Chapter 309 209: Fatal Medical Accident
The surgical preparations moved forward quickly.
When it was about time, Jiang He prepared to change and scrub in.
On his way, he overheard a few young nurses chatting about a popular show that was currently airing: Ugly Betty.
They were chatting happily, but when they saw Jiang He walk past with his hands in his pockets, their smiles vanished. They lowered their heads slightly.
"Leader Jiang."
"Hello, Leader Jiang."
Jiang He nodded, his expression calm.
But after he walked past, he heard one of the young nurses muster up her courage to call out, "Leader Jiang! Good luck with the surgery!"
Without breaking his stride, Jiang He made an "OK" sign with his right hand.
The young nurse stared at his back, suddenly so struck by how cool he was that she was speechless.
The other two nurses poked her shoulder and whispered:
"Stop dreaming. Look at the ring. He has a girlfriend..."
"Stop dreaming. Look at the necklace. His girl must be a goddess..."
...
During his pre-operative ritual, he fumbled with the ring, and it fell to the floor.
Jiang He frowned, picked up the ring, and repeated the words in his mind:
'I wish for peace and success for everyone, both on and off the operating table.'
Then he went to the scrub sink, pressed the foot pedal, and began to wash his hands meticulously.
No matter how many surgeries he had performed, Jiang He never dared to be careless with these details.
Because the medical profession had its own unique nature.
You could never, ever treat it as just a job.
Any so-called "work mistake" could cost a human life.
That was a price no one could afford to pay.
In his previous life, Jiang He had heard a story.
After a patient was discharged, the surgeon realized a piece of equipment was missing from the count.
To prevent the matter from coming to light, the doctor decided to hide it, and the instrument was left inside the patient's abdomen...
Jiang He found that story truly outrageous.
It wasn't just irresponsible toward the patient; it was an insult to the profession itself.
After scrubbing in,
Jiang He entered the operating room.
As soon as he stepped inside, he was met with a chorus of greetings.
"Leader Jiang."
"Leader Jiang is here."
"Hello, Leader Jiang."
Today's team was made up of familiar faces.
Circulating nurse Chen Jing, scrub nurse Dong Shu, anesthesiologist Lin Peidong, first assistant Xu Chen, and second assistant Meng Shiyu.
In fact, Sister Jing, Dong Shu, and Lin Peidong had all primarily worked with Yang Xu in the past.
But Yang Xu had left this ace team for Jiang He, taking on the new recruits himself.
'What else could he say? My mentor is the best.'
'Guess it wasn't a waste helping you look good in front of your wife…'
Although everyone on the team was much more senior than Jiang He, their voices were filled with respect when they addressed him as "Leader Jiang."
At Affiliated Hospital No. 1, skill was the only thing that mattered.
From the blind ligation to the car crash emergency rescue, and then to his unconventional promotion to independent medical team leader, Jiang He had carved out a path to the top with his incredible skills.
Jiang He gave a slight nod in response.
He walked to the operating table, and a nurse helped him into his sterile surgical gown.
Taking his place at the head of the table, he felt a sense of calm.
To be honest, compared to when he first started and everyone called him "Dr. Jiang," he was now more accustomed to the title "Leader Jiang."
In his past life, people around him had either called him Director Jiang or respectfully addressed him as "teacher."
The name "Dr. Jiang" inevitably made him think of Shen Yu, which made him a little uncomfortable.
'This is better. Much more comfortable.'
Jiang He pulled his thoughts back to the present. "What are the patient's vitals?"
Lin Peidong quickly reported, "Blood pressure is 95 over 60, heart rate is 115 beats per minute, and blood oxygen saturation is 93%. We've established two large-bore IVs and are rapidly infusing fluids, but the patient's intra-abdominal pressure is still rising. Bladder pressure is approaching 28 mmHg. The indicators for abdominal compartment syndrome are very clear."
"Decompress immediately. Number 20 blade."
The surgery officially began.
As the first assistant, Xu Chen gripped the gauze and suction device tightly, his eyes focused.
Lately, he had been rewatching recordings of Jiang He's surgeries over and over again.
He even found himself unconsciously mimicking Jiang He's posture and the way he held his instruments in daily life.
He yearned to catch up, and he yearned to prove himself to Jiang He.
"Incision from the xiphoid process down to the pubic symphysis. A long midline abdominal incision."
The moment Jiang He finished speaking, the blade was already pressed against the patient's abdominal skin.
The scalpel moved steadily from top to bottom, smoothly slicing through the epidermis.
Blood seeped out. Jiang He immediately switched to the high-frequency electrocautery knife, swiftly cutting through the subcutaneous fat layer while precisely coagulating the bleeders to achieve hemostasis.
He incised the linea alba and used two hemostats to lift the peritoneum.
"Ready the high-volume suction," Jiang He said calmly.
Xu Chen immediately placed the suction tip at the edge of the incision.
The scalpel made a small opening.
A turbid, reddish-brown fluid erupted from the abdominal cavity.
If Jiang He hadn't preemptively blocked it with gauze, the high-pressure fluid would have sprayed directly onto the surgical lights.
Xu Chen quickly inserted the suction tip and aspirated the massive outflow of fluid.
As the ascitic fluid was suctioned out, the patient's abdomen collapsed.
Lin Peidong glanced at the monitor. "Abdominal pressure is down. Blood pressure is back up to 105 over 70, heart rate's down to 100 beats per minute, and airway resistance is much lower. Leader Jiang, you're incredible."
Lin Peidong's tone relaxed.
In the past, for a surgery of this level, if any other attending physician were the chief surgeon, just opening the abdomen and controlling the bleeding would have taken a good half an hour.
But Jiang He's movements were as smooth as flowing water—not only fast, but also steady. He made it look completely effortless.
Chen Jing couldn't help but exclaim, "Leader Jiang, are you going for a new record?"
As the second assistant, Meng Shiyu was studying intently.
'God knows how much effort went into making it look so easy.'
'He truly lives up to his hospital-wide nickname: the surgical machine...'
With the abdominal cavity fully open, the source of the pathology was completely exposed under the surgical lights.