Chapter 1007: Chapter 1007: Precise as a Machine
(Thanks to bunkerchina for the monthly ticket encouragement)
"Director, how is the situation?"
Upon entering the operating room, Liu Banxia asked.
"The spleen injury doesn’t look too severe. I’ll repair it first, and continue to observe after we finish. The liver damage, on the other hand, is a bit more serious. You’ll handle it later," Zhou Shuwen said.
"Okay, I’m almost done getting dressed," Liu Banxia replied.
"The spleen is also very important, you know. The child is so young, we should save it if we can," Zhou Shuwen added.
After changing into his scrubs, Liu Banxia approached to take a look. Zhou Shuwen had nearly finished and was now stitching the omentum onto the spleen.
If a wound of this length were on an adult, it might not be a big problem, and recovery would be good after repair. But this is a child. Even such a small wound is very dangerous for his tiny spleen.
The spleen has a powerful physiological function. It’s not just a blood reservoir and filter, but also a robust support for the immune system.
Otherwise, why is it that in cases of blood diseases, liver diseases, or other malignant tumors, the spleen often becomes enlarged?
This child is so small. If the spleen were to be removed, many diseases that wouldn’t have been serious in his life could be life-threatening.
"Done, the sewing is finished. Send the spleen back and then take care of the liver," Zhou Shuwen said after cutting the suture.
"Okay, I’ll take over," Liu Banxia quickly replied.
"How is it? Want me to stay here for a while to boost your confidence?" Zhou Shuwen asked with a smile.
"No thanks, you should take a break. You’ve been up here since the beginning," Liu Banxia replied.
"Are you sure? Even though you’ve always wanted to do pediatric surgery, you’ve never dared to actually do it," Zhou Shuwen pressed.
"I can do it, I’m sure I can, just a little nervous," Liu Banxia said helplessly.
"Even an adult’s spleen is fragile, let alone this kid’s. Even placing it back is nerve-wracking—the pressure is indeed great."
"But I need to get used to this kind of pressure. I can definitely do it. Small patients or big patients, they are all patients. The same surgical requirements apply, just need to be more careful and precise."
Although Liu Banxia was mumbling to himself, as if trying to build his own confidence, Zhou Shuwen nodded. This could be considered trust in Liu Banxia.
Facing different patients, even a surgeon has different feelings.
This is a child, so small on the operating table. This procedure will affect his entire future. How could there be no pressure? If there was none, it would mean being heartless.
But since Liu Banxia was muttering to himself without pretending to be strong, it showed he was indeed ready to operate, rather than being coerced onto the stage.
Cautiously placing the spleen back and moving the hemostats away, seeing no bleeding at the suture site, Liu Banxia let out a big sigh of relief.
"Since the patient is so small, we need to be more meticulous with the liver resection surgery," Liu Banxia said.
"As usual, but when lifting the tissue, be careful, more gentle, and precise."
"Even a small mistake can cause severe harm to the child. Su Wenhao, you haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Can you handle this surgery?"
"Teacher Liu, I can. I had a bag of glucose earlier," Su Wenhao seriously replied.
"OK, you’ll be First Assist, Xu Yino Second Assist, and the others observe," Liu Banxia instructed.
For adult patients, he might let others try and help a little. But for this young patient, he had to give the highest priority arrangement.
"What exactly caused this?" Liu Banxia asked cautiously while dissecting.
"The car was speeding, and the child was playing in the back seat. After the collision, he hit the gear stick. We initially thought the spleen couldn’t be saved," Su Wenhao explained.
"The Director thought there was a chance to save it after opening the abdomen and decided to repair the spleen first. But he said it needs to be observed closely afterward, and if necessary, the spleen might still have to be removed."
"I didn’t see the previous wound conditions, just felt this wound is a bit deep," Liu Banxia noted.
Su Wenhao nodded, "Indeed, it was somewhat deep. The Director took over two minutes to decide whether to attempt the repair."
"How was the dispute handled today?" Li Liwei asked.
"First detain him, and then see how the divorce goes. There’s also the need for an injury examination; Xu Yino mentioned she has quite a few injuries," Liu Banxia said.
"It’s more than just a few; it’s all over her body. There’s is damage on the scalp, and her hearing in the left ear is also affected," Xu Yino said.
"In my view, if she doesn’t get divorced, either she’ll be beaten to death by that man, or in a few years she’ll be beaten senseless and then killed."
