside the patient to keep a close eye on him.
Suppressing the doubts in his mind, the captain returned to the c.o.c.kpit.
It was a completely different world once the c.o.c.kpit door closed.
The first officer asked curiously, "Brother Lin, who is that young man?"
The captain shook his head. "I have no idea."
"That young man has really wide social connections. This is the first time I've seen a request for an air ambulance; perhaps I've not had enough time in civil aviation."
"I've worked in commercial aviation for eleven years and flown over a thousand flights, but this is a first for me as well." The captain recalled the plain-looking man's dignified and determined demeanor and said, "Doctor Zheng said that the patient's blood pressure has to remain stable, so we need to be slower and more careful during landing and touchdown. Hopefully, he will survive until he reaches the hospital."
…
…
Flight N2992 arrived at Imperial Capital International Airport in less than an hour as it was only a few hundred kilometers between Sea City and Imperial Capital.
In order to prevent a death, the captain tried his very best to land the plane in the most stable manner possible.
The flight attendants repeatedly advised the passengers to remain calm and allow the critically ill patient to get off the plane first.
A few of them grumbled, but everyone tried to be understanding and tolerant under such circ.u.mstances.
Instead of taxiing to the terminal, the plane landed on a wide, open area at one corner of Imperial Capital International Airport as instructed by air traffic control.
A helicopter was standing by,
Like a soldier awaiting orders.
Quiet, alert and fearless.
The cabin door opened as soon as the plane taxied to a halt, allowing two paramedics and two stretcher-bearers in dark green uniforms aboard the plane.
Even though the flight attendants had been informed of the situation, they had not expected an air ambulance standing by at Imperial Capital International Airport. Staring at the helicopter with its blades whirring through the air and the medical personnel rushing aboard to transfer the patient, they were surprised and excited at the same time.
Despite their intense d.e.s.i.r.e to gossip, they prioritized resuscitation and helped the stretcher-bearers to transport the patient steadily.
"Do you have a pump?" Zheng Ren's expression had relaxed slightly after the smooth landing.
"Yes." A paramedic took an infusion pump and antihypertensive drugs out of the first-aid kit.
Since Zheng Ren had informed Professor Pei about the patient's condition and diagnosis, the necessary resuscitation materials had been brought onto the air ambulance before its departure.
The infusion pump was activated and a small ECG monitor attached to the patient. After a few minutes, the drugs took effect and his blood pressure dropped to 150/90mmHg. Zheng Ren then nodded and assisted the Imperial Capital medical personnel in transferring the patient into the helicopter.
The slowly vanishing helicopter somewhat soothed Zheng Ren's nerves.
As for the surgery's success… That would depend on fate.
Type I aortic dissection was surgically treated with an aortic arch replacement, a complicated and dangerous surgery.
The mortality rate could be as high as ten percent.
However, there was at least hope for recovery. Zheng Ren, a mere general surgeon, had no d.e.s.i.r.e to assist in a surgery as advanced as aortic arch replacement.
One had to know their limitations.
He had done his best by safely escorting the patient from the airplane to the air ambulance. There was nothing else he could possibly do.
"Little Zheng, you're good." Xia Hua watched the helicopter disappear before returning to the airplane with Zheng Ren. As soon as the cabin door closed, the plane began to taxi to the terminal.
"It was fortunate that you were here," Zheng Ren said honestly, "The patient was really lucky; it's usually difficult to find analgesics on a plane."
It was a fact, not a show of courtesy.
There was a chance that someone would bring antihypertensive drugs on board a plane, but analgesics? That was all luck.
Reducing one's blood pressure was simply inadequate in Cui Heming's case as the severe tearing pain would give him a sense of impending doom.
His blood pressure could not have been lowered as smoothly had his pain not been well-controlled.
"That's true," Xia Hua agreed. They were both experienced doctors, so there was no need for formalities.
Naturally, Xia Hua knew that it was extremely difficult to diagnose an emergency case on a plane.
He was a deputy senior consultant of the cardiothoracic surgery department, but would he be confident enough to diagnose such an emergency case alone?
The answer was no. That was beyond question.
Xia Hua shook his head and added, "Little Zheng, you're skilled in making diagnoses."
