Chapter 187: A Life on the Operating Table

“That surgery started so fast! Even with the Chest Pain Center’s fast-track, it shouldn’t be this quick, right?” a nurse exclaimed in surprise.

A nurse said, clearly astonished.

In larger hospitals, there’s usually a Chest Pain Center where departments like the Emergency Department, Cardiology, Radiology, Cardiac Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Gastroenterology, and Pulmonology work together to create a regional collaborative treatment system, providing rapid and accurate diagnosis for acute chest pain patients.

Chest pain patients get priority for examinations—no queue required.

The reason for establishing a Chest Pain Center is that chest pain could indicate acute heart attacks, cardiac issues, aortic dissections, and the like.

These conditions are life-threatening emergencies.

Every minute’s delay markedly increases the risk of death.

Thus, patients must be seen immediately, and experienced physicians must quickly diagnose and decide the next step in treatment.

“I figured that since we were on the turf of Cardiothoracic Surgery, we didn’t need to go through the Emergency Department’s Chest Pain Center. So I went straight to Director Xue for a diagnosis,” Zhou Can explained.

“Brilliant move!”

“Dr. Hu Kan has been like a mountain of support for us—a mentor for everyone in Cardiothoracic Surgery. Now that he’s fallen ill, every doctor here is willing to do their best to save him.”

“Good work, Zhou Can!”

The leading doctors, upon hearing that Zhou Can had bypassed the line by going straight to Director Xue for Dr. Hu Kan’s treatment, all wholeheartedly approved of his decision.

In emergencies like this, every possible measure must be taken to save a life.

Sticking rigidly to outdated rules out of fear of overstepping is downright foolish.

Zhou Can’s approach was exactly what these seasoned doctors preferred.

“Now that Dr. Hu Kan’s safety is assured, everyone, focus on the surgery! Let’s make this operation impeccable—a tribute to him.”

Director Le addressed the team.

Surprisingly, this morale-boosting tactic worked wonders.

The initially low spirits quickly soared.

Everyone was practically energized, as if injected with pure adrenaline.

It was clear just how highly they regarded Dr. Hu Kan.

“The patient’s condition is dire. At this surgical pace, the prognosis isn’t optimistic.”

Dr. Feng threw cold water on the group.

This operation had been filled with twists and unforeseen challenges.

Now, the inherent slowness of Dr. Hu Kan’s team was painfully evident.

“Even with extracorporeal circulation set up, are we still unable to stabilize his vital signs?” Director Le asked in a tone laced with despair.

“At your current pace, it’s as if you’ve already sentenced him to death,” Dr. Feng said bluntly—a comment that visibly pained Director Le.

“Director Le, may I give it a try? I’m fast at tissue separation—perhaps I can cut down a lot of time.” Zhou Can stepped forward, his hope daring enough to volunteer.

Director Le seemed unlikely to agree at first.

“I’ve seen Dr. Zhou’s tissue separation; he’s not only fast but highly skilled—at least on par with an attending surgeon.”

At that moment, an attending nurse surprisingly backed Zhou Can’s claim.

Zhou Can had a faint recollection of her from the open-chest hemostasis surgery he performed with Dr. Long; she too had been on duty as the attending nurse.

That surgery had showcased Zhou Can’s brilliance.

He had left an indelible impression on everyone involved.

After that surgery, Dr. Long had treated Zhou Can with utmost courtesy.

“How do you know his tissue separation skills are so advanced?” Director Le fixed his gaze on the nurse.

“During an open-chest hemostasis operation with Dr. Long, Dr. Zhou’s surgical ability was nothing short of extraordinary—even Dr. Long was in awe. His suturing, ligature technique, and proficiency with various cannulations speak for themselves. I’m sure you witnessed it firsthand.”

The nurse replied confidently, neither obsequious nor dismissive.

Her support for Zhou Can was deeply appreciated by him.

Their eyes met, and she gave him a knowing wink.

“Come on, give it a shot!”

After an intense internal debate, Director Le finally decided to boldly let Zhou Can step up.

He had long demonstrated exceptional skill in skin suturing.

