Chapter 227: Chapter 227
(Thanks to book friend 161004014456556 for the monthly ticket encouragement.)
Waking up in the break room, Liu Banxia shook his head, trying to clear it as much as possible.
Although the procedures he performed yesterday were all simple minor surgeries, the only slightly complicated one was the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, because he had performed so many, he felt exhausted.
He was now very impressed with Zhou Shuwen and Shi Lei for being able to withstand so many days of high-intensity surgery. My stamina is terrible, truly awful.
After taking a shower, he had a hearty breakfast in the cafeteria, then he went to the anorectal department to change Qiu Huaili's dressing.
Qiu Huaili was still sleeping drowsily when Liu Banxia finished changing his dressing. As for when to change it in the afternoon, Liu Banxia couldn't be sure.
The laparoscopic hepatic cystectomy scheduled for this morning was a major surgery, so Liu Banxia had summoned all the interns from the emergency department.
Even before the surgery began, the observation room outside was already crowded with people again.
"Today's surgery will take a long time. Each of you will get some time as first assistant. Any problems?" Liu Banxia asked, looking at the eight of them.
"Teacher Liu, are you really letting us do it?" Xu Yino asked. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fiɾe·net
"Why would you doubt it? You all performed well in yesterday's seven surgeries. I'll be guiding you, so as long as your hands are steady, there won't be any issues," Liu Banxia said confidently.
"Dr. Liu, how long is this surgery expected to take?" Wang Lei asked.
"The cyst isn't very large, and not much tissue will need to be removed. Around four hours. If we're lucky, three and a half should do it," Liu Banxia said.
Hearing his words, many of the observers outside simply pursed their lips in disdain.
Arrogant! Utterly arrogant! Why doesn't he just say he's going to fly to the moon?
Even if Director Zhou himself performed this surgery, the fastest he could do it would be around three hours. After all, it's the liver; there are too many blood vessels here. Could dissecting it be the same as dissecting an appendix or gallbladder?
Actually, Wang Lei also felt Liu Banxia was being a bit too confident. Just saying around four hours would have been fine; why add the bit about three and a half?
Liu Banxia rolled his neck, hopped in place a few times, then flexed his wrists and fingers, completing his warm-up.
He didn't want to appear so arrogant, but he couldn't help it. Even though he was in the emergency department, with Wang Chao as his source for gossip, some external comments still reached his ears. Some of those remarks were indeed quite harsh.
He was innocent too! He merely felt a bit bad and wanted to help Shi Lei and Zhou Shuwen share some of their pressure. Otherwise, today's surgery would have been Zhou Shuwen's, and Zhou Shuwen could be performing a radical gastrectomy right now.
Those harsh words had stoked his stubborn streak. Since I have to perform over fifty surgeries in ten days anyway, then bring it on!
The surgery began. The preliminary work was naturally handled by the interns, also giving them a chance to practice.
Once he began operating, the people in the observation room became even more "eager." Their eyes were wide, not wanting to "miss" any detail of Liu Banxia's technique.
They all had their own agendas, hoping to correct some of the current unhealthy trends at the Second Affiliated Hospital. However, as the operation progressed, they found themselves somewhat dumbfounded.
Liu Banxia's steadiness and speed during the operation formed a stark contrast. Is this someone who has only performed one partial hepatectomy before? Is this really laparoscopic surgery? Such skill and speed would be difficult for even some associate chief physicians to achieve!
As soon as an expert makes a move, you know if they've got it. Many had come to watch the spectacle or to find fault, but some were genuinely observing from an educational perspective.
Liu Banxia was performing this surgery with interns. If one understands surgical techniques deeply enough, even a first assistant can influence the lead surgeon's rhythm. Just like Zhou Shuwen last time, who guided Liu Banxia through the entire procedure.
But what about this time? Although the first assistant role was rotated among these interns, Liu Banxia completely dictated the rhythm. Normally, this should prolong the surgery time, as guidance and personnel changes would waste a lot of time.
Yet, the result was the opposite. Liu Banxia was extremely fast during the dissection process. Whenever a task required him, the lead surgeon, he completed it swiftly.
Time ticked by, second by second. Even those who had initially wanted to find fault with Liu Banxia found themselves unconsciously engrossed after witnessing his performance today.
Surgeons are, in a way, artisans; when they witness excellent technique, they too become captivated.
In the Chief Director's office, Chen Zhenxing and Zhou Zhiyong were drinking tea and watching the computer screen, broad smiles on their faces.
"This kid," Chen Zhenxing said, "I don't even know what to say. How... how does he possess such great insight and skill?"
"We'll have to get Shuwen to watch a recording of this surgery. Even if there are some flawed maneuvers, it's because the first assistant's coordination isn't up to par. If he had a first assistant of comparable skill, I believe this surgery could be completed within three hours."
"Old Zhou, think about it. What should we do? This kid keeps bringing us surprises; we can't treat him unfairly."
"Old Chen, calm down, will you? How can we properly assign him an assistant?" Zhou Zhiyong said with a wry smile.
"Are you planning to assign a senior attending physician as his dedicated first assistant? That would be a waste, and it would generate even more gossip outside. Not to mention he's still mentoring the emergency department interns. It's only been a few days, but I hear they're all very convinced by him."
