tkworld Chapter 1376 Watching others perform surgery always feels so superficial
Chapter 1376 Watching others perform surgery always feels so superficial
Chapter 1376 Watching others perform surgery always feels so superficial
At 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Yang Ping arrived at the Department of Trauma Orthopedics on time.
The elevator doors opened, and before he could even step out, he saw Fatty already waiting at the elevator entrance. His massive frame stood there, completely blocking the elevator doors, like a guardian deity.
"Professor Yang! You've arrived!" Fatty stepped aside, his face beaming with smiles. "Director Bai is already in the operating room preparing and sent me down to greet you."
Yang Ping nodded and followed him toward the operating room. As they walked, he asked, "How is the patient?"
"I'm fine. I slept well last night, and my blood pressure and heart rate are stable this morning," Fatty said. "I'm just a little nervous, after all, it's such a big surgery."
The two men walked to the operating room door, changed their shoes, and put on scrub suits, hats, and masks in the changing room. Yang Ping wrapped himself up tightly, only his eyes showing. Fatty was different; his scrub suit was specially made, three sizes larger than others, but even so, it was still tight on him, making his stomach look like it was stuffed with a large basketball.
"Was this outfit custom-made?" Yang Ping asked.
Fatty looked down at his stomach and sighed, "Yeah, the hospital specially ordered them for the three of us. We originally wanted to order two sizes larger, but they didn't fit, so we had to order three sizes larger."
Yang Ping couldn't help but laugh.
Stepping into the operating room, the operating lights were already on. A man in his forties lay on the operating table, and the anesthesiologist was adjusting various tubes. The electrocardiogram monitor beeped rhythmically, and green numbers and waveforms flashed on the screen.
Director Bai was already standing beside the operating table, his massive frame particularly striking under the operating lights. He was reviewing the image on the slide when he heard footsteps and turned around.
"Professor Yang!" he called out, his voice filled with obvious excitement, "You've arrived!"
Little Fatty stood to the side, holding the surgical instrument list, checking each item one by one. Upon seeing Yang Ping, he quickly called out, "Professor Yang."
Yang Ping walked over and glanced at the image on the film projector. The shattered pelvis was indeed quite shocking.
"Ready?" he asked.
Director Bai took a deep breath and nodded: "Ready."
A young doctor walked over, wearing black-rimmed glasses and looking quite refined. Director Bai introduced him, "This is our newest rotating graduate student, Xiao Li. Today, he'll be our third assistant, helping with the hook-up."
Xiao Li was a little nervous, and nodded to Yang Ping: "Hello, Professor Yang."
Yang Ping hummed in agreement, glanced at Xiao Li, then looked at Director Bai, Fatty, and Little Fatty, and suddenly remembered a question.
Is there enough room for four people to stand around the operating table?
He was familiar with this operating room; it wasn't small, but that was for doctors of average build. Director Bai alone occupied the space equivalent to two average-sized people. Fatty and Little Fatty, though slightly smaller, were still heavyweights. With the three of them standing around the operating table, there was practically no empty space left; four people would be in a bind!
But he didn't say anything, he decided to wait and see.
The anesthesiologist did a final check and nodded to Director Bai: "We can begin."
Director Bai took a deep breath and stood in the surgeon's position. Fatty stood opposite him as the first assistant. Little Fatty stood next to him as the second assistant. The three of them stood there, immediately filling the area around the operating table, like three small mountains standing side by side.
Xiao Li stood behind with his hands clasped, looking left and right, but he couldn't find a gap to squeeze into. Even if he managed to squeeze in, the surgical area was too far away to reach.
He tried to squeeze next to the fat guy, but there was no room.
Xiao Li: "..."
Director Bai turned around and glanced at him: "What are you doing?"
Xiao Li said awkwardly, "Director, I...I can't fit in there."
Fatty looked down and suddenly realized, "Oh right, the three of us take up too much space."
He tried moving half a step to the left, but there was no space left, only the instrument table. He then tried moving to the right, but there was also limited space on the right, only the anesthesia head frame.
The three of them spent a long time adjusting their positions around the operating table, like three bears trying to squeeze into the same den, jostling and pushing, but in the end they still managed to squeeze in completely.
Xiao Li stood on the outside with his hands clasped, like a bird that couldn't find a place to land.
Director Bai sighed, "Alright, alright, Xiao Li, you can just watch and study from the sidelines today."
