Chapter 399
Chapter 397: Chapter 185: The Anesthesiologist, The Steadiest Scalpel’s Another Adventure_3
The skill of the incision was divine, each cut’s amount, depth, width, even the speed, as well as the avoidance of surrounding blood vessels and nerves, were all breathtaking.
Even the Da Vinci robot probably does not have such a high level of precision.
Although many doctors revere robot surgery and manufacturers vigorously promote it, the actual effectiveness of such surgeries remains debatable.
Manufacturers praise robot surgery for its 3D imaging, which can magnify the field of view by 6 to 10 times, and the robotic arm’s high degree of freedom, allowing it to rotate 540 degrees—like entering the abdominal or thoracic cavities with the agility of Sun Wukong, and cutting everything that needs to be cut.
But in fact, besides its high cost, it also lacks tactile feedback and carries various risks of unexpected incidents.
In comparison to an outstanding surgeon, the gap is actually very wide.
Robot surgery may never be able to replace surgeons.
On one hand, the development of artificial intelligence is still far from perfect, and on the other hand, the combination of human thought and emotion fills the surgery with warmth, enabling quick and flexible adjustments to handle the ever-changing situations of various surgeries.
Then there is the tactile feedback.
The human skin and nervous system compose an extremely complex and sensitive tactile system.
Skilled surgeons can feel different tactile feedback when cutting into different tissues. They can detect abnormalities immediately.
A robot is just cold machinery and programmed settings. Even with remote control, if it accidentally cuts something it shouldn’t, the controller has no way to sense it in real-time.
Robot surgery seems very precise and flexible, and complications are relatively rare, but there’s a reason why it has not been widely accepted by patients, and it’s not just because it is expensive.
Director Hu Kan’s movements were steady and slow. He was very focused during the surgery, and Zhou Can watched with equal concentration.
To learn from his steady surgical style and assimilate its advantages.
Then integrating them into his own speedy approach.
Zhou Can is contemplative and constantly ponders. Some virtues may conflict with his quick style, and how to integrate them requires thought and gradual assimilation through repeated practice.
“Hiss!”
A faint abnormal noise came from inside the patient’s chest cavity.
It was neither the sound of high-frequency electrosurgical units nor the sound of cutting body tissues.
Zhou Can’s heart tensed, and then he saw blood spurting out.
The closer to the heart, the higher the pressure inside the vessels.
Once an arterial vessel ruptures, it’s like the effect of a water gun.
Everyone else’s faces turned serious as they intently watched the patient’s chest cavity.
They assumed their revered surgeon had accidentally injured an artery.
This was not considered a failed surgery, just an accident.
“The fibrous connective tissues were thickened and adhered, making it extremely difficult to distinguish them from the vessels; I injured one by mistake. It’s okay, quickly perform hemostasis,” said Director Hu Kan, reassuring his team.
His surgical team was also extremely proficient.
The second assistant immediately applied a clamp to stem the bleeding from the ruptured vessel.
The kind of blood-jetting “water gun” effect indicated the vessel was not a minor one—it was a major hemorrhage.
Although Director Hu Kan appeared calm, failure to promptly stop the bleeding could pose a serious threat to the patient’s life.
“Shall we ligate this vessel now and repair it after completing the separation, or what?” asked the second assistant, his own skills also formidable.
From his precise and unhurried clamping for hemostasis, one could tell he was highly proficient in hemostasis.
Zhou Can’s own hemostasis skill, although reaching a medium level among attending physicians, was still inferior.
“Ligate it first!”
Director Hu Kan hesitated for a moment before responding.
Accidentally cutting such a large arterial vessel would certainly cause some psychological disturbance for Director Hu Kan.
He might not express it verbally or facially, but his mind was already in turmoil.
Strong determination and deep composure do not mean that one can maintain a complete state of inner tranquility in any situation.
At most, one can maintain calmness, as he did now.
Zhou Can looked at the arterial vessel and pursed his lips, but ultimately did not speak.
The second assistant signaled to the third assistant, who stepped forward and skillfully, rapidly ligated the proximal end of the arterial vessel, temporarily stemming the bleeding.
As for repairing this artery, it could only be done after the separation was completed and the entire thymic tumor was removed.
The surgery proceeded.
Less than twenty minutes passed, and Doctor Feng spoke in a very puzzled tone, “The blood oxygen saturation has dropped!”
Indeed, it had!
Normal blood oxygen saturation ranges between 95% and 100%.
Usually, it is above 99%.
At the moment, the patient’s blood oxygen saturation had fallen to 91%, rapidly nearing the warning threshold.
Having worked in the Intensive Care Medicine Department for three months, dealing with critically ill patients daily, Zhou Can was highly sensitive to changes in blood oxygen saturation.
In the ICU, if patients don’t urinate for two days, nine times out of ten, they’re in a bad state.
If a patient’s blood oxygen saturation keeps dropping and is unstable, a moment of inattention could be critical.
Thus, the current patient’s blood oxygen saturation dropping to 91% showed the seriousness of the situation.
Doctor Feng’s anesthetic experience was extremely rich; he must have sensed the danger and thus used such a grave tone to alert the chief surgeon, Director Hu Kan.
“Could we increase the oxygen to raise the blood oxygen saturation? The separation surgery is less than half done; it will take more time,” said Director Hu Kan, his brows slightly furrowed, energy finite.
Now he was thinking of removing the thymic tumor as quickly as possible, then dealing with the issue of the arterial vessel.