Chapter 408 - 408: The Arrogant Doctor
Zhou Bufan said coldly, "I have dedicated myself to brain diseases for more than thirty years and my clinical experience is extremely rich. I can diagnose the condition from those films at a glance, and I haven't seen the situation you described!"
Hearing the words of the two men, Lin Guoqiang also hurriedly said, "Young man, you can eat food carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly. You have to take responsibility for what you say. I've also looked at those films and, to be honest, I didn't see any hematoma compressing the nerve fibers like you said. You might want to make a name for yourself, but you should also recognize the situation. Showing off your skills in the master carpenter's doorway only makes you look foolish."
These three people saw that Lin Tianyou was young and didn't take him seriously at all, their words not lacking in sarcasm.
Ye Qing slightly frowned, feeling somewhat annoyed as, after all, it was he who had invited Lin Tianyou. However, Lin Tianyou himself remained calm, gave a faint smile, and said, "As medical practitioners, we must be as meticulous as possible. A moment's oversight can lead to a patient's death. I'm just making a suggestion. If possible, please take another look; after all, this concerns the patient's life and safety!"
Chen Weimin glared and said, "I've been examining it all along, do I need you to tell me that? If you really think you're better than me, fine, I'll give you the chance. You go and perform the craniotomy on her!"
Zhou Bufan was even more direct, flipping his sleeve, turning around, and making as if to leave.
Gu Xianping immediately became anxious, as it was related to his daughter's life and death. He hurriedly walked over, blocked the two men, and urgently said, "Gentlemen, please, don't be angry, don't be angry..."
"I wasn't planning on getting angry, but if he insists on provoking us, what can I do?" Chen Weimin glanced at Lin Tianyou and said, "Since you've called us here, you should trust us. What's the meaning of bringing this person along? Also, which hospital are you from? I've never seen you before."
"I'm sorry, I misspoke earlier. Please don't take it to heart," Lin Tianyou said. "I'm not from Pingnan Province. I'm from Shenchuan City."
Zhou Bufan said coldly, "I don't care whether you're from Shenchuan or not; if you think you're better than us, then go in and save the patient."
Lin Tianyou became somewhat embarrassed, while Ye Qing just had an extremely cold expression, about to speak, but luckily, Xu Changzhi next to him spoke first.
Xu Changzhi said, "Uncles, a medical practitioner's heart is like that of a parent. Saving a patient is the crucial thing right now, let's talk about other matters after the patient is saved."
Chen Weimin and Zhou Bufan glanced at Xu Changzhi and then scoffed, "We're here to give face to Changzhi by consulting on her case. You young people, ignorant of the vastness of the sky and the breadth of the earth, dare to show off before the master. Ridiculous!"
Having said this, the two men arrogantly went to the adjacent operating room. Lin Guoqiang glanced at Lin Tianyou and said, "Young man, disaster springs from careless talk. You'd better be careful with your words in the future!"
"Shut your mouth!" Ye Qing snapped coldly, causing Lin Guoqiang to become annoyed. But then considering Ye Qing's relationships with Xu Changzhi and Huang Feiming, he truly did shut up.
Ye Qing awkwardly looked at Lin Tianyou and said, "Doctor Lin, I'm truly sorry, I didn't expect this to happen. Those two are too much, you were just making a suggestion, and they went on and on about it. What do they think they are!"
"It's fine," Lin Tianyou said with a light smile. "Medical matters ought to involve some dispute for progress to happen. Actually, I also just have some suspicions about the hematoma; I cannot be certain, and it might be that the two seniors are right, which would of course be better. If there's no hematoma compressing the nerve fibers, then the treatment isn't as dangerous. No matter what, ensuring the patient's safety is the most important thing."
Hearing Lin Tianyou's words, Ye Qing couldn't help but sigh. They were both doctors, yet why was there such a big difference between people?
"All right, don't blame yourself. Remember, when you're free, take me to visit a few elderly practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine," Lin Tianyou patted Ye Qing's shoulder, then walked ahead toward the operating room.
Lin Guoqiang had already arranged for the nurse to take Gu Yaqing to the operating room. Chen Weimin and Zhou Bufan changed their clothes, completed sterilization, and entered, and the light in the operating room lit up straight away.
Gu Xianping stood anxiously pacing back and forth at the door of the ward; he was more anxious than anyone else. Ye Qing, Xu Changzhi, and the others stood there with him, even Chen Jun came over carrying an IV bag to accompany Gu Xianping.
"Teacher Gu, don't worry, there will be no problems," Chen Jun said. "Ye Zi also said Yaqing's injury isn't severe, just some hematoma that needs to be cleared. I think, before much longer, Yaqing will be able to go back to school. Nothing will happen!"
Gu Xianping nodded, feeling somewhat better, but his brow still didn't relax much. With every minute Gu Yaqing wasn't wheeled out, his anxiety didn't stop.
