Chapter 67: A Critical Turn in the OR

Immediately collect blood samples for testing! Also, inject Vitamin K1 intramuscularly to control the bleeding!

Dr. Fu certainly has some tricks up his sleeve.

He made a decisive, well-considered plan for the rescue.

The patient’s leg can’t be bound indefinitely—if a limb is deprived of blood too long, it will soon necrose.

And such ischemic necrosis is irreversible.

Every fifteen minutes or so, the bandage must be loosened to restore blood flow.

“Dr. Fu, the bleeding is quite severe. Would an intravenous drip be safer?” Zhou Can reminded from nearby.

His hemostasis technique has now reached attending level.

His ability to stop bleeding is no worse than Dr. Fu’s.

Perhaps due to his inner anxiety, Dr. Fu became somewhat flustered.

Some of the finer details were overlooked.

With severe bleeding, an intramuscular injection can easily trigger muscle hemorrhage.

Intravenous infusion works slower, but it’s much safer.

“Good thing you mentioned it. Forget the intramuscular injection—switch to an IV drip. Safety comes first.”

Dr. Fu looked at Zhou Can with gratitude.

That young man is truly extraordinary.

In hindsight, following his advice to postpone the surgery would have been wiser.

But now, who knows if we can get past this hurdle?

Nurse Liu Xia seemed a bit nervous as she inserted the IV needle.

She’s an experienced nurse; her skills are certainly reliable.

However, this patient’s coagulation disorder—and the pervasive anxiety in the OR—made her feel uneasy.

“Let me handle it!”

Zhou Can took over the IV needle.

“This injection requires perfect precision. Are you sure you can handle it?” Liu Xia queried, understanding Zhou Can’s good intentions.

Yet, his experience was admittedly limited.

With only a year of internship under his belt, he had barely one year of work experience in total.

Doctors rarely practice injections; many residents are less adept at giving shots than nurses. A training resident simply can’t be expected to excel.

The patient had already run into complications during surgery. If establishing the IV channel went awry, even Dr. Fu’s temper would have erupted.

“Isn’t that perfect?”

Zhou Can’s injection technique was both skillful and precise.

The IV insertion took barely two seconds.

“Oh my… Dr. Zhou’s injection skills are incredible!” Liu Xia gaped, her round face widening in astonishment.

Dr. Lu stood under the operating table, watching with a heavy heart.

Things were unfolding in the very direction he feared.

Not only had Zhou Can earned Dr. Fu’s attention, but even Nurse Liu Xia began to admire his ability.

Meanwhile, the senior resident’s own performance was a dismal failure.

With this mishap, Dr. Fu would undoubtedly keep a wary eye on him from now on.

He might even dock his bonus.

Once the IV channel was successfully established, the patient began receiving intravenous Vitamin K1.

Dr. Fu hurriedly called Director Lou to report the situation.

With the surgery in crisis, not only would he, the attending, be in trouble, but Director Lou would also share the blame.

Everyone was in the same sinking boat.

After hanging up, Dr. Fu’s face turned grim.

“Director Lou won’t arrive until about half an hour. Let’s try to control the bleeding first; if that fails, we’ll have to call in a specialist for consultation.”

Ten minutes later, they attempted to loosen the gauze binding the patient’s leg.

The moment it was released, blood began spraying out again.

Everyone’s heart sank—the worst-case scenario had come to pass.

The injection of Vitamin K1 had barely any effect.

Dr. Fu almost broke down in tears.

Who would have thought that a Level One surgery could get us into such a huge mess?

His hemostatic skills were clearly limited; there was no choice but to call in a specialist.

The specialist doctors were sure to greet him with a barrage of sarcastic remarks.

Zhou Can frowned as he observed the persistent bleeding.

At this juncture, with Dr. Fu at his wit’s end, he decided to propose his own hemostasis plan.

“Dr. Fu, the bleeding is relentless and conventional hemostatic drugs are barely effective. What about a combination therapy?” Zhou Can suggested.

“Dr. Zhou, please go ahead!”

