Chapter 304: Chapter 304

The folks in the emergency department, if not quite counting down the days on their fingers, were all anxiously looking forward to September 9th. They were excited to move into their new "home" and upgrade their equipment.

At the very least, after moving, they wouldn’t have to run back and forth for any kind of test; everything would be readily available. Results from instrumental examinations would also be transmitted in real-time, eliminating the wait for different departments to register them.

This was the power of modern technology. Of course, it also required considerable financial support.

Even though they hadn’t moved yet, some photos of the new place had already started circulating among the emergency department’s social circle. They wanted to persuade Liu Banxia to go and take some pictures, but he was a bit lazy.

"Okay, it’s fine to get excited for a bit," said Liu Banxia, clapping his hands.

"We must take our last shift seriously. Currently, we have two patients in the emergency department: one is Han Lin, who is waiting for discharge, and the other is Li Xue, who was admitted yesterday and is preparing for a rectal tumor removal surgery today."

"After moving to the new building, we’ll have to bring these two patients with us. However, Han Lin will only stay for one day at most, while Li Xue will need to stay for a few more."

"We also need to be fully prepared for the emergency patients arriving today, especially those who come at night. We can’t afford negligence just because we’re about to move. Qing Kewa, Huang Bo, Miao Rui, and Li Hao, you’ll scrub in with me to observe. Wang Chao, you’ll be first assistant."

"Hehe, thank you, President Liu. I really do need more practice with intestinal surgeries," Wang Chao hurriedly said.

"You four, go and make the final preoperative preparations for the patient. I’ll wait for you in the operating room," Liu Banxia told Huang Bo and the others.

They were all very excited, both about assisting in surgery today and about the anticipation for their new ’home.’ After moving to the new building, they would undoubtedly treat more patients. Given Liu Banxia’s personality, they knew they would genuinely get many opportunities for hands-on surgical experience. In fact, considering their internship time here so far, they had already received several times more such opportunities than their peers.

"President Liu, do you think that issue from last time has been settled?" Wang Chao asked as they walked towards the operating room.

"What issue?" Liu Banxia asked curiously.

"The patient with toxic epidermal necrolysis. It caused such a stir the day before yesterday, and then everything suddenly quieted down yesterday and today. Did Old Qin sort it out?" Wang Chao asked.

"How would I know? Even if they did talk to Old Qin, Old Qin couldn’t tell me," Liu Banxia said with a smile. "That’s probably what happened. Anyway, I effectively pushed back when the medical department tried to pin the blame on our emergency department."

"Actually, I feel it’s a bit unfair to Old Qin. Who knows what really went down with that case? I think the most likely scenario is that the patient’s description was unclear, and Old Qin was a bit careless."

"But there’s nothing to be done. Once you’re involved, you can’t escape it. This experience further strengthens my resolve not to casually treat just anyone. My intentions were good at the time, but I might have just dug myself into a big hole."

"There’s another thing. Didn’t I ask you a while ago to prepare for the medical knowledge popularization segment? You’ll need to say a few words during the interview the day after tomorrow. I’ve already reported this to Director Zhou, and he told me to handle it as I see fit."

"My god, President Liu, my dear brother, I can’t do this! If I speak, what about Dr. Shi, Dr. Wei, and all the other doctors?" Wang Chao panicked.

"What about them? They don’t care about this sort of thing. They’re the type to profit quietly. Besides me, it’s you. We can’t have an intern do it, can we?" Liu Banxia said.

"But there are other departments. It won’t just be our general surgery then," Wang Chao said.

"True, but they weren’t involved in the initial preparations. Even I only have a general idea; didn’t you do most of the work? Why are you being so coy now? Did someone try to take credit for your work?" Liu Banxia joked.

"The thing is, it’ll be on the news. It’s too high-profile. I’m afraid it will breed resentment," Wang Chao said with a wry smile.

"Don’t worry. Any resentment will mostly be directed at me; others are unlikely to be targeted," Liu Banxia said.

Wang Chao’s apprehension showed he still had a clear head; this honor wouldn’t be wasted on him. He was neither overly ambitious nor too self-effacing—precisely why Shi Lei and Wei Yuan had no interest.

「In the operating room」

They scrubbed in and entered.

Today’s anesthesiologist was still Wang Lei. This would likely be the standard team composition going forward.

"Tomorrow’s the day. We officially open at 9 a.m.," said Wang Lei.

"Exactly, we’re all looking forward to it. It would be great if everyone could get a good rest today. No major incidents these past few days, but minor things keep popping up," Liu Banxia said.

"Dr. Liu, would you like Xu Dan to assist you? Dandan is very talented; she catches on quickly," Liu Mei suggested.

"Ah... no, no, I can’t," Xu Dan at the side just shook her head.

"Alright then, Sister Mei, please guide her well," Liu Banxia glanced at Xu Dan, settling the matter.

Xu Dan was slightly hesitant; there’s a significant difference between observing from the sidelines and actually being on the "battlefield." It was only because Liu Banxia was someone she was quite familiar with that she didn’t consider backing out. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩

Just then, the patient was wheeled in. The nasogastric tube was clearly uncomfortable, so he just managed a small wave at Liu Banxia.