"Definitely don't worry, nothing will happen," said Lin Guoqiang. "Relax, both doctors are among the top neurospecialists in Pingnan Province. Any one of them could perform the operation well on their own. Now with the two of them consulting together, the surgery is even less of a concern. Teacher Gu, don't be anxious, just sit here and wait; she'll be out soon!"
"Yes, yes, yes." Gu Xianping nodded repeatedly, but how could he sit still?
Everyone stood outside the ward, anxiously awaiting the outcome. What was supposed to be a one-hour operation took fully an hour and a half with no news; this only increased Gu Xianping's anxiety.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen," Lin Guoqiang was still comforting Gu Xianping. "For such a big surgery, it's normal to have a bit of a delay. Rest assured, it'll be fine soon."
Gu Xianping was so nervous he couldn't speak, and even Ye Qing clenched his fists, fearing that something unexpected would happen to Gu Yaqing in the ward.
At this moment, Lin Tianyou's brow furrowed slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he reached out to tug on Ye Qing's clothes and walked to the end of the hallway.
Understanding his intent, Ye Qing followed and asked urgently, "What's wrong?"
"There's a problem with the surgery," Lin Tianyou said in a low voice.
"What kind of problem?" Ye Qing's heart rose to his throat. If anything happened to Gu Yaqing, Gu Xianping would definitely not be able to withstand such a blow.
Lin Tianyou said gravely, "This kind of craniotomy isn't a major operation, and it's not difficult to handle. Given the qualifications of those two, they should have finished within an hour. But now, they have exceeded that by a full half an hour. You must understand that craniotomy is different from other surgeries. The longer the time exceeded, the more dangerous it is for the patient."
"Ah?" Ye Qing's complexion changed, and he asked anxiously, "Then what can be done? What kind of complications might arise?"
"The worst possibility right now is that the hematoma is compressing a nerve," Lin Tianyou explained. "If it really is a hematoma pressing on a nerve, and they don't realize it, then they'll proceed with the surgery using the most common methods. But these methods can't clear the hematoma from the nerve. If that's the case, then the surgery has become highly dangerous, and there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that the patient will die on the operating table!"
Ye Qing looked even more distressed, turned to glance at the operating room, then back at Lin Tianyou, and asked anxiously, "So... is there any way to solve this now?"
Lin Tianyou sighed and said, "If this were in Shenchuan City, our hospital has brought in a special machine from Europe that could give a fifty percent chance of survival. But, there's no such machine here, so the survival rate drops to less than five percent!"
Ye Qing's heart raced; he had never felt as anxious as he did now.
"Five percent? So... you're saying she has almost no chance of survival?" Ye Qing's eyes widened in dismay.
Lin Tianyou nodded and said softly, "Moreover, I don't know whether these two doctors have encountered a case like this before. If not, then there's no hope, not even that five percent."
Ye Qing became extremely agitated and said, "So... what can we do now?"
Lin Tianyou shrugged and replied, "If I were inside, I could at least see what the situation is. But I can't just barge in now. They are in the middle of surgery, and if I go in and disturb them, it might become even more dangerous!"
Ye Qing clenched his teeth and said, "Damn it, I should have insisted that you go in with them from the start. Those two bastards are just too arrogant. If anything happens to Yaqing, I will never let them get away with it!"
Lin Tianyou didn't say anything, just quietly watched the operating room. About half an hour later, the doors to the operating room finally opened, and Chen Weimin and Zhou Bufan came out with grim expressions.
Seeing the two men's expressions, Gu Xianping hadn't even spoken before he fainted to the ground.
"Teacher Gu! Teacher Gu!" Chen Jun and others hurriedly lifted him up.
"How is it? How's the situation?" Lin Guoqiang walked over, asking anxiously.
Xu Changzhi also looked at the two anxiously; it was he who had recommended them. If something happened to Gu Yaqing, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Chen Weimin and Zhou Bufan exchanged glances, both with unsightly expressions. After a long hesitation, Chen Weimin finally looked down and said, "I'm sorry, we did everything we could!"
"What!?" Lin Guoqiang's eyes widened suddenly, and Xu Changzhi's complexion changed. He stepped forward and demanded urgently, "What do you mean by that?"
Zhou Bufan said, "The patient's condition was somewhat different from our initial observations, beyond our control. We're truly sorry, we've tried our best!"
"Different? What do you mean different? Explain to me what 'different' means?" Ye Qing ran over from a distance, shouting loudly, "Is it like what Doctor Lin said, the hematoma compressing the nerve?"
It was then that everyone snapped to the realization, looking at Chen Weimin and Zhou Bufan simultaneously. When Lin Tianyou had mentioned the problem earlier, no one had taken Lin Tianyou's words to heart. But now that an issue had indeed occurred with the surgery, could it be because of that reason?
With heads lowered, the two doctors had troubled looks on their faces. Without them having to say anything, everyone already knew what had happened!
(Here's a recommendation for my friend's book "Urban Medical Saint," a good read for those looking for something new.)