The Surgeon's Studio

Panda Novel

After the phone call ended, Cheng Lixue lit a cigarette.

He took a deep drag to clear his head.

Cheng Lixue was not from the cardiothoracic department. but as a doctor, one had to be familiar with the basics of emergency rescue.

Any experienced doctor would know the criticality of a cardiac tamponade. There had been cases where the patient was successfully rescued, but ended up in a vegetative state.

Was Old Qian trying to prank him?

He sat in the chair in the changing room and took a drag of the cigarette. The smoke lingered in the room.

Cheng Lixue could not wrap his mind around the whole thing.

He glanced at the clock and found that it was close to 9:00 a.m. He had been away for almost 20 minutes. The surgery would have started already. Regardless, he should be present when Director Ren shows up.

As he stepped out of the changing room, Cheng Lixue saw a nurse calling for the next patient.

“Why are you rushing the patient?” Cheng Lixue growled. “The surgery will still take a few hours, there’s no point calling the patient in.” He glared at the nurse for emphasis.

The fact that Zheng Ren requested eight surgeries to be performed in a day annoyed him and he sought the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction.

“Chief Cheng…”

Cheng Lixue went on the offensive and did not give the nurse a chance to explain herself.

“Did you learn the correct procedure? The patient is elderly and has ascites, and yet you want him to wait out there for hours? Have you no shame?”

The harsh words brought tears to the young nurse’s eyes.

Cheng Lixue was a superior who tended to alternate between hot and cold when it came to dealing with his subordinates. As Cheng Lixue was about to speak some gentler words of encouragement, he was rudely interrupted.

The plump man came out of the room.

“What’s going on, Chief Cheng? This…” the plump man asked.

“Who allowed the patient to be transported before their turn?” Cheng Lixue asked coldly.

The plump man rolled his eyes and said sharply, “The first surgery’s over. He’s the second patient.” Cheng Lixue’s constant bone-picking with Zheng Ren was starting to get irritating. “Chief Cheng, why don’t you go celebrate with the first patient while we begin the second surgery? After all, it’s the hospital’s first successful TIPS surgery. We don’t want to keep this elderly patient waiting, right?”

There were hidden barbs in his words. Although the plump man showed Zheng Ren only kindness and hospitality, he was not a pushover.

“Uh…” Cheng Lixue was rooted to the spot.

Completed? Impossible!

‘We’re talking about a TIPS procedure–a surgery that only the best interventional surgeons could master–and this chief resident completed it within the span of a smoke break?’

“What did you say?” Cheng Lixue asked.

“We’re moving on to the next patient and you’re in the way. Do you have something against the hospital’s decision to invite an external surgeon?” The plump man’s tone was curt and his words were merciless.

There were other patients in the process of changing shoes outside the operating room, so they had to keep their volume down.

A low volume did not mean the sting hurt less.

Cheng Lixue was speechless.

‘It was really done? He managed to complete a TIPS procedure in 30 minutes?’

Impossible… It was impossible!

A year ago, Director Ren brought the team on an international trip to gain insights on the procedure. Department Chief Cheng observed a few surgeries, but his passion for learning had long since died out.

It was a highly risky procedure, certainly not one he would attempt.

Cheng Lixue would rather keep his shoes dry and wait for his retirement. He doubted he would be able to master the new procedure anyways.

He treated the whole trip to Europe as an all-expense-paid trip from the company and opted out on most of the conferences and demonstrations.

Although he spent most of the trip on leisure activities, he still attended the TIPS demonstration. Even the most skilled surgeon in Europe required two to three hours to complete the procedure.

It must be a botched surgery!

The operating room opened and the first patient was wheeled out. The nurse shot a glare at Cheng Lixue before leaving with the second patient.

The department chief ignored the jab by the plump man and headed straight for the control room. He wanted to review the recording.

The cannula was set up. Then, the puncture was successful on the first attempt and a shunt was left in place… A second shunt was added? Zheng Ren had punctured the portal vein on the first try and had time to leave two shunts?

The speed at which the surgeon completed the surgery was extraordinary.

Cheng Lixue did not believe the young chief resident was responsible for this surgery.

A silhouette caught him by surprise.

“Director Ren, welcome back.”

“Director, you must be tired. Please, have a seat.”

A string of pleasantries were uttered following Cheng Lixue’s queue. The director had made it back from Provincial Capital.

The surgery had proceeded at a breakneck speed. When he had heard Sea City General Hospital wanted eight patients, he wondered how long the surgeon planned to stay in the Secondary Hospital. Forcing the patients to fast for days was against ethical code.

It was inhumane.

However, he was forced to change his mind now. At the rate Zheng Ren was going, eight TIPS procedures would not be a problem.

Damn!

“Professor?” Director Ren asked in a low voice, surprise laced in the question.

‘What professor?’ Cheng Lixue was trying to figure out who the director was referring to.

There a shuffling of feet as Director Ren parted the crowd to reach the door for the operating room.

“Professor Rudolf, it really is you?” Director Ren said in amazement.

Professor Rudolf Wagner turned his head to the door. “It’s me; what’s up?”

The thick Northeastern accent shocked Director Ren to his core.

This was the esteemed professor from Heidelberg University. He was rumored to be a stern and aloof professor with great skills.

The professor was disinfecting the skin as he asked, “Yes?”

Director Ren composed himself and bowed at the professor as if he was a pupil. “I brought my team to Heidelberg University in April last year to watch you perform the TIPS surgery.”

Professor Rudolf started to place the surgical drapes over the patient. “That was nothing. What a sham of a surgery that was.”

“…”

The straightforward statement made Director Ren clutch at his chest. He took a deep breath.

The words hammered straight into the director’s heart.

Without a doubt, this was Professor Rudolf Wagner from Heidelberg University. Director Ren could recognize the blond professor. He had a good memory for faces, unlike Zheng Ren.

The professor’s mention of TIPS surgery back in April also substantiated Director Ren’s guess.

Was the professor tricked into assisting the operation? The director was unsure what had happened.

Tricked into having to be exposed to X-rays?

“Professor, why are you disinfecting the patient yourself?” Director Ren glared at the people around him and instructed, “Go get someone to assist. Zhang Guangzhi, how can you let the professor perform the surgery alone? Why didn’t you scrub in? Cheng Lixue?”

The sudden attention on him caught Director Zheng off guard. He could feel sweat starting to form on his forehead.

The plump man waddled up to Director Ren and said with a smile, “Director Ren, we did not invite this professor. We invited the surgeon from Sea City General Hospital. The professor, he…”

Director Ren was suspicious. “The professor?”

“The professor is here as Chief Zheng’s assistant.”

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