The Surgeon's Studio

Chapter 684: The Man That Bolted Away

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Mu Tao was stunned. Ever since he came to Pengxi Village Hospital, he entered the interventional radiology suite and began to perform surgery. He had not eaten at all, only having two gulps of water in between everything that had happened since his arrival. The lead apron on his body was wet with sweat and very uncomfortable. It was the first time that Mu Tao walked out of the operating theater since going in and he was ready to change into a new lead apron. When he walked out, he happened to see the airtight lead door of the other operating theater slowly closing. He vaguely saw two familiar figures but his eyes were a little blurry. He could not glimpse who they were. He was jet-lagged. He had performed nearly ten hours of surgery in a lead apron. Although he was still young and had excellent physical strength, he could not stand it. After tearing off the lead apron, Mu Tao did not care about maintaining his usual image. He sat on the floor of the corridor with his back against the wall, looking at the guide wires and catheters piled up on the floor. “Professor Mu, you must be tired. I’ll get someone to heat up some food for you,” Chief Jiang said as he packed up the medical supplies. “I’m not hungry. I’m just tired. I’ll continue after I take a break.” Mu Tao was really tired. All the joints in his body were sore as if being pricked by countless needles. He couldn’t keep up at this pace with his energy, barely able to keep his eyes open. “Then go to the duty room and sleep for a while. You can continue working after you wake up. Don’t tire your body out,” Chief Jiang said. “There are still dozens of patients outside. I can still do three to five more today. Have you transferred the other patients away?” “All the patients after the surgery have been transferred away. They’ve been replaced with new ones.” Mu Tao’s face darkened. The severe pelvic fracture and hemorrhagic shock were already very serious. He had to seize the time to stop the bleeding. With him there, they could not do more than dozens of patients even if there were other people. Moreover, it was not just these dozens of patients. The seriously injured patients at the front were being transported down in an endless stream. Every time there was a delay, it would result in the death of a seriously injured patient who was transported down. Chief Jiang was simply too irresponsible! Seeing that Mu Tao was silent, Chief Jiang suddenly realized something. He was originally checking the numbers but suddenly forgot where he was. At this rate, it was probably best for him to just categorize the items. “When you were performing surgery, Doctor Zheng from the Imperial Capital Hospital came. The patients with severe pelvic fractures have all been dealt with. Now, they’re performing surgery on the patients who have just been transported back from the front. The patients’ transportation after the surgery was also very timely. Don’t worry,” Chief Jiang quickly classified the guide wire and catheter as he spoke. “Doctor Zheng?” Mu Tao suddenly realized who the person from earlier was. “Is his name Zheng Ren?” “Yes, Doctor Zheng Ren,” Chief Jiang said. “When he came down from the frontline, he did the same as you. He didn’t even drink a mouthful of water and went straight to the stage. He did...” “Twenty-six sets, no, twenty-seven sets.” Xie Ning had the data on his side. It was all printed in his mind as he followed up Chief Jiang’s statement. Chief Jiang nodded repeatedly. With such a butler-like existence, it really saved him a lot of trouble. Mu Tao was stunned. He had used nearly ten hours to perform eight interventional embolization surgeries for severe pelvic fractures. When he entered the operating theater, he did not see Zheng Ren. Even if he had counted the time for eight surgeries, the other side had performed twenty-seven? Mu Tao admitted that there was a gap between him and Zheng Ren. After all, the new criteria for diagnosis and treatment of TIPS surgery had already entered the judging process for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Zheng Ren was already a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He might not be able to reach him in this lifetime. However, a pelvic fracture with embolization and hemostasis... This kind of basic surgical method for interventional medicine... Was their difference so wide? Mu Tao found many reasons for himself. Zheng Ren had a monstrous assistant...But even if he had an awesome assistant, he should not be able to perform the surgery so quickly. He was jet-lagged... Zheng Ren had just come down from the frontline. He could roughly estimate how tough the conditions were just by looking at these injured people. These reasons were unable to convince Mu Tao of himself. He did a simple mental calculation and estimated that each surgery would take less than twenty minutes. This also included preoperative preparations, punctures, and other steps. How did he do it? Mu Tao supported himself and stood up. Every step he took caused his entire body to ache. He was exhausted to the bone but barely held on and walked to the observation deck in the other operating theater. He was already stepping on the line inside, the light and shadow on the screen flashing. From the time when the airtight lead door of the operating theater was closed to now, around three minutes had passed. However, Mu Tao saw that one of the internal iliac artery’s blood vessels had already been blocked and the micro-guide wire was superselecting another blood vessel. It was really so fast... Mu Tao was speechless. He stared at the screen in a daze and looked at the micro-guide wire as if it was a living creature with a soul, swimming around in the small branch of the internal iliac artery. The superselection was in the surgeon’s hand and seemed as simple as a math problem in elementary school. There was no need to hesitate at all or do repeated tests—each super selection was a success. It was simply too fast! Mu Tao realized that the harder he worked, the further he was from the junior doctor named Zheng Ren. The difference in skill level between the two of them was so great that Mu Tao wasn’t able to even glimpse at his shadow. Interventional surgery for pelvic fractures was considered a basic interventional surgery. At the same time, it was also an extremely difficult interventional embolization. Mu Tao’s standard was much better than the others, but he could only guarantee that he could complete one within an hour or so. This was a high standard even in the Mayo Clinic. However, Mu Tao did not see any bright spots while doing earthquake relief work now. He only saw endless darkness. The difference was so big that it was shocking. There were many branches of blood vessels. Mu Tao judged that it was extremely difficult. He needed to select at least three to five times before he could succeed. However, the image of the micro-wire on the screen only shook and moved, the selection successful. Mu Tao felt inferior to such a technical method. He looked at the screen but his mind was thinking about that action. What was mysterious about this? Was it a familiarity with the local anatomical structure or a special technique to operate the micro-wire? It was both but it didn’t seem to be either. Mu Tao was lost in his thoughts. He did not notice his fatigue surge like a tidal wave. When he was unconscious, it drowned him. Without realizing it, Mu Tao fell asleep while sitting on the chair. In the operating theater, Zheng Ren completed the last internal iliac artery embolization treatment. He was full of confidence. He took out the guide wire and catheter directly without performing an angiogram. “Boss, with your hand speed, did you actually meet a breakthrough when working in a life and death situation?” Su Yun had asked this question countless times today. “Yes.” Zheng Ren could not be bothered with him. Every bit of energy was used in the endless surgeries until he could not hold on anymore. “I want to give it a try,” Su Yun said, but Zheng Ren knew that this guy would not put himself in such a dangerous situation. The air-tight lead door opened. Su Yun called the doctor outside to carry the patient. Zheng Ren’s eyes swept through the lead-lined glass and saw a person sleeping on the chair.