Chapter 103: Troubled Times at the Emergency Surgery Suite

“Who is in charge of the Emergency Department Operating Room?” Zhong Hui asked coldly.

“I am!”

Dr. Xu responded calmly.

“Hand over all the surgical records, case files, and patient progress notes from the past month regarding the Emergency Operating Room. The Medical Quality Control Department needs to conduct a thorough investigation into the doctors, nurses, and admitting physicians involved in yesterday’s incident.”

The purpose of the Medical Quality Control Department was already clear – it was aimed at yesterday’s medical accident.

It seemed they were preparing for an in-depth probe.

This was the first time Zhou Can truly felt the weight of a medical accident’s consequences.

Surgical records were typically kept and maintained by nurses.

Liu Xia, the head nurse of the operating room, arrived promptly after receiving the notice.

She then retrieved the relevant records and handed them to the quality control team.

Because Zhou Can, Dr. Xu, and the on-duty nurse from yesterday were all under investigation, Dr. Fu had to be called in as a temporary substitute.

Otherwise, the Emergency Operating Room wouldn’t be able to function.

……

Inside a small office, after being questioned, Dr. Xu emerged.

“Zhou Can, come in!”

The young woman from the quality control team didn’t even give Dr. Xu and Zhou Can a chance to speak.

Clearly, she was preventing any collusion between them.

Zhou Can stepped in as the quality control team leader, Zhong Hui, sat there with a stern expression.

The quality control officer then closed the door and sat next to Zhong Hui at a computer, acting as the recorder.

A camera was pointed directly at Zhou Can.

The atmosphere during the questioning felt exceptionally serious.

“Zhou Can, when were you designated as a standardized training doctor?”

“May 7th this year.”

“When did you start the standardized training in the Emergency Department Operating Room?”

“May 7th this year.”

On the very day his training was approved, he was assigned to the Emergency Department. Since then, he had constantly worked in the operating room under Dr. Xu’s guidance.

Originally, he had planned to specialize in General Surgery training.

However, being admitted to Tuyu Hospital as a general trainee was far better than direct specialized training in General Surgery – it carried more value and prestige.

It also offered greater prospects for growth.

“When did you start participating in surgeries?”

“May 7th.”

“When did you begin assisting in secondary surgeries?”

“I honestly can’t recall. It was probably about half a month after I entered the operating room.”

“When did you first independently lead a primary surgery?”

“Never. I’ve always operated under the guidance of a senior doctor.”

Zhou Can wasn’t foolish – he knew there was no way he would admit to such things.

He fully understood the basic admission rules for surgeries.

“Zhou Can, this is an official inquiry. You must answer honestly. If you deliberately withhold information, the hospital has the right to impose a series of penalties, including termination of your training, blacklisting in the industry, and a negative record in your personnel file.”

Zhong Hui’s steady, powerful voice, laden with threat, felt like mountains crushing down.

The psychological pressure on Zhou Can was unimaginable.

Yet he managed to hold his ground; his expression turned calm, and his eyes cleared.

“Every word I’ve said is the truth. I haven’t concealed anything,”

he replied evenly.

“Our investigation shows you independently led numerous primary surgeries, even some secondary ones. Do you still wish to argue?” Zhong Hui’s tone grew severe, his expression even sterner.

A heavy feeling fell over Zhou Can.

Keeping silent was one thing, but others might not be as restrained.

Nurses and other doctors could easily become the breakthrough to expose the truth.

Zhong Hui’s piercing gaze made it hard to breathe under its invisible pressure.

“If it happened, just admit it. Right now, this is an internal matter at our hospital – there’s no need to worry too much,” the young female officer added.

Their back-and-forth dialogue was clearly designed to break down Zhou Can’s inner defenses.

If she hadn’t mentioned it, he might have relaxed, but her words made him immediately realize that they were setting him up.

If they had solid evidence, would they need such an elaborate inducement?

“I really haven’t led any surgeries on my own; I’ve always worked under Dr. Xu’s supervision. If you don’t believe me, feel free to investigate further,” Zhou Can’s tone and attitude turned resolute.

Zhong Hui’s eyes flashed with disappointment.

Yet, he wasn’t ready to give up.

“We watched you from the operating room. We even recorded the moment you were removing an appendix. Do you want to keep arguing?”

This was the final push.

“Weren’t my senior doctors standing by when the footage was recorded?”

Zhou Can smirked inwardly, silently relieved.

During the earlier interrogation, he had narrowly avoided self-incrimination.

“The rules are inflexible, but people are not,” he thought.

Some aspects of operating room privileges were quite flexible.

As long as one did not confess, no one could really do anything.

“Watch your words and answer our questions directly!”

The young female officer snapped coldly.

Following that, they continued a series of probing questions, and Zhou Can carefully navigated each one.

