The Surgeon’s Studio

Chief Li’s head hurt. He did not blame Chief Jiang. He could already feel the suffocating pressure from the words on the other end of the call. Although there was still Huaxi—the last flood dam—everyone in front was trying their best to reduce the pressure on Huaxi. Once Huaxi collapsed, it meant that the PLA soldiers were not afraid of casualties. The wounded who were rescued from the disaster area would not be able to be treated on time.  The consequences would be catastrophic. It would be even worse than another earthquake of the same magnitude. It was best that he was smart with his time and did not continue to be in a daze. Chief Li reflected on himself for a few seconds before he dialed the number again. The line was busy on the other end. “It’s really busy,” Chief Li lamented. He put down the phone and began to recall the patients and radiographic films that were sent back from Pengxi Village Hospital. “Chief Li, the patient is on stage now. Chief Sui asked me to let you know!” A circulating nurse opened the door of the operating theater and roared. She immediately left the door ajar and trotted away. ‘F*ck… the surgery has begun…’ Chief Li knew the general meaning of the radiographic films, but he still had to communicate with the surgeons at Pengxi Village Hospital to make sure he did not miss any extra details.  He picked up his phone again and called Chief Jiang. “I told you, I don’t have time to go home. Just send the food over. Remember to ask the shop next door for Northeastern cuisine. This side has…” Before Chief Li could say anything, Chief Jiang started to nag. It was really chaotic. Chief Li smiled bitterly. “Little Jiang, I’m Li Jianshan from Huaxi,” Chief Li said, not bothering to reprimand him.  “Li…” The other side hesitated for a moment. Chief Li could guess that the other party had picked up his phone to look at the caller ID. “Chief Li, Hello, hello. I’m sorry, I’m quite busy here.” Chief Jiang’s voice was a lot warmer but he still spoke very quickly. “Let’s just get straight to the point,” Chief Li said. “I received a post-embolectomy patient from your referral. I want to ask who performed the surgery. There are some things I want to…” “What’s the number?” Chief Li’s words were interrupted again. He was stunned. Number? What number? “Chief Li, there are medical records in the radiographic films. The number of the injured is on the upper right corner of the medical records. Please take a look.” Although Chief Jiang was in a hurry, he was still very polite. Medical records? Number? Chief Li was puzzled. It was a little inconvenient for him to carry the radiographic films, so he said, “Little Jiang, don’t hang up the phone yet. I’ll look for it.” “Okay. It’s about time for us to stop the bleeding for the pelvic pressure. Be vigilant and don’t fall asleep while pressing. Hurry up and apply more pressure… Uncle Ning? Why are you here? There’s a postoperative patient here. You can take him with you later.” On the other side of the phone, Chief Jiang was busy settling his own doctors. No one knew what he was busy with. Chief Li held the phone to the side of his face and began to rummage through the bag of radiographic films. Sure enough, a piece of A4 paper lay quietly between the radiographic films. Taking out the A4 paper, Chief Li glanced at the number on the top right and said into the phone, “Number 1329.” “It’s record number 1329. Find out who the surgeon is.” Chief Jiang’s voice was very loud, almost deafening Chief Li’s ears. Chief Li frowned and moved his phone away slightly from his ear. He was really busy on his end. He was so busy and he still had time to give the patient a number? Could it be that he was busy but things were still under control? “Chief Li, are you there?” Soon, chief Jiang’s voice was heard. “Yes.” “It’s the patient who underwent thrombectomy surgery four hours ago by Doctor Zheng. Doctor Zheng suggested that the patient be sent to Huaxi to prepare for amputation. Because this patient’s surgery is more difficult, Doctor Zheng personally made the silhouette,” Chief Jiang said quickly. Personally made the silhouette… If it were any other time, Chief Li would definitely scoff at these words. Did he really think that he was someone important? After the surgery, wasn’t it his responsibility to personally produce the radiographic films! But this time, Chief Li did not have such thoughts at all. He was a candidate for the Nobel Prize, so he indeed had the right to say that he was going to personally do it. “Little Jiang, give the phone to Doctor Zheng. I want to ask him something,” Chief Li said. “Chief Li, Doctor Zheng is removing the suppository. It should be done soon. Can you give me a moment?” Chief Li was anxious. However, he had no choice but to wait. It was not that he could not pick up the phone during the surgery but according to Chief Jiang, he must have been stepping on the line so he could not allow himself to go in. He was really going all out! Other people might not know, but Chief Li definitely did. Interventional surgery was not considered surgery. The worst that could happen in surgery was that it would take a long time and be more tiring. One needed to withstand radiation while performing interventional surgery.  Although x-rays were direct rays and theoretically there was no possibility of scattering or refracting, who could say for sure about this kind of thing? Anyway, the number of days he had been performing surgery was steadily increasing. One day and one night in one go? Or two days and two nights? Maybe even three? How many threads would he have to eat! He was currently removing the embolus. He estimated that it would take him half an hour to finish. This was still fast. Chief Li hesitated for a moment but then he put away his phone. He took the A4 paper and read it carefully as he walked into the surgery room. He needed a mature interventional surgeon to guide the surgery. There was a strange paragraph written on the medical record. Chief Li did not understand. It was so strange. As he walked, he recalled three radiographic films with strange angles. Guide… This was to let him determine whether the capillaries remained so that the orthopedics and traumatology department could leave enough skin flaps. Chief Li was very clear about the few groups of capillaries. There were still some that Chief Li wasn’t sure about, but he couldn’t make it so detailed now. Chief Li grabbed a nurse who looked like she was about to run off and asked about the operating theater. After that, he walked straight in. He put the A4 paper into the bag and strode toward the operating theater. As for how he could help, he did not know. He would take a look first and then decide. When he came outside the operating theater, Chief Li saw that the anesthesia had been completed. Chief Sui was washing his hands and preparing to go on stage. “Old Li, how is it?” Chief Sui asked. Uh… How should he answer this? Chief Li shook his head slightly. He had cooperated with the orthopedics department for amputations for so many years but there were not many of them. The most important thing was that he did not fully understand the three radiographic films. Chief Sui did not look at him anymore. He put on the sterile surgical gown and walked to the operating table without wearing it. The nurse who tied the surgical gown followed his footsteps and jogged to put on the sterile surgical gown for him. “I’ll send you away…” Chief Li’s phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was Chief Jiang calling. ‘He finished so quickly?’ Chief Li thought as he answered the phone. “Are you the surgeon from Huaxi?”A steady voice came from the other side. “I’m Li Jianshan from the intervention department. You are…” “I’m Zheng Ren from the Imperial Capital Hospital. You’re holding the radiographic films of casualty number 1329, right?”