The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 589 Performing with the Director on the same Stage

Chapter 589: 589 Performing with the Director on the same Stage

"Oh, partnering with Old Wang today, not bad. Make sure to monitor his vital signs closely; it’s going to be a long procedure," Liu Banxia said after entering the operating room.

"Don’t worry. I’m also looking forward to observing President Liu’s debridement skills," Wang Lei said.

"Sigh... this patient’s prognosis isn’t good," Liu Banxia lamented. "I’ve spoken to Director Xie from the city hospital’s burn department. Although he wasn’t entirely explicit, I can guess. With such extensive burns, it’s not just a matter of surviving the initial trauma; the subsequent treatment will be incredibly challenging. Burns are genuinely difficult to manage. Small ones are manageable, but with an area this large, how many skin grafts will be required? Frankly, even after we finish the debridement, I don’t know how I’ll explain it to his family."

The people in the operating room fell silent. This was indeed a very tricky issue. Compared to directly declaring a death to the family, an injury of this nature was far more difficult to manage. It involved a huge amount of expense and required specialized care, enough to impact the entire family.

"Teacher Liu, how did he get burned so badly?" Xu Yino asked curiously.

"From what I heard, he was carrying gas canisters in his car, probably liquefied gas. Somehow it leaked. The fire started in the front of the car and then spread inside. He lost some time unfastening his seatbelt," Liu Banxia explained. "I’ve heard many small cars in our city have been modified this way. The safety hazards are immense. You all should help with the debridement too. Start with the peripheral areas; I’ll handle the more complex sections."

The interns nodded and began to operate.

With such an extensive burn area, if Liu Banxia were to handle it alone, he probably wouldn’t finish until tomorrow morning. This wasn’t a simple debridement; many areas were already charred, and those were the most difficult parts to clean. Throughout the entire debridement process, all necrotic tissue had to be completely removed while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. It sounded easy, but in reality, it was anything but.

Unlike the usual emergency surgeries where every second counts, every step here also impacted the patient’s future.

Time ticked by. Liu Banxia, leading the interns, meticulously debrided the wounds, while the nurses beside them did their utmost to assist.

After more than two hours, Liu Banxia said, "Gosh, my back is killing me. I need to straighten up and stretch a bit; my eyes are getting blurry."

"How do you guys feel?" Liu Banxia then asked the interns.

"Teacher Liu, debriding such a large area is incredibly challenging," Xu Yino said.

"Teacher Liu, there are a few severe burns on the right hand. I wasn’t confident enough to handle them, so I’ve left them for you," Miao Rui said.

"Teacher Liu, there are some areas on his face too. I didn’t dare touch them," Li Hao quickly added.

"Huang Bo, no need for you to report. Just tackle what you can handle, and leave the rest to me. Old Wang, are his vitals still stable?" Liu Banxia said.

"They look fine for now. How much more time do you estimate you’ll need?" Wang Lei asked.

"Roughly, I’d say at least four more hours. The burns on his chest are very severe, much worse than I anticipated," Liu Banxia said after a brief assessment. "Some areas might expose the ribs after debridement. With burns this severe, I honestly don’t know how to prevent infection and sepsis. It’s a tough situation."

"We do our best and leave the rest to fate. What we’re doing now is all we can manage," Wang Lei said.

Liu Banxia nodded, stretched his waist and wrists, and re-immersed himself in the debridement.

"Teacher Liu, I’m very curious. When you’re performing an escharotomy, how do you judge the depth? Is it all by feel?" Huang Bo asked.

"More or less. There’s a distinct difference in texture between eschar and healthy tissue. Eschar is quite hard. When you make incisions in the future, you must control the force you apply," Liu Banxia explained. "If you use too much force, you’ll excessively damage healthy tissue. This also tests your manual dexterity. Pay close attention, get more practice, and you’ll develop a feel for it."

"Actually, many things seem difficult at first, but once you truly engage with them, they’re not as hard as you imagine. It all depends on whether you apply yourselves."

"I took a quick look just now. Currently, Xu Yino is leading in terms of debridement. It’s not because she’s fast, but because her technique is steady."

"Thank you, Teacher Liu," Xu Yino replied sweetly.

"Do you know why I’m praising her?" Liu Banxia asked again.

"Teacher Liu, is it because being steadier allows for more thorough debridement?" Miao Rui asked.

"That’s not it," Liu Banxia said. "It’s mainly because this girl is usually a bit impetuous. Debridement is a task that requires patience. For her to perform it steadily is a success in itself."

Several people in the operating room couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Demon King Liu was still Demon King Liu. He could praise you one moment and cut you down the next, all in an instant.

"Old Zhou, is this how Banxia normally trains the interns?" Xie Chunli asked with a smile, standing in the observation room.

"Sigh... that’s just his way, a bit unconventional. I can’t manage him," Zhou Shuwen sighed. "And these