“Alright, you may get back to work. We’ll call on you again if needed. Thank you for your cooperation,”

she said, standing up to dismiss him.

Zhou Can was effectively ‘shown the door.’ The questioning wasn’t over – Dr. Lu was still waiting outside.

All the involved doctors were to be investigated.

Dr. Lu, seeing Zhou Can emerge, stood up and asked, “You okay?” Cleverly, he was probing for the outcome of the interrogation.

“I’m fine,”

Zhou Can replied with a slight blink.

“No communication among you until the investigation is finished. Dr. Lu, it’s your turn – please come in.”

The quality control officer immediately halted any further conversation between them.

The two exchanged a glance, each smiling subtly.

This scene visibly annoyed the female officer, whose face turned icy.

Dr. Lu briskly walked into the office, his hands behind his back as he flashed an OK sign toward Zhou Can.

It meant, don’t worry – he knew exactly how to handle this.

Zhou Can nearly burst into laughter.

Everyone had strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Lu was far from perfect, but when it came to critical situations, he was sharp as ever.

The Emergency Department’s medical team might have been slightly behind on surgical skills and had subpar facilities, but they were exceptionally united when dealing with external pressures.

That had been the case with the department heads in the Resuscitation Room previously,

and now, even these lower-level doctors displayed the same determination.

……

Back in the operating room, Dr. Xu continued the surgery with remarkable composure.

Seeing Zhou Can return, Dr. Xu cast him an inquiring glance.

“Good,”

Zhou Can replied with just two words.

Dr. Xu’s concern was evident – hearing that Zhou Can hadn’t faltered brought visible relief.

Her biggest worry was that Zhou Can might slip up during the investigation.

After all, being the youngest, he lacked experience in handling such scrutiny.

“Hurry up with the surgery. Try to clear the backlog of external surgical patients as soon as possible – something else might come up later,” Dr. Xu advised.

“Understood,”

Zhou Can moved toward the secondary operating table, with Qiao Yu following closely.

In a low voice, Qiao Yu asked, “Everything alright?”

“If there were any issues, I wouldn’t have been allowed back into the operating room,”

Zhou Can said with a lighthearted smile.

“Hey, thanks for speaking up for me yesterday. If Nurse Tian Tian hadn’t messaged and scolded me, I’d have never known you helped,”

she said, her eyes glistening. Was it moved tears or the stir of affection?

Zhou Can had worked hard to help her without mentioning a word.

This kind of unreciprocated assistance touched her deeply.

“I only said a few truths – there’s nothing to thank me for. As for that woman, Nurse Tian Tian, she made a mistake and still had the nerve to scold you,”

Zhou Can remarked, rarely harboring personal dislike for anyone.

He had once found Dr. Lu unlikable,

but compared to Nurse Tian Tian, Dr. Lu was practically a ‘good person.’

“Let’s just focus on the surgery. I’ll talk to you later if there’s a chance,”

she responded evasively, indicating that Nurse Tian Tian’s words must have been particularly harsh.

……

They worked continuously until past five in the afternoon, finally wrapping up all the queued surgical patients.

At shift change, rarely any on-call staff like Dr. Cui came to relieve them.

The rhythm of the entire Emergency Operating Room was thrown off.

“Xiao Zhou, Dr. Lu, don’t leave after your shift. Go to the Emergency Department office,” Dr. Xu instructed them.

Dr. Cui had probably already heard about the incident in the Emergency Department from somewhere and, a bit worried, said, “That Nurse Tian Tian really dragged the whole department down. I heard someone from Quality Control is here—everything okay?”

“If Xiao Zhou’s account is airtight, nothing will happen. Otherwise, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to work tomorrow. If I can’t, you youngsters will have to step up even more,”

Dr. Xu, already nearly a scapegoat herself, added.

“Master, you don’t believe me, do you!” Zhou Can managed a wry smile.

“No, no, I have complete trust in you. It’s just that you’re young and inexperienced when facing the Medical Department’s questions. Even if something does come up, I won’t hold it against you. With my surgical skills, I could thrive in any hospital. I’ve stayed at Tuyu out of a mix of unwillingness to give up and the hope of climbing back up eventually. Besides, I was nurtured here and enjoyed good support from some of the hospital’s leadership. I want to help enhance the Emergency Department’s surgical and rescue abilities with my own strength.”

Dr. Xu normally would never speak so candidly in front of so many people.

She feared that if she didn’t speak now, there might never be another chance.

“Alas, my abilities are ultimately limited. Although the operating room in the Emergency Department has improved, it’s far from formidable. Originally, if nothing had gone wrong with Xiao Zhou, once his training finished in three years, we’d have an extra high-caliber surgeon in our Emergency Department.”

Dr. Xu held Zhou Can in very high regard, placing great hopes in him.

“I’ve grown from a green surgical rookie who couldn’t even sew properly to where I am now thanks mostly to your guidance. I believe neither you nor Dr. Zhou will face any issues. This incident is clearly the fault of Nurse Tian Tian. The hospital leadership will undoubtedly be able to distinguish the responsibility.”

Dr. Cui spoke with a touch of emotion.

In farewell moments, people tend to reveal their true feelings – fearing that if unspoken now, there might never be another chance.

“Work hard – that’s the best way to repay me and Director Lou,”

Dr. Xu patted Dr. Cui’s shoulder and was the first to leave the operating room.

Two nurses had red-rimmed eyes.

The heartfelt farewell among the doctors was truly moving.

It carried the spirit of bolstering the Emergency Department and the genuine care for the younger generation.

This was a department with warmth.

……

After changing, Zhou Can, Dr. Lu, and Jin Mingxi went to the Emergency Office.

Director Lou and Deputy Director Han Changqing were both present.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

“Everyone’s here? Close the office door!”

Director Lou swept his gaze over the group.

“Our Emergency Department’s surgical volume has increased by over nine hundred cases in the last month. This is an extremely encouraging achievement.”

Director Lou first summarized the month’s achievements.

Zhou Can alone could complete 14–20 surgeries in a day. Jin Mingxi was also quite skilled, performing over a dozen primary surgeries daily.

Dr. Lu’s pace was slightly slower than Jin Mingxi’s, but not by much.

No wonder a monthly increase of over nine hundred surgeries was possible.

“Yesterday’s medical incident didn’t result in severe consequences. The error wasn’t the doctors’ fault, but the surgical nurse’s. Originally, the higher-ups wouldn’t have stirred such a fuss over our Emergency Department.”

Director Lou’s face showed a trace of helplessness.

“At the last morning meeting, Director Xie from the Surgical Department expressed his dissatisfaction about us encroaching on their surgical cases. After all, he believes it reduces their overall revenue – which is understandable.”

An open-appendix surgery would bring in around 8,000 yuan, while laparoscopic procedures fetch even higher amounts.

A standard primary surgery could range from a few hundred to two or three thousand yuan, averaging not less than 1,500 yuan.

Even if we stole a dozen surgeries from the Surgical Department, their loss would be just a couple of tens of thousands at most.

When that revenue is distributed among several surgical departments, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

However, a monthly increase of over nine hundred surgeries is indeed impressive.

The Emergency Department could boost its income by at least two to three million yuan.

That would surely spark envy in the Surgical Department.

In truth, even when spread across so many surgical departments, that extra income still wasn’t a huge sum.

But for the chronically underfunded and modest Emergency Department, it was a godsend.

Not only would the operating room staff and the diagnostic technicians benefit, but the Emergency Department could also secure development funds and gain better access to medical resources.

With one or two years of persistence, the Emergency Department could gradually grow stronger and achieve a leap in progress.

One had to admit, this was an excellent opportunity for the Emergency Department to break out of its predicament.

“Deputy Director Han, why don’t you explain the situation to everyone next?”

Director Lou took a sip of water and paused mid-sentence.

Even the top boss, when speaking behind closed doors, sometimes had to be cautious of his influence.

The second-in-command often had to step up and say what the top leader wouldn’t.

“Why is the Medical Quality Control Department targeting us? It’s simple. Their group leader, Zhong Hui, was once just an ordinary doctor in the Surgical Department. While his medical skills were mediocre, he showed an exceptional knack for administrative management. With the help of Director Xie and several other heads in the Surgical Department, he gradually climbed the ranks to become the leader of the Quality Control Department.”

So, Zhong Hui had a connection with Director Xie after all.

No wonder he was so eager to investigate every little detail of this medical incident.

“The Surgical Department resents us for taking some of their cases. After Director Lou skillfully defused the issue at the last morning meeting, they were clearly displeased. But there’s nothing we can do – they can only wait for an opportunity. This medical incident has given them a pretext to target our Emergency Operating Room.”

The hospital was never a one-man show.

In the complex web of relationships, everyone prioritized their own interests.

Every department acted in its own best interest.

No matter the hospital, that was always the case.

Because it directly affected each department member’s status and income.

“We can now be fairly certain that the Surgical Department have mobilized Group Leader Zhong Hui to thoroughly investigate this incident – all in order to reduce our Emergency Department’s surgical numbers. The Medical Department has summoned us for a meeting; let’s get going. I’m telling you all this so you’re mentally prepared,”

Deputy Director Han’s eyes swept over Zhou Can and the others.

To put it bluntly, his detailed analysis was aimed at young doctors like Zhou Can, Dr. Lu, and Jin Mingxi.

“Deputy Director Han, you come with us!”

Director Lou looked at Deputy Director Han.

“Me? They only summoned you and the involved operating room doctors. I don’t need to go, right?”

“Our Emergency Operating Room has made significant progress and development. Don’t you want to seize this chance for the Emergency Internal Medicine Department?” Director Lou asked with a smile.

“The Internal Medicine Department doesn’t have talent like Zhou Can or Jin Mingxi. Even if I grabbed more patients, I wouldn’t be able to handle them,” Deputy Director Han replied with a troubled shake of his head.

Cultivating talent in Internal Medicine was even harder than in Surgery.

Talented individuals in Internal Medicine would never transfer to the Emergency Department.

Deputy Director Han’s desire to strengthen the Emergency Internal Medicine Department was practically futile.

“Well said. In that case, you’ll take command here. Just make sure nothing else goes awry,” Director Lou said, leading Dr. Xu, Zhou Can, and the others toward the Medical Department.

They entered what turned out to be Meeting Room 2.

It seemed all internal discussions took place here!

Zhou Can couldn’t help but smile bitterly – he was practically a regular here now.

Soon after settling down, Section Chief Xin from the Medical Department, Group Leader Zhong Hui from Quality Control, and the recording officer entered the room one after the other.

Shortly after, Deputy Director Ye appeared.

The hospital leadership worked in impressive unison.

It was Saturday, and most of the administrative staff weren’t on duty.

Director Xie’s influence was truly significant.

To reduce the number of surgeries in the Emergency Department, they had even forced a quality control leader to work overtime.

Presumably, they worried that if things cooled down in a couple of days, it would be hard to address the issue. So, they seized the moment to target the Emergency Department.

“I wasn’t scheduled to work today. I had just returned from a training session,”

Deputy Director Ye, after greeting Director Lou and Section Chief Xin, got straight to the point.

“At the recent Surgical Safety Morning Meeting, you made quite an impression on me regarding the Emergency Operating Room!”

He didn’t bang on the table or explode in anger – just a pointed remark, implying the issue wasn’t too severe.

“Group Leader Zhong, has everything been thoroughly investigated?”

Deputy Director Ye asked, looking at Zhong Hui.

“The investigation is complete. Yesterday’s incident in the Emergency Operating Room was caused by Nurse Tian Tian’s carelessness during surgery. While chatting during the procedure, she mistakenly used Isoprenaline instead of the anesthetic Dikain when mixing the superficial anesthesia. This resulted in the patient experiencing increased blood loss, headaches, chest pain, and rapid breathing.”

Zhong Hui’s report was detailed.

“This incident highlights several shortcomings in safety management within the operating room. First, casual chatter during surgery went uncorrected by senior doctors. Second, when the nurse erred in preparing the anesthetic, no one noticed and provided oversight. After further investigation, there was an even more serious issue: the attending doctor, Dr. Xu, allowed the trainee Zhou Can to participate in a critical step of a secondary surgery without authorization.”

This was a litany of charges against them.

Deputy Director Ye glanced at Zhou Can in surprise.

If memory served, this young man, Zhou Can, had only become a standardized trainee this year,

and had only been in training for just over a month before being allowed to participate in a critical step of a secondary surgery?

He found it hard to believe.

As for the first two charges listed by Zhong Hui, they were minor issues – merely warranting a scolding and a warning for future caution.

As the Medical Deputy Director, he understood the difficulties faced by the Emergency Department.

Big bosses were generally forgiving toward their subordinates – overly harsh demands would only breed dissent.

Proper guidance was all that was needed.

“Dr. Xu, as you’re essentially in charge of the Emergency Operating Room, you need to exert tighter control. During surgeries, any idle chatter among nurses and doctors must be curbed, and we need better supervision when nurses prepare anesthetics – some of them are really careless. I’ll be reporting this incident to the Nursing Department and request stricter training and standardized procedures for all nurses in our hospital.”

Deputy Director Ye was impressively informed about the state of the Emergency Department – he even knew that Dr. Xu was in charge of the operating room.

Moreover, his attitude toward Dr. Xu was remarkably cordial.

Nearby, Zhong Hui looked increasingly anxious – all his efforts to rock the Emergency Operating Room might be undermined now by Deputy Director Ye’s friendly demeanor. The pressure on him was immense; his task was clear, and failure would make it hard for him to report to Director Xie.

“Rest assured, I will strengthen management,”

Dr. Xu stated solemnly.

“Tell me, which critical step of the secondary surgery did you allow Zhou Can to participate in?” Deputy Director Ye seemed particularly interested in this matter.

“It wasn’t much – just something like stitching up a wound,”

Dr. Xu, ever the veteran, carefully chose his words despite Deputy Director Ye’s friendly tone.