His technique was comparable to that of a chief surgeon.

Director Le resolved to first assess Zhou Can’s tissue separation skills.

“Expose that small blood vessel,” he instructed, pointing to a thin vein on the gland.

He directed Zhou Can to separate the tiny venous vessel.

Even if a vein is nicked, bleeding can be controlled with ease.

Such a small vein carries minimal risk.

Director Le watched Zhou Can’s trial with extreme caution.

Without a word, Zhou Can donned sterile gloves, took his position at the operating table, and in no time, deftly separated the tiny venous vessel.

“That was impressively fast!”

Director Le meticulously examined the separated vein and the surrounding thymic tissue.

In adults, the thymus is mostly replaced by fat.

After the inspection, Director Le’s eyes brightened in amazement.

“Your separation technique is indeed excellent. When separating the thymus, you must proceed with extreme caution—stop immediately if you’re unsure, alright?”

Having seen the work, Director Le decided to take a calculated risk by letting Zhou Can finish the remaining separation.

The patient’s condition was deteriorating rapidly—speed was of the essence.

At this moment, Zhou Can was the only one capable of the task.

There was another option: call in help from a different department.

But such a course would be too embarrassing to consider unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, even if help arrived, the speed wouldn’t necessarily improve.

In all of Tuyu Hospital, the fastest surgeon was Dr. Xu.

Zhou Can was Dr. Xu’s protégé and had already grasped a hint of the Fast Scalpel Technique—making him the second fastest in the OR.

“Understood!”

Having earned Director Le’s tentative trust, Zhou Can was about to begin.

However, the Second Assistant and other doctors still harbored doubts.

“Director Le, isn’t it too risky to let a trainee handle such a dangerous part of the operation?”

If something went wrong, Director Le wouldn’t be the only one held responsible.

They would all share in the misfortune.

“Trust in your team—if you have doubts, don’t use them. As far as I know, he’s already participated in numerous high-risk procedures in Orthopedics and General Surgery, including several fourth-level operations. I trust he won’t gamble with the patient’s life.”

Director Le stubbornly overrode the objections, insisting that Zhou Can tackle the most challenging tissue separation.

You could hear from his tone that he knew Zhou Can’s past well.

Such familiarity is common in this field.

In Tuyu Hospital, many chief surgeons from different departments have established cross-specialty friendships.

Besides, General Surgery, Orthopedics, and Cardiothoracic Surgery are all parts of the major surgical fraternity.

It’s practically one big extended family.

Heads of various departments often have private contacts and chat with each other—it happens all the time.

That’s why Zhou Can never dared to lie.

A single slip could expose him immediately.

Lying is practically a career suicide.

“Zhou Can, begin!”

“Yes!”

Zhou Can started rapidly separating the thymic tumor.

The difficulty lay in the adhesions caused by connective tissue, compounded by abundant surrounding fat and the proximity to the heart.

Director Le placing his trust in him was a tremendous vote of confidence.

Swish, swish, swish!

His rapid scalpel skills merged with his tissue separation technique—the speed, efficiency, and precision were simply breathtaking.

Time ticked away by the minute.

Every passing second was nerve-wracking for the onlookers.

Zhou Can’s surgical speed completely redefined their expectations.

No one had ever imagined someone could separate tissue so swiftly.

Director Le and the Second Assistant, however, were not overly surprised—they had witnessed Dr. Xu’s technique firsthand.

Compared to Dr. Xu, Zhou Can still had some room to grow.

Dr. Xu’s peak performance with his fast scalpel technique in surgery had left an indelible, awe-inspiring impression on everyone who witnessed it.

“That’s enough!”

Zhou Can glanced at the clock—23 minutes had passed.

This was the longest it had ever taken him to separate a tissue group; he usually finished in just over ten minutes, and sometimes even in mere seconds.

The difficulty of separating this thymic tumor was truly extraordinary.

“That’s it? Already done?”

The Second Assistant stuttered in his speech.

He had imagined scenarios where Zhou Can might nick a major vessel or abandon the procedure halfway. Yet, in less than half an hour, Zhou Can had completely separated both the thymus and the tumor.

