Chapter 226: Chapter 223: Substantial Performance
The plane at three o’clock in the afternoon should, barring any surprises, arrive at the airport by seven in the evening.
Then off to the hospital to do a surgery, the timing is just right.
With time running short, Wen Xia packed up her luggage.
Just as she was about to check out, she received a call from a fellow doctor and long-time friend.
It was because of him that Wen Xia had to drop out of the exchange competition midway.
"Xia, there’s been a change in the situation, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it alone. Could you find another skilled surgeon to come along, preferably from a major hospital?"
The patient’s injuries were very serious, and it was inconvenient to transfer her back and forth between hospitals.
To ensure she could hold on until a doctor arrived to rescue her, the hospital had used everything at its disposal.
It was thought that nothing would happen to the patient before Wen Xia arrived.
But three minutes before the phone call, the patient’s vital signs index plummeted, and it took a shot of epinephrine to bring her back.
After understanding the situation, Wen Xia immediately thought of one person—Zhang Hao!
If she remembered correctly, Zhang Hao was also a surgeon.
Moreover, as a disciple of Elder Qin, there was no doubt about his medical skills.
As to whether he was from a big hospital, that remained to be seen.
But Zhang Hao had just left, and Wen Xia knew that if she went after him now, she wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of him.
Fortunately, the two had exchanged contact information long ago, but she didn’t know if he would be willing to take this trip with her.
Yet thinking of the patient still waiting for her, Wen Xia couldn’t afford to hesitate.
Zhang Hao, who was almost at the hospital, received Wen Xia’s call.
He immediately asked for instructions from the hospital leadership, and upon learning it was to save a life, the leaders didn’t hesitate at all.
They even offered to provide help with medical equipment if needed.
But Zhang Hao didn’t know the current condition of the patient.
Regardless, he had to wait until he saw the situation for himself on the scene.
In the end, the two met at the airport; Wen Xia had only a small suitcase, and he was carrying his medical kit.
"I’m really sorry to have to ask you to take this long trip with me."
"Saving a life is more meritorious than creating a seven-tiered pagoda; now you can tell me about the patient’s condition."
Wen Xia also became serious, "The patient has congenital heart disease and was crushed by a dump truck, suffering a degloving injury to the lower body."
"In addition, she also has epilepsy, which makes treatment very difficult; her primary physician has already developed two treatment plans."
"We just have to go there and decide which one to implement after checking."
Faced with multiple complications, Zhang Hao felt like he was about to climb a mountain, certainly not an easy ascent.
"Okay, we’ll see when we get there."
The plane traced a perfect arc in the sky, and by the time they arrived at the airport, it was already dark.
The two hurriedly rushed to the hospital.
Upon arrival at the hospital, they found it to be dilapidated, with patchy walls.
This indicated that the building had been standing for at least a decade.
The one who came to meet them was the primary doctor of the patient, who was also Dr. Wen’s good friend, Chen Tao.
"Xia, you’re finally here. Let me give you a brief introduction to the patient’s condition now; it’s not very optimistic."
Without time for pleasantries, the doctor relayed the patient’s current condition.
After changing clothes and entering the resuscitation room, they lifted the blanket off the patient.
The lower body could be described as a blur of flesh and blood.
"Due to excessive blood loss, the patient’s condition has been unstable, and until now, she hasn’t reached the standard for entering the operating room."
"If we continue to delay, I’m afraid we’ll miss the optimal treatment time."
Upon seeing this, Wen Xia felt helpless.
She had treated many patients with severe injuries, but it was the first time she had seen one like today.
"How could this be? How many hours has it been since the injury occurred?" Zhang Hao asked.
"It’s been over a dozen hours now, we could say the best time for treatment has already passed."
"But the patient’s family keeps emphasizing to save her leg at all costs, yet look at the monitor’s readings now, they are not optimistic."
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and get the person to the operating room. Snatch every second from the death god that we can. I’ll perform the surgery."
"Dr. Wen, you’ll be my assistant." Zhang Hao made his decision resolutely.
Yet as the patient’s actual attending physician, he still hesitated in his heart.
He hoped that Zhang Hao could calm down—human life is of great importance!
"But right now, the patient’s vital signs are unstable. What if something unexpected happens on the operating table?"
"If something happens, I will take responsibility. If we delay any longer, we might really lose the leg."
Considering the patient’s best interest, the attending physician also made the final decision.
"Alright, then we’ll do as you say. If there’s a problem, I’ll take responsibility with you."
For patients in such critical and urgent conditions, it was a challenge higher than reaching the heavens for doctors like them.
Before the surgery, Zhang Hao and Wen Xia scrubbed their hands outside.
"Traveling all this distance for a stringent surgery, a failure would become the joke of our peers, but success would definitely cause a sensation in the industry." Wen Xia said.
"But now is not the time to think about these things." Zhang Hao replied very straightforwardly.
"You didn’t get a proper rest last night, did you?"
Zhang Hao blinked his eyes: "After this surgery, I could sleep anywhere, but now I have to be fully alert. The patient really trusts us."
All preparations ready, Zhang Hao and Wen Xia entered the operating room together.
Inside the operating room, the incessant beeping of various machines could be heard, with the anesthetist already waiting for a long time.
Once again, they discussed the treatment plan with the other doctors.
Once they confirmed everything was correct, they began.
Because the patient had heart disease and epilepsy, extra care was needed with the anesthesia.
As for the wound, it had already been cleaned in advance.
The wound had been exposed for too long and showed signs of local necrosis.
To save the leg, just finding the blood vessels alone took several hours.
The whole surgery lasted five to six hours, and throughout this lengthy time, Zhang Hao was fully focused.
His hands moved as if at double speed, leaving after-images with their swiftness.
Wen Xia saw everything and, instead of pretending to be tough in front of Zhang Hao, she truly admired him.
With the final stitch sewn, Zhang Hao also took a deep breath. When he came down from the operating table, his legs had lost all sensation.
He was so exhausted that he nearly collapsed on the spot, but thankfully Wen Xia was beside him to quickly lend support.
"Are you okay, Doctor Zhang?"
Zhang Hao waved his hand, signaling her not to worry.
Upon exiting the operating room, Wen Xia rushed to the vending machine and bought a bottle of cola.
"Have a drink."
The bottle cap already off, Zhang Hao did not refuse.
With one tilt of his head, a third of it was gone.
The dose of sugar revived a bit of his energy.
"You are truly amazing. I now see you in a new light and apologize for the arrogance I showed you before. Sorry."
Zhang Hao sat in the chair, too tired to speak and only managed a faint smile in response to Wen Xia.
It took him a while to finally speak: "An apology can’t just be in words; you need to show some substantial action to prove it."
