Chapter 477: A Critical Case and an Unexpected Test

“When you say we’ll have to redo a major surgery, just how extensive are we talking?”

Director Xueyan deeply valued Zhou Can’s opinion.

When it came to surgical planning, Zhou Can’s talent almost overshadowed even his skill in pathology. Especially as his hands-on experience grew and he absorbed wisdom from senior surgeons both within and outside the department, even Dr. Xu had praised his surgical strategies more than once.

Most geniuses in this world are born with thirty percent talent, but it’s sixty percent sweat and ten percent luck that lets them truly stand out.

“We might need to perform a total sternectomy. But honestly, it depends on the patient’s current condition. We’ll need to tailor the plan specifically for him.”

Although Zhou Can had visited the ward once to see the patient, the patient’s daughter had firmly kicked him out.

“Come on, since you’re here, let me take you to the ward. Let’s try to lock down the surgical plan today.” She knew Zhou Can was a busy man, always running from one task to the next.

Many of the toughest cases in Cardiothoracic Surgery depended on Zhou Can to sort them out.

The two of them made their way back to the ward.

When the patient’s daughter saw Director Xueyan enter, she quickly put on her most flattering smile.

“Director Xue, hello! It’s so touching that you’d come check on my dad so late in the day.”

“Your father’s condition is progressing rapidly, and a worsening infection can become dangerously unpredictable. The sooner we resolve this, the better. Since Dr. Zhou’s here, I made sure to bring him along for a consultation. Hopefully we’ll finalize the plan tonight.”

Director Xueyan smiled warmly in return.

She also made a point of highlighting Zhou Can’s expertise to the family.

“Ah… he, he…”

The patient’s daughter covered her mouth, staring at Zhou Can in shock. Deep down, she bitterly regretted how she’d acted.

It was obvious from Director Xueyan’s words that her father’s treatment relied on Zhou Can.

Had she known this young doctor was so skilled, she never would’ve treated him that way.

“Don’t be fooled by how young Dr. Zhou looks. He’s famous in the hospital for his skills! Your father’s case is incredibly complex and a major headache for us all. Dr. Zhou has loads of experience with these rare and severe diseases. This time, we’re really depending on his help!”

Director Xueyan did her level best to build up Zhou Can’s image in front of the patient and family.

But she wasn’t exaggerating—Zhou Can really was that exceptional.

“Um… Dr. Zhou, thank you for taking the time!”

While the patient’s daughter never voiced an apology, her look, her tone, and her whole demeanor spoke volumes as she tried making amends with Zhou Can.

Some family members just can’t admit fault, stubborn to the bone even when they’re clearly in the wrong.

Compared to most, this woman was already doing pretty well.

Zhou Can never took it to heart and got straight to work, starting a thorough pre-surgical assessment and finalizing the best plan for the patient.

This time, he could clearly tell the patient was actively cooperating, with the family eagerly helping out, answering every question without a hitch.

Their attitude was a night-and-day difference from before.

“Sis Yan, I’ve finished my exam.”

Zhou Can carefully covered each issue he needed to investigate.

He reviewed the details of the patient’s previous surgery, checked the latest imaging, and even used gentle hands-on exams to evaluate the surgical wound.

The first time he’d entered the ward, he’d only gotten out his first question before meeting an unfriendly wall from the family.

He hadn’t dared to do any hands-on exams then, knowing how much pain that would cause.

It wasn’t that he feared a blowup from the family.

But there was no need to invite extra trouble.

The hard truth was, if a patient and their family flat-out refused to cooperate, there was no reason to insist on treating them.

They could always find another expert.

“Why don’t you come with us to the office to discuss the surgical plan?” Director Xueyan suggested to the family.

“Of course!”

The patient’s daughter looked at Zhou Can with newfound respect.

At this point, even a fool would see Zhou Can was the linchpin for her father’s treatment—Director Xue was starting to look more like an accessory.

Inside Director Xue’s office, Zhou Can and Director Xueyan discussed the details of the planned operation while the family listened in.