"Nominally, they've all been assigned out, with Liu Banxia primarily mentoring Qing Kewa. But with Shi Lei busy with surgeries and the emergency department's shift rotations, he's actually been guiding all of them."
"Night shifts are tough, but his interns fight over taking them. They even say it's an honor. Only Liu Banxia could spin it that way."
"Haha, that was precisely our intention when Shuwen and I discussed it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have stuffed all six of them into the emergency department," Chen Zhenxing said with a laugh.
"He usually seems playful and mischievous, making him a bit of an oddball at our Second Affiliated Hospital. However, the feedback from patients is very good, and he's managing relationships in the emergency department quite well now."
"I even thought that after becoming chief resident, he would try to suppress Qi Wentai. I didn't expect him to merely give him the cold shoulder; he doesn't exclude Qi Wentai when it comes to assigning tasks and resources."
"Sigh..." Zhou Zhiyong let out a breath. "Actually, on the whole, Qi Wentai is also very good, a promising talent. It's just that because of Qin Hai, he's become unpopular."
"Chief Director, do you think Liu Banxia dares to let these interns assist him in such major surgeries because of his unconventional style, or because he simply doesn't care?"
Chen Zhenxing opened the window, took out a cigarette, and lit it. "If you ask me," he said, "he has a solid foundation and genuinely trusts these kids' skills, which is why he's giving them this chance."
"I heard from Linlin that he was constantly observing these kids when he was in the emergency room. Plus, their existing skill level is quite good, so that's why he dares to be so bold."
"Haven't you noticed there's been a lot more chicken in the cafeteria recently? That's all the chicken they've used for suturing and dissection practice during their night shifts."
Zhou Zhiyong nodded. "Linlin improving so much, so quickly, was genuinely beyond my expectations. Otherwise, even Old Li thought she should reconsider her specialization, perhaps switch to internal medicine."
"With Liu Banxia, we're more than halfway through this difficult period. However, we also need to make some adjustments to the salary structure for our medical staff," Chen Zhenxing said.
"The reason private hospitals out there are so attractive is that they pay more, and the work is easier. The surgical pressure at our hospital has always been immense, and now it's like a major eruption of contradictions."
"It's somewhat related to Old Qin, isn't it? Should we raise this issue?" Zhou Zhiyong asked.
"Forget it." Chen Zhenxing waved his hand dismissively. "Even if we did raise it, we can't produce any evidence. Although he's been frequently taking people out to eat recently, he could argue he's just doing his job for the medical affairs department." He turned his gaze back to the monitor.
On the screen, Liu Banxia was already in the closing stages. The surgery, up to this point, could largely be considered a success.
Since the cyst wasn't very large, it could be removed directly through the laparoscopic port. However, when Liu Banxia gently squeezed it, he found the cyst was somewhat firm.
I'll send it directly to pathology for a full examination. Hopefully, this patient won't have to endure any more suffering. I've already excised the surrounding tissue very cleanly during the procedure.
DING! Daily Task completed (20/20)
Gained 300 Experience Points, 5 Glory Points.
Incredible Challenge Mission completed (8/50)
Gained 500 Experience Points, Suturing Skill Proficiency +100, Dressing Change Skill Proficiency +100, Diagnostics Skill Proficiency +300, Liver Surgery Skill Proficiency +1,000.
Current surgery rating: Flawless. Gained 500 Experience Points, Suturing Skill Proficiency +300, Dressing Change Skill Proficiency +300, Diagnostics Skill Proficiency +500, Liver Surgery Skill Proficiency +1,000, Glory Points +3.
Congratulations, Host's Suturing Skill has advanced to Level 3 (20,174/49,999).
Seeing the string of rewards, especially since his Suturing Skill had even leveled up to 3, Liu Banxia was so excited he nearly started dancing right there in the operating room.
Unable to hold back, he furtively glanced at his attribute panel.
Liu Banxia: Level 36 (68,147/68,586)
Title: A Doctor With Some Experience
Mind: 62 (Comprehension, Memory, Focus enhanced by 10.71%)
Agility: 70 (Stability, Speed, Touch enhanced by 29.63%)
Strength: 57 (Power, Instrument Proficiency, Instrument Effectiveness enhanced by 32.56%)
Endurance: 49 (Tolerance, Stamina enhanced by 25.64%)
Dressing Change Skill: Level 2 (19,979/19,999)
Suturing Skill: Level 3 (20,174/49,999)
Diagnostics Skill: Level 3 (38,831/49,999)
Looking at his rather pathetic amount of Glory Points, he couldn't help it. I'm not a god. It's not like I can perfectly master these surgeries just by knowing how to do them.
In others' eyes, this was only his second laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. In reality, he had already performed ten in the dream space. Which one of those didn't require Glory Points to sustain?
"Brother Wang, let's move this afternoon's surgeries up to 12:30 p.m. If we squeeze the schedule, we might be able to fit in one more," Liu Banxia said, glancing at the surgery timer: 3 hours and 37 minutes.
Wang Lei was momentarily stunned, then nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll make the arrangements immediately."
The observers outside, however, listened with wide, disbelieving eyes. Has this kid gotten too cocky, or has he gone crazy? There are already four surgeries scheduled for this afternoon, and he wants to add another one?