Chapter 122
She shrank her neck in fear and obediently walked over to Jin Mingxi, bringing the calamity upon him instead.
The first surgery patient was brought in.
It was a patient with a laceration that needed stitching.
“Jin Mingxi, this patient is under your charge.”
“Okay!”
Jin Mingxi’s response was terse yet substantial. After taking over the patient and conducting an examination and brief questioning, he immediately began to administer local anesthesia, debride, and suture the patient.
The second patient wheeled in was a man in his sixties.
He was brought in a wheelchair.
The man was no longer able to walk.
Clutching his chest, the old man occasionally let out painful groans and showed signs of vomiting.
The situation looked a bit alarming.
Surgery scheduling in the Emergency Department typically prioritizes critically ill patients, followed by those whose lives may be at risk, and finally, those with less severe conditions.
Most of those seeking help here are emergency cases.
Fall injuries, cuts, assaults, animal bites… these are the most common surgeries in the Emergency Department.
The cases taken in the resuscitation room are somewhat more complex.
Poisonings from pesticides, mushroom poisoning, sudden hematemesis… all kinds of patients may be received.
If surgery is needed in the resuscitation room, after proper examinations and discussions with the family, the patient will be transferred to the Emergency Department’s operating room. If it exceeds the operating capacity of the Emergency Department, the patient must be referred to a specialty department.
“What’s the situation with him?”
Dr. Xu inquired from the nurse who brought in the patient.
“Acute cholecystitis, abdominal flat plate CT has been done, and the situation is not good.”
The nurse handed the report to Dr. Xu for inspection.
“Urine test has been done, but no blood test?”
Dr. Xu browsed it briefly and asked with a frown.
“It’s been done, just that we’re tight on time, and the lab hasn’t got the results yet. Because the patient’s condition looked urgent, we thought we’d bring him here first for you to see.”
The competency of the doctors on duty in the Emergency Department definitely couldn’t match Dr. Xu’s.
The medical staff in the Emergency Department, most of whom know that Dr. Xu was once a Director Level physician, would always rely on Dr. Xu’s diagnosis for serious surgical cases.
“This ultrasound image shows gallstones inside the cyst!”
Dr. Xu’s frown deepened.
Acute cholecystitis, a traditional open surgery, is considered a Level 2 procedure. If it were a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, it would be Level 3.
The patient wishing to undergo this surgery in the Emergency Department would definitely only be eligible for traditional open surgery.
Because of the patient’s advanced age and seemingly less than ideal physical condition, open surgery definitely carries certain risks.
This kind of surgery is often scheduled and not done immediately.
“Was he just admitted today?”
“Yes, I heard he was brought in around five in the morning.”
“Has he been fasted?”
“After he was brought in, the night shift doctor suspected cholecystitis or gallstones and has already instructed the patient to fast.”
The nurses actually have a tough job.
Even a simple task like transferring surgery patients to the operating room requires remembering a plethora of basic information about them so that they can respond promptly to the surgeon’s inquiries.
Their role is more like a bridge between the surgeons and the attending doctors.
“This patient also has a fever, and at his age, the surgery is very risky.”
After reviewing all the reports, Dr. Xu locked his eyebrows together, reflecting a pensive look.
“Xiao Zhou, come over for a consultation!”
Dr. Xu called Zhou Can over.
Dr. Lu stood by, feeling ruffled.
Even if Dr. Xu was unsure, he should have asked him, a senior Resident Doctor, for a joint consultation.
Asking an intern for a consultation was simply an affront to him.
“May I have a look?”
Dr. Lu couldn’t stand back any longer.
With Qiao Yu present, he didn’t want Zhou Can to be the only one in the spotlight.
“Of course.”
Dr. Xu handed over the documents to Dr. Lu.
The patient uttered weakly, “Doctor… cough cough… please operate on me quickly…” Acute cholecystitis causes tremendous pain for the patient.
Before entering the operating room, the old man thought that everything would be fine as long as he entered the OR.
The doctors would quickly relieve his pain.
He hadn’t expected that upon being wheeled in, the doctors would not rush to operate, but instead, research his condition together.
“Don’t worry, the surgeons need to ensure the operation is safe before proceeding! The anesthetist is also on the way.”
For abdominal surgery, a professional anesthetist is required.
It’s not as simple as just administering local anesthesia.
In fact, even for epidural anesthesia, it requires the presence of a professional anesthetist.
Each profession has its expertise, and while a doctor might understand anesthesia, they could not match their proficiency.
A top-tier surgical team requires at a minimum, a lead surgeon, two to three assisting doctors, an anesthetist, and one scrub nurse. If the standards are higher, a circulating nurse is also indispensable and should be as professional as possible.
In surgery, everyone has a different role.
The importance of the anesthetist is not less than that of the lead surgeon.
Dr. Lu checked the inspection materials one by one.
After a moment, with a solemn expression, he forced out a sentence.
“This gallbladder must be surgically removed!”
A statement that essentially was self-evident.
The patient was already in the operating room, obviously prepared for surgery.
Were they to keep the gallbladder as a souvenir?
“Let’s hear your specific thoughts!”
Dr. Xu seemed to have reservations about the patient’s condition and wanted to hear more professional opinions from the doctors.