Maybe because time was running out, they simply brought the family in, saving the need for a separate pre-op talk.

After a round of discussion, Zhou Can and Director Xueyan had basically nailed down the surgical plan.

“Zhou Can, why don’t you explain the plan to the family?”

Director Xueyan thought it would be better for Zhou Can to share, since most of the plan had been decided by him anyway.

Plus, he could answer any family questions more efficiently.

That’s why, when it comes to big surgeries, the chief surgeon always talks with the family instead of passing the job to a junior doctor.

“Your father’s sternum has developed osteomyelitis, and the wound infection is getting serious. We have to remove all the artificial material and perform a complete sternectomy. The sternum is what stabilizes and supports the chest, so removing it will make the chest wall unstable. To protect your father’s quality of life after surgery and ensure his safety, we’re planning to rebuild his chest wall using his own ribs.”

He laid out the main points of the surgery in simple terms.

“Is my dad’s wound healing slowly because of the artificial material?”

The family member asked.

“That’s definitely part of it.”

Zhou Can kept his reply diplomatic.

“Then is his persistent post-op infection the fault of the last hospital’s surgery?”

Her question hit straight to the point.

Going by her tone, she was starting to look for trouble with the previous hospital.

It’s pretty common—families almost always blame a hospital when something goes wrong after surgery.

If things turn out badly, of course they feel the hospital is responsible.

“Post-op complications are something every medical worker dreads, but nobody can prevent them entirely. I’m sure the doctors and nurses at the last hospital did all they could for your dad. Using artificial material to rebuild the chest wall is medically appropriate and completely up to standard. The thing is, every patient heals differently, and their immune systems don’t work the same. Before surgery, no one can guarantee there won’t be an infection afterward.”

Zhou Can’s answer was remarkably generous.

He didn’t badmouth Xinxiang Hospital at all; in fact, he went out of his way to clear the previous team of blame.

Which happened to be the honest truth.

Before any operation, who could say if an infection would develop?

Now that something had gone wrong, blaming the care team wasn’t right.

“Thank you for explaining. When can my dad have surgery?”

The family didn’t push the issue further.

“Sis Yan, can we get him on the schedule for tomorrow?”

“I’ll coordinate with the Operating Room and try to arrange it. Most likely after seven in the evening. Ms. Zhao, does that work for you?”

By scheduling the operation at night, Director Xueyan clearly hoped Zhou Can would be able to take the lead.

There were things she couldn’t say with the family present.

She could only count on Zhou Can to read her meaning.

“That works, that works, thank you Director Xue, and thank you Dr. Zhou!”

The family nodded enthusiastically.

Getting a surgery scheduled so quickly came as a huge relief.

She knew this was thanks in large part to young Dr. Zhou.

“Alright, that’s settled for now. If nothing changes, you’ll be notified by a nurse tomorrow, and a doctor will come for your signature. The anesthesiologist will come for pre-surgery evaluation and a talk. Please do your best to cooperate.”

Director Xueyan signaled that the meeting was over.

“Absolutely, I’ll cooperate fully. I’ll head out for now, but if you need anything, please just come find me in the ward.” The family member left in clearly high spirits.

Most families just want surgery scheduled as soon as possible.

Especially in tough cases that have dragged on elsewhere, the stress on the family gets overwhelming.

Once the family was gone, Director Xueyan turned to Zhou Can.

“You’d better come help out tomorrow!”

“No problem!”

Zhou Can agreed without hesitation.

“Sis Yan, I actually need a favor. Today Director Lou told me about a chance to pursue a postgraduate degree while working—he’s already signed me up. I tried applying during my senior year of college but failed. Honestly, I’m not feeling too confident about trying again.”

Even though his skills had improved by leaps and bounds since his undergrad days.

But that setback had left him with a lingering mental shadow.

“Heh, with all you’ve achieved, how can postgraduate entrance exams scare you? Usually, the pass rate’s about one in three. Last year it was closer to one in four, but still, I’m sure you’ll sail through.”

Director Xueyan laughed encouragingly.

“Besides, since the hospital is backing you, as long as you pass the written and interview, your chances are practically one hundred percent.”