“Director Le, can I remove the entire thymus and tumor in one go?”

Zhou Can, never one to miss an opportunity, pressed his advantage.

He was determined to seize every chance to further hone his skills.

That separation procedure had earned him a massive boost in experience points.

Not to mention, the extra 100 experience points in tissue separation for handling an ultra-difficult organ had him overjoyed.

In the past five months, he hadn’t experienced such a satisfying surgery.

In the Intensive Care Department, opportunities for surgery were rare enough.

In Cardiothoracic Surgery, the only decent operation he had been involved in was that open-chest hemostasis surgery with Dr. Long.

“Alright!”

Director Le’s confidence in him grew even stronger.

If Zhou Can could successfully complete the most challenging thymic and tumor separation, then far simpler resections were nothing to worry about.

He decisively gave Zhou Can control of the procedure.

Zhou Can first isolated the thymic vein, then executed a sub-chief-level ligature technique.

After tying off and cutting the vein, he carefully excised the entire thymus along with the tumor.

But the operation wasn’t over yet.

He had merely completed the core part of the surgery.

After cleaning the surrounding tissue and ensuring no risks remained, Zhou Can focused on the ruptured arterial vessel.

“Director Le…”

“If you’re confident, proceed. I’m entrusting you with the highest-risk part of separating and excising the thymus and tumor. The only task left is repairing that blood vessel, right?” Director Le, pleased with the smooth progress of the surgery, felt triumphant as if he’d defeated the enemy’s main force.

His heart swelled with pride.

It was like an emperor deploying a young general, only for that general—like a modern-day Huo Qubing—to annihilate the enemy in mere moments, leaving them in full retreat.

Director Le’s bold decision to use Zhou Can was as successful as Emperor Wu’s trust in Huo Qubing.

Zhou Can began by carefully trimming and preparing the ruptured vessel before suturing it.

His sub-chief-level suturing and ligature techniques were extraordinary.

Though his anastomosis skills were only at an attending level, he managed to achieve results comparable to a sub-chief.

【Congratulations on your first successful anastomosis of a major cardiac artery. Award: 100 points in Suturing, 100 points in Ligature Technique, 100 points in Anastomosis.】

In one go, Zhou Can earned 300 experience points, leaving him grinning from ear to ear.

Once Suturing and Ligature reach Level 5, advancing further demands a whopping 100,000 experience points.

Earning such points at the rate of just one point per operation would take decades—showing just how challenging it is to rise to chief surgeon level.

It’s no wonder some surgeons remain at the sub-chief level well into retirement.

If Zhou Can keeps taking on these tough, high-risk surgeries, earning an extra 100 experience points per operation, he might reach chief surgeon in just a few years.

After completing the arterial anastomosis, Zhou Can proceeded to debride and control the bleeding in the chest cavity.

Satisfied, he then tested the blood flow to ensure everything was patent.

“Incredible! The arterial anastomosis was successful in one go!” someone couldn’t help but exclaim.

They were all particularly in awe of Zhou Can’s astonishing surgical speed.

In the past, they believed that slow and steady was best—that careful work produced the finest results.

Now, watching Zhou Can operate, their beliefs were completely upended. Surgery could indeed be both quick and flawless.

“Close the cavity!”

Director Le was thoroughly satisfied with the outcome.

Zhou Can had never independently closed a chest cavity before, especially after such a major open-chest procedure.

Although he had observed it many times,

since Director Le didn’t indicate a change in personnel, he took the initiative.

He grabbed some stainless steel wires from the nurse and began suturing the sternum.

Then he positioned a drainage tube behind the sternum.

“Director Le, please inspect the wound. If everything looks good, I’ll begin suturing the incision layer by layer.”

Having observed countless surgeries and taken meticulous notes, every step was second nature to him.

Today, his skills were truly put to the test.

All procedures were executed flawlessly—well above the standard.

On a personal level, it was an important milestone in his growth.

“Excellent work! Keep it up!”

Director Le and the rest of the surgical team had finally witnessed Zhou Can’s full surgical prowess.