"Don’t worry, we will do our utmost to perform a sphincter-preserving operation. The surgical details have all been discussed. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll proceed directly. If any issues arise, I’ll personally communicate with your family," Liu Banxia said.

"Thank you, Dr. Liu. Wearing a bag... it would be so humiliating," the patient replied.

Liu Banxia nodded. "Rest assured, we’re about to begin. If all goes well, you’ll be in a hospital bed recovering in about two hours."

After speaking, Liu Banxia nodded to Wang Lei, signaling to start. Whether they could preserve the sphincter and how long the surgery would take ultimately depended on the patient’s actual condition.

"Li Hao, make the incision. Huang Bo, first assistant," Liu Banxia said once the patient was successfully anesthetized.

Li Hao stepped forward to the primary surgeon’s position, and Xu Dan deftly handed him the scalpel.

Liu Banxia gave Xu Dan a thumbs-up as encouragement. However, Xu Dan had no time to banter with him; she was still very nervous.

For the interns under Liu Banxia’s guidance, making an abdominal incision was a genuinely simple task.

Back when Liu Banxia was performing one surgery after another, these interns had all gained experience with laparotomies; only the length and position of the incisions varied.

This patient wasn’t having laparoscopic surgery due to concerns about possibly needing a colostomy; converting to open surgery if that became necessary would be too time-consuming.

Moreover, a standard open procedure would also save the patient some money. Chemotherapy lay ahead, and that was the major expense.

Layer by layer, the abdominal tissues were opened. Li Hao, Huang Bo, and Xu Dan coordinated well. However, once the peritoneum was incised and the entire abdominal cavity was exposed, the operating room fell silent.

"Upon exploring the abdomen," Li Hao said after a moment of silence, "there’s a significant amount of gelatinous material within the abdominal cavity, extensively adhered to the surrounding organs. Our assessment is that inflammation has already infected the entire abdominal cavity."

"What’s your judgment? Can this surgery be performed?" Liu Banxia asked.

"The adhesions are too severe. If we remove the tumor now, we’ll likely damage the tissues of other organs. Unless... Teacher Liu, you think you can do it?" Li Hao asked.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "Close him up. Even I can’t do it. The adhesions are too severe, and it has already invaded the surrounding tissues. If we proceed, there’s a high likelihood of causing massive bleeding."

"At the very least, none of the surgical plans we prepared today are suitable for this patient. Let’s close the abdomen for now, wake the patient, and then we can discuss further options."

This outcome was unexpected for him as well. The root cause was the rapid progression of the cancer. If the patient had opted for decisive action when it was first discovered, instead of prioritizing sphincter preservation, there might have been a chance.

After the abdomen was closed, Wang Lei began to wake the patient. The atmosphere in the operating room remained somber, a feeling somehow more agonizing than losing a patient outright.

As soon as Liu Banxia stepped out, the patient’s wife hurried over and asked, "Dr. Liu, is the surgery over already?"

"After opening the abdomen, we discovered extensive adhesions involving the internal organs, so we did not proceed with the tumor removal. Next, I will explain the detailed situation to you, and the final decision will be yours to make."

Hearing Liu Banxia’s words, the family members were stunned. Their previous concern had been whether his sphincter could be preserved; they had never imagined he might not even have the chance for surgery.

Family members of other patients were nearby, so it wasn’t the place for a detailed discussion. Liu Banxia could only provide a brief overview, deferring the specifics until they were back in the patient’s ward.

"Dr. Liu, does this mean I don’t even have a chance for surgery?" the patient asked from his bed, looking at Liu Banxia.

"It’s not that there’s no chance, but the odds are very low," Liu Banxia said.

"If we were to proceed with surgery, given the current situation, preserving your sphincter would definitely not be possible. It’s also unclear how much of the rectum would need to be removed. However, those aren’t the most critical issues. The main problem is the extremely severe adhesions of the organ tissues."

"If we only remove the tumor without clearing away these adhesions, the surgery would be essentially meaningless. And right now, completely clearing these adhesions is incredibly challenging. There’s a high probability you wouldn’t survive the operation."

"To take it a step further, even if the adhesions weren’t so extensively infiltrated and we could mark the boundaries using laparoscopic ultrasound, your chance of survival after a successful surgery would only be around 10%."

"This would be a major operation, and it would take a tremendous toll on your body. If you don’t have the surgery, you could still have a few months to spend with your family."

The patient fell silent. His family members could only weep.

"Dr. Liu, did I delay my treatment?" the patient asked.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "No one could have discovered the extent of the adhesions without opening the abdomen or performing a laparoscopic exploration."

"Then... if I do have the surgery, what are the chances of success?" the patient asked again.

"Considering the difficulty of the operation and the likely postoperative condition, it might be less than 3%," Liu Banxia stated bluntly.

These words were not easy to say, yet Liu Banxia had to deliver them calmly. It was the patient’s right to know, a right no one could usurp.

Whether or not to proceed with the surgery was a decision only the patient could make.