Li felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly stepped aside, his face showing an expression of relief.
Yang Ping finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Your team will need to consider positioning before performing surgery in the future."
Director Bai said with a bitter face, "Professor Yang, please don't make fun of us. We're fine when we do routine surgeries, the three of us just need to be in our positions. But today's surgery is too complicated, and we got nervous and forgot about that."
Little Fatty muttered to himself, "It's mainly because the three of us are too fat."
Fatty said, "This isn't fat, it's just big."
Director Bai glared at them: "Stop talking nonsense and let's begin."
The surgery finally began.
Under the operating lights, Director Bai, with his extensive experience, performed each incision, separation, and exposure with clean and efficient movements. His fingers were thick but surprisingly nimble, moving through the tissues with an agility that seemed disproportionate to his physique.
Fatty assisted him, responsible for exposing the area. His task was to use retractors to pull the muscles apart so that Director Bai could see the deep fracture. He was very skilled at this; the retractors were positioned perfectly, providing sufficient exposure without over-stretching and damaging the tissue.
Xiao Pang was in charge of sucking blood and rinsing, and would occasionally hand over the instruments. He was also very quick; the moment Director Bai reached out his hand, the instruments he needed were already in his grasp.
The three worked together seamlessly, their movements fluid and natural, a testament to their years of collaboration.
Xiao Li stood by, watching with envy in his eyes. He finally understood why these three fat men could form a medical team. Not only were they similar in size, but they also worked together like a unified whole, each knowing exactly what the others were going to do next.
Yang Ping stood a little distance away, watching silently. His gaze remained fixed on Director Bai's hand, occasionally glancing up at the numbers on the monitor.
“Well done,” he suddenly said.
Director Bai paused for a moment, then quickened his pace.
That was Yang Ping's approval. Although it was only a few words, it was more important to him than anything else.
The most difficult part has arrived: the reconstruction of the acetabulum.
Director Bai put down the instruments in his hands and took a deep breath. Fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead, and the circulating nurse quickly wiped them away with gauze.
“Professor Yang,” he turned to look at Yang Ping, “I’m going to do this roof.”
Yang Ping walked over and stood next to him, looking at the broken joint surface deep in the surgical field.
“Pay attention to the angle,” he said. “Around thirty degrees, tap while keeping an eye on the C-arm.”
Director Bai nodded and took over the baton.
Because of his thick fingers and large palms, his hands are very strong, and any tool he holds has a strong sense of power.
The C-arm was pushed in, and through the lens, the collapsed mortar roof was displayed on the screen, looking like a small mountain that had been crushed.
Director Bai gripped the baton, aimed it at the target, and tapped it lightly, appearing as if he were handling a heavy task with ease.
"Okay, let's look at the C-arm."
In perspective, on the screen, the mortar top is raised slightly, but not enough.
"One more time."
Director Bai took a deep breath, aimed at the spot, and knocked hard.
Through the lens, on the screen, the acetabular roof finally rose to the correct position. The joint surfaces were flat, and the angle was perfect.
“Okay!” Yang Ping said.
Director Bai let out a long breath, his hands trembling slightly. It was the lingering effect of tension, but also the joy of success.
Moving on to the next step, the reconstruction of the rear wall.
He picked up the shaped steel plate and compared its position. This steel plate had been bent before the surgery, and Yang Ping had personally guided the shaping; the curvature was just right.
"Let's put it up and try it," Yang Ping said.
Director Bai placed the steel plate on the bone, examined it, and adjusted the angle. Then he picked up the screw holder and began inserting screws. One, two, three.
The location of every screw was planned before the surgery. His job was to turn that plan into reality.
The nurses beside him kept handing him instruments. The chubby boy used one hand to pull the hook and the other to hold the suction device, constantly drawing out the blood. The only sounds in the operating room were the beeping of the monitors and occasional whispers.
Three hours later, Director Bai put down the last piece of equipment.
"ended."
He looked up at the image on the film projector. The shattered pelvis had been pieced back together with steel plates and screws, restoring it to its original shape.
“C-arm!” Yang Ping said.
The C-arm machine was brought in again for X-ray examination. On the screen, the surgery that had just been completed was clearly displayed to everyone.
The acetabular roof was well reduced, and the articular surfaces were smooth. The posterior plate was precisely positioned, and the screws were of appropriate length. The anterior and posterior pelvic rings were securely fixed, and the reduction of the sacroiliac joint was very satisfactory.