She knew all the inside rules in the hospital.

“The problem is, I’m worried I won’t pass the written or the interview!”

Not having that kind of success before, Zhou Can was still anxious.

“Who’s your supervisor? Given your unique situation, the hospital will definitely make sure you get a flexible mentor who’s easier to work with.”

“Director Lou said it’s someone in orthopedic trauma.”

“Then it must be Professor Wu Xuesheng. He’s all about research and teaching, rarely in clinical work. Studying under him is perfect if you want to boost your research chops. I still have two major surgeries to do today, but once I’m done, how about I quiz you and help shape a solid study plan? Actually, I think you should reach out to the chief physicians in Orthopedics too. Since medical postgraduate exams are set by the school, those physicians have better insight into the test’s direction.”

Director Xueyan was an academic ace, but she wasn’t a know-it-all.

When it came to orthopedic trauma, she simply wasn’t as sharp as the orthopedic chiefs.

“I’m fairly familiar with Orthopedics. Once you help me chart a plan, I’ll check with one of the chief physicians over there. But it’d be wrong to ask them for the actual test questions, right?”

Zhou Can was worried that would cross a legal line.

“Haha… You once led a protest when Security wasn’t doing their job—the guts you showed! And now you’re worried about this? Don’t worry, the postgraduate exams are top secret. The orthopedic chiefs can’t leak questions even if they wanted. Still, they have tons of experience and, since they help write the exams each year, they can point you to the right subject areas.”

Watching her laugh so openly, Zhou Can scratched his head, almost embarrassed.

“I see! I did worry they’d get in trouble for helping me. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you laugh like that, Sis Yan. Honestly, it suits you.”

Time heals all wounds and smooths out all hurts.

Little by little, she was finally emerging from the gloom of her divorce.

…

“Dr. Zhou, the test results for that patient are out. Could you take a look?”

An intern handed the exam results for a patient with chest pain and shortness of breath to Zhou Can.

“Let me see!”

Zhou Can took the lab reports.

Director Xueyan asked curiously, “Xiao Chen, which patient is this?”

“An emergency admission. My mentor was in surgery, and since Dr. Zhou happened to come by, I asked him for help.”

After a quick look at the bloodwork and chest X-ray, Zhou Can shared the findings with Director Xueyan.

“This patient definitely has a left pneumothorax. The X-ray shows the left lung is badly compressed, some blood in the chest, the left costophrenic angle is blunted, and the trachea and mediastinum have all shifted right. Luckily, no rib fractures. I think we should try a needle decompression first.”

For Zhou Can, handling this was a breeze.

The higher his skill, the more he could easily solve tough problems that baffled others.

“He’s just twenty-eight—pretty young! How does someone that age end up with a pneumothorax?” Director Xueyan had no objections to Zhou Can’s plan.

Women loved gossip, after all, and her curiosity was no exception.

Even as a department head, she was still young at heart.

She was only in her forties, not yet the calm of a sixty-year-old.

In her forties, worlds away from the unruffled peace of elderly grandmothers.

“The patient was eating at home when his mother started nagging him about getting married and not working hard enough. Actually, his job is grueling—night shifts and likely involving physical labor. All that stress, topped with his mom’s pressure, made him blow up and yell. Next thing you know, he developed a pneumothorax.”

Zhou Can couldn’t help feeling sorry for this patient.

Life in your twenties was no walk in the park.

Sometimes it felt like there wasn’t anyone to turn to. At least if you were married, you could vent to your wife about work and life’s headaches.

“So that’s what happened. Your skill with needle decompression is the best in the department—go ahead and help him with the thoracic puncture!”

After hearing the story, Director Xueyan simply left the treatment in Zhou Can’s capable hands.

…

After the needle decompression, the results weren’t so great.

Even the best technique doesn’t always guarantee success.

Faced with that, the only option was to pursue further treatment.

Zhou Can realized the patient’s pneumothorax was more severe than he first thought.

Given the patient’s family situation, he felt he should avoid surgery if at all possible.