The nurse who had vouched for him couldn’t help but beam with pride.

Her recommendation had been pivotal, steering the operation towards a critical breakthrough.

Within half an hour, Zhou Can had finished suturing; after closing the chest, the patient’s vital signs steadily improved.

The surgery was over, and the patient was now completely stable.

“Dr. Feng, you can lighten the anesthesia. Given his special condition, let’s transfer him to the Intensive Care Unit for observation for one day. Once his vital signs are fully stable, he’ll move to a general ward for care.”

Director Le had made prudent post-operative arrangements.

“Zhou Can, you performed exceptionally well today. In future surgeries, we’ll give you more chances to take the lead.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Finally, Zhou Can had seized an opportunity to shine.

In the star-studded realm of Cardiothoracic Surgery, it was incredibly tough for a trainee to land significant surgical roles.

This was largely because major surgeries here were typically fourth or third-level operations—so much so that even senior residents were mostly relegated to minor tasks like holding sutures or managing cannulations.

The most high-risk procedure most of them had ever participated in was probably a simple thoracentesis.

After the surgery, Zhou Can noticed it was already 6:47 in the evening.

By today’s standards, the operation had been a success.

If Director Le hadn’t let him operate, with their snail-paced methods, surgeries might have stretched on until midnight.

Although surgeons earn well, they often toil from dawn till dusk—earning their wages through pure hard work.

Returning to the doctors’ office, Zhou Can had assumed Director Xue would have already left.

To his surprise, she was still in her office.

“Dr. Zhou, how did your surgery go?”

She seemed to have been waiting for him to finish.

Zhou Can wasn’t sure—after all, her status was exceedingly high, and he never knew exactly when his surgery would end.

“The surgery went smoothly. How is Dr. Hu Kan doing?”

Zhou Can still worried about his mentor’s condition.

Dr. Hu Kan’s magnanimity and selfless teaching of junior doctors had earned everyone sincere respect and admiration.

Now that something had gone wrong, everyone was deeply concerned for his well-being.

“He’s already undergone an interventional procedure—a vascular stent has been placed. For now, he remains in the ICU, but his overall condition is looking optimistic,” Director Xue reported.

A relieved smile spread across Zhou Can’s face.

“It’s good as long as he’s safe!”

He genuinely felt happy for Dr. Hu Kan.

Acute myocardial infarctions are notoriously lethal; without timely treatment, even if a patient is saved, their quality of life is often permanently compromised.

Most people know that nerve cells can’t regenerate, but few realize that heart muscle cells are similarly irreplaceable.

Each lost cell is a permanent loss.

Thus, in acute myocardial infarction, early intervention to restore blood flow is vital— the sooner the blood vessels are opened, the more heart muscle can be salvaged, preventing significant cardiac remodeling.

For heart attack patients, time truly is muscle.

Zhou Can’s timely detection of Dr. Hu Kan’s abnormal condition—and his covert investigations to gain precious time for intervention—was a tremendous contribution.

One can only imagine how grateful Dr. Hu Kan will be once he regains consciousness.

“Dr. Zhou, weren’t you planning to ask me about the comprehensive medical exam? If you’re free, let’s have a chat.”

Director Xue had evidently been waiting just for him.

Although Zhou Can said nothing, his heart overflowed with gratitude.

He quickly sat down beside her, eager to learn.

“I’ve selected thirty exam questions. Just answer them; if you can’t solve one, just leave it blank.”

Director Xue moved a chair aside, inviting Zhou Can to sit at her workstation and answer the questions.

The other doctors on duty in the office couldn’t help but feel envious of this one-on-one mentoring arrangement.

With Director Xue’s careful guidance, anyone with a decent foundation was sure to pass the comprehensive exam.

Zhou Can noted that the questions were highly targeted.

They covered an impressively wide range of topics.

It turned out she had been preparing these test questions on her computer just for him.

Her meticulous attention to detail shone through.

Zhou Can answered each question diligently while she observed silently at his side.

It was clear she intended to quickly pinpoint his knowledge gaps and then devise a tailored short-term study plan.