"Okay," Yang Ping said, adding another word.
Director Bai looked at him and asked, "Is it alright now?"
Yang Ping nodded: "Okay, go ahead and sew it."
Director Bai finally smiled, a smile blooming on his chubby face like that of a child who had received candy.
Fatty and Little Fatty laughed along, and the three of them stood by the operating table like three Maitreya Buddhas.
While they were stitching, the three of them started their usual bickering again.
Fatty said, "Director, my heart stopped when you hit me with that baton."
Director Bai said, "Your heart stopped? My heart was about to jump out of my throat."
Little Fatty said, "I watched from the side, not daring to breathe too loudly, for fear that if I breathed, I would blow the mortar top off."
Fatty said, "With your 180-pound breathing, you can definitely blow things out of shape."
Little Fatty said, "You weigh more than me, and you breathe more heavily."
Director Bai said, "Stop arguing, all of you. I'm an idiot. I'm the one who breathes the hardest, but I'm not breathing. I'm holding my breath."
The three of them chatted amongst themselves, but their hands never stopped moving, flowing smoothly like water.
Since the major reforms at Sanbo Hospital, Director Bai, though over forty, has continued to study diligently to keep up with the times, and his skills have improved significantly in recent years.
Yang Ping stood to the side, watching them with a smile on his lips.
After they finished stitching, he went over and glanced at the wound. The stitches were neat, the skin was well-aligned, and the drainage tube was in the correct position.
“Excellent!” he said. “This surgery deserves a 90 out of 100.”
Fatty's eyes lit up: "Only ninety points? What about one hundred points?"
Director Bai said, "Professor Yang did the perfect score himself."
Yang Ping was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
The operation is over.
The patient was wheeled out of the operating room and sent to the ICU. Family members were waiting at the door, and when they saw the door open, they rushed in.
"Doctor, how is he/she?"
Director Bai took off his mask and said, "The surgery went smoothly. Now it's just a matter of time before the recovery."
The family member's eyes reddened, and she held his hand, repeatedly saying thank you.
Director Bai waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me, this is our job."
He paused, then said, "Your family members also need to cooperate; postoperative recovery is very important."
The family members nodded repeatedly.
Back in the lounge, Director Bai plopped down in a chair, which creaked under the weight.
Fatty handed him a bottle of water, which he took and gulped down half of.
The chubby boy asked from the side, "Director, how are you feeling now?"
Director Bai thought for a moment and said, "Tired, but enjoyable."
Fatty said, "This assessment is very accurate."
Yang Ping sat to the side, looking at the three of them, and suddenly asked, "Are you three always this relaxed?"
Director Bai was taken aback: "What kind of ease?"
Yang Ping said, "We were arguing while I was performing surgery."
Director Bai thought for a moment and said, "No, it's not that. We're usually much worse. But with you here today, we've toned it down."
Fatty nodded: "Yes, we even dare to talk back to the director."
Director Bai glared at him: "You've been criticizing me quite a bit today too."
Little Fatty chuckled to himself.
Yang Ping smiled.
He stood up and said, "Alright, I'm going back."
"If I have any problems after the surgery, I'll contact you anytime," said Xiao Pang.
"Pah, pah, pah!" Director Bai glared at the chubby boy and quickly stood up: "Professor Yang, let me see you out."
Yang Ping waved his hand: "No need to see me off, you can rest."
After Yang Ping left.
Only three people remained in the lounge.
Fatty suddenly said, "Director, when you hit me with that baton today, I really thought you were going to miss."
Director Bai glared at him: "Can't you say something nice?"
Fatty said, "I hadn't finished speaking when you hit it so accurately. I thought to myself, 'The director is indeed the director.'"
Director Bai laughed: "That's more like it."
Xiao Pang said, "Director, the steel plate you placed today was so precise, it matched the preoperative plan perfectly."
Director Bai smiled smugly: "Of course, after so much research before the operation, how could it be inaccurate?"
Fatty said, "That's why, Doctor, I see you performing surgery with such composure, while others always seem so relaxed."
Director Bai was taken aback for a moment: "Are you praising me or something?"
Fatty said in a serious tone, "Of course I'm praising you, Director."
The chubby boy laughed wildly beside him.
Director Bai himself started laughing, his chair creaking as he laughed.
However, in the orthopedics department, their group was the most relaxed and humorous. Whether it was the head of the group or the junior doctors, they all got along very easily.