"I've seen it, so I know the signs," replied Zheng Ren politely.
"Where did you even find an air ambulance? There is no way an ordinary person could get ahold of such high-end goods." This was what piqued Xia Hua's interest the most.
In all honesty, even if he had diagnosed the condition correctly and provided appropriate first-aid measures, medical resources on the airplane were still limited. In addition, the most the control tower could do was to mobilize an emergency vehicle on duty to stand by as they could not demand the deployment of an air ambulance.
Their type of emergency vehicle could only handle minor emergency issues, as well as having to face traffic congestion in Imperial Capital. Thus, it would take at least one to two hours for the patient to be admitted to a hospital.
Every second counted in an emergency situation.
An air ambulance was indeed a rare mode of transportation.
"I'm attending a research project in Imperial Capital and happened to know a professor there. I don't know the specifics, but I think the professor was the one who did it."
Ten thousand alpacas broke into a furious gallop in Xia Hua's heart. 'What the f*ck… Are you even thirty years old? Attending a research project in Imperial Capital? And you even know a professor who can mobilize an air ambulance?'
All his years in the medical field had been wasted…
He suddenly felt deeply hurt.
Chapter 175 - Superb Domain-Independent Skills
The plane soon reached the terminal and allowed the passengers to disembark in an orderly manner.
After the aircraft was empty, the flight attendants surrounded the captain and bombarded him with questions.
"Captain, what happened?"
"Brother Lin, what is going on?"
"That was my first time seeing an air ambulance."
Captain Lin looked relaxed as well. He had done everything within his power to maximize the patient's chance of survival, did he not deserve to be proud of it?
"I heard Doctor Zheng say that the patient had a serious condition; something called type I aortic dissection that could lead to sudden cardiac death at any moment," said Captain Lin.
Surprised, a stewardess covered her mouth. "Ah, aortic dissection? My classmate's father had this disease."
"Is it serious?" asked the others.
"I don't know."
"Cheh…"
"A doctor in my hometown was unable to treat the condition and said that only hospitals in the provincial capital or Imperial Capital could deal with such a case. My classmate's family agreed to the transfer, but as soon as his father sat up on the hospital bed, he collapsed and passed away," recalled the stewardess from memory. She had not foreseen encountering the same case on a plane one day.
In addition,
Most importantly,
The man had been safely transferred onto the heli
copter.
"That's bad!"
"He collapsed and died right after sitting up?"
"Oh my God, that's so scary!"
The thought of a perfectly healthy man getting up and immediately going into sudden cardiac death shocked every flight attendant.
Captain Lin also looked astonished as he had underestimated the severity of the patient's condition.
"Fortunately, the patient has safely boarded the helicopter and should be in the hospital now." The stewardess put her palms together as if praying for the patient's safety.
"I think so. It would take too long for an ambulance to go downtown before reaching the hospital, and accidents are bound to happen along the way."
"I've never seen an air ambulance. If it hadn't been for the fact that there was a red cross on the helicopter, I would have thought it belonged to a special task force deployed to arrest criminals."
After chatting for a while, the stewardess, who had been the first to notice Cui Heming's discomfort and assisted Zheng Ren in carrying the patient to the first-class cabin, suddenly said, "Brother Lin, you're awesome!"
Captain Lin froze for a moment, unable to comprehend her words.
"Your familiarity with the ground crew gave you the power to request an air ambulance," the stewardess said, expressing her admiration.
The startled Captain Lin immediately laughed.
"I ain't that powerful." Captain Lin could not take all the credit. "It was that young doctor who contacted the control tower and asked the ground crew to call a professor surnamed Pei."
"Huh?"
"What happened after that?"
"Impossible. Even if the ground crew was willing to contact that professor, how could one phone call mobilize an air ambulance?"
The flight attendants were in disbelief.
"I remember Doctor Zheng telling me to inform Professor Pei that he had diagnosed an aortic dissection in-flight and needed an air ambulance." The captain was still flabbergasted as he recalled it. "After that, I received a response from air traffic control stating that a helicopter was en route. I contacted the control tower again before landing and taxied the plane to the designated location."
"..."
The Surgeon's Studio c1-799 Page 89