"Please calm down, sir. We need to focus on this surgery," Liu Banxia quickly said.
"There’s no big argument about it. Whether it’s a child or an adult, the approach is the same. It’s just that when we perform surgery on a child, we have to be extra careful not just because the blood vessels are finer and the organs smaller."
"Xu Yino, since you’re so keen on talking, why don’t you tell us what else we should consider. If you’re right, we can learn something from you."
"Do we also need to consider the child’s developmental issues?" Xu Yino thought for a moment and asked.
"I’m not particularly knowledgeable about this aspect yet. Actually, I’m waiting for you to study it and teach us. But I believe pediatric surgery, to be specific, pediatric general surgery, is definitely more than just a shrunken version of adult surgery."
"But to boost our confidence, we can think in this direction. That way, we’ll be more assured and steady in our hands during surgery."
"That’s a great insight. These are indeed things we need to consider. To be honest, many general surgeries are essentially miniaturized versions of adult surgeries," Liu Banxia said.
"We have many issues to consider, such as controlling the surgery time. Pediatric anesthesia is much more complex than adult anesthesia; didn’t you notice how Dr. Li was also quite silent today?"
"Please, stop stressing me out. You guys focus on your research. Currently, the vital signs are stable, and that’s enough to keep us going," Li Liwei said helplessly.
"Let’s lighten up the mood and relieve some of the tension," Liu Banxia said.
"When operating on a child, we must be 200% attentive. Even a tiny oversight can cost a lot of time to correct."
"Not to say mistakes; if a real mistake happens, it will affect the child’s entire future. That way, you’ll carry a mental burden, affecting your future operations."
"Another thing is that pediatric general surgery significantly differs from adult general surgery. Once you’ve studied pediatric general surgery, you’ll know that many conditions are congenital, which you won’t encounter in adult general surgery."
"That’s because they are usually resolved in childhood. Where else would you see them? Plus, some procedures in pediatric surgery differ from those in adult surgery."
"Diagnosing certain conditions also varies significantly. One of your strengths is appendectomy. In the case of pediatric appendicitis, immediate surgery is required because the perforation time window is very short and cannot be delayed."
"For adults, it’s different. Some chronic appendicitis patients can even try conservative treatment. If it works, they can avoid surgery, and it won’t disrupt their work."
Those watching in the observation room nodded in agreement after hearing what Liu Banxia said. Performing surgery on children is indeed a trying task that tests technical skills.
They actually came to observe Zhou Shuwen’s operation, but the second half was taken over by Liu Banxia. If it weren’t a liver surgery, many would have left already.
For adults, this would be a level-three surgery. But for children, it’s a level-four surgery, demanding more skill and precision, truly testing one’s technical prowess.
Although the conversation between Liu Banxia and Xu Yino might have seemed frivolous, they knew it was a way to relieve pressure.
Every surgeon has their own way; whatever suits them is fine, regardless of what others think. The ultimate goal is to help patients and alleviate their pain.
Moreover, Liu Banxia’s words weren’t entirely frivolous. There are indeed substantial differences between pediatric general surgery and adult general surgery. Without appropriate study, Liu Banxia wouldn’t be able to articulate these distinctions.
The key still lies in the operation itself. The only thought in people’s minds after watching for so long is envy—a deep envy of his excellent surgical skills.
"You all better watch closely, observe Director Liu’s level of skill, and see what kind of skill level the people he trains have."
While everyone was seriously watching, a small group of people entered the observation room.
"Dr. Zhang, is this a group observation session?" a resident doctor asked with a smile.
Zhang Yun nodded, "They need to see what a true expert looks like. As soon as I heard Liu Banxia was operating, I immediately dropped what I was doing."
"Dr. Zhang, you also mentored Director Liu back in the day, right?" another resident asked out of curiosity.
"If I tell you I taught him the fascia incision decompression technique on-site, would you believe it?" Zhang Yun said with a smile.
"But now he’s far surpassed me. I wouldn’t dare perform this surgery. Listen up, I’m looking forward to the day you all surpass me."
The interns she brought in looked bitter; surpassing Director Liu seemed an unattainable task, a mere dream they couldn’t even entertain.
Zhang Yun was joking, but her eyes never left the screen.
She was genuinely amazed. Liu Banxia’s hands were so steady that there wasn’t the slightest tremor or hesitation. Like a robot, he performed precise incisions and slowly freed the blood vessels.