At this point, anyone who could stop the bleeding—and help the patient—was more than welcome, even if it meant calling him ‘old man’.

Zhou Can’s earlier performance had been outstanding, and from now on, Dr. Fu no longer saw him as just a regular trainee.

“Intravenous oxygen coupled with ice treatment—ideally, the operating room’s temperature must be dropped to below 15°C.”

Zhou Can outlined a combination hemostasis plan.

Such an advanced treatment method was completely out of the question for Dr. Lu in the OR.

They could only listen in stunned silence.

“For the patient, it’s completely safe with no aftereffects,” Zhou Can added.

He further explained that these two approaches were even safer than standard drug-based hemostasis.

Ice treatment needs no further explanation—it’s a common emergency measure.

Intravenous oxygen is used to treat various acute and chronic hypoxic, ischemic conditions, all sorts of shock, cardiopulmonary failures, drug poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, and more.

It isn’t a conventional method for stopping bleeding.

But for this patient’s emergency, it was quite fitting.

It can help lower blood pressure and boost the activity of the patient’s clotting factors.

Anyone able to devise such an unconventional hemostasis plan clearly has an understanding and skill level equivalent to an attending physician.

Dr. Fu couldn’t help but be amazed once again at Zhou Can.

His reputation was truly well-deserved.

This Dr. Zhou truly lived up to his name.

“Immediately lower the operating room’s temperature and bring in ice packs to cool the patient’s wound. I’ll personally handle the high-oxygen IV infusion.”

Dr. Fu clutched this treatment plan like a drowning man clutching his last lifeline.

They executed Zhou Can’s plan to the letter.

“Dr. Lu, quickly fetch the ice packs.”

Dr. Fu ordered Dr. Lu.

“Ah…”

Dr. Lu, a senior resident with a highly prestigious standing, should not be sent on errands—surely that should be left to a trainee like Zhou Can?

“What? If not you, then who? You’re nowhere near as capable as Dr. Zhou…” Dr. Fu nearly let the words slip, but stopped short.

The patient, listening in, refrained from criticizing even though Dr. Lu was despicable—it was important to maintain appearances.

Soon, after employing Zhou Can’s series of hemostatic measures, the bleeding visibly slowed.

Eventually, even some of the capillaries began to clot on their own.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Dr. Fu’s furrowed brow relaxed considerably.

A look of grateful relief spread across his face, as if he’d narrowly escaped death.

“Dr. Fu, the bleeding is now under control. Judging by the blood spray after Dr. Lu removed the metal fragments, an arterial rupture is likely—but it isn’t the femoral artery, probably just a branch.”

Zhou Can finally seized the opportunity to showcase his insight.

“Hmm, your analysis is spot on.”

Dr. Fu nodded in agreement.

Unbeknownst to him, while discussing the condition with Zhou Can, he was speaking as an equal.

Moreover, he even came off as the weaker party.

Such a dramatic shift in standing was a direct result of talent.

Dr. Fu found this rapid change in hierarchy rather absurd.

Had it not been for Zhou Can’s age—only 24—he might have suspected that an attending doctor was deliberately letting him fly under the radar.

“Do you think you could handle the debridement? It would also help us quickly assess the bleeding.”

Zhou Can’s request was both assertive and confident.

“Alright! But be extra careful!”

Dr. Fu hesitated for a couple of seconds before finally agreeing.

Doctors are only human—they have blood, flesh, and feelings.

Having just been rescued by Zhou Can, he couldn’t possibly refuse a chance for the young doctor to hone his debridement skills.

Dr. Lu’s eyes flickered; he dared say nothing.

He had tried to stop Zhou Can from demonstrating his surgical skills, but his efforts were futile.

Dr. Fu looked at Dr. Lu with a cold, piercing gaze, as if he could crush his heart.

At this moment, keeping a low profile was the wisest choice.

Dr. Fu’s gaze remained icy, sending a chill down Dr. Lu’s spine as if threatening to crush his heart.

With that, discretion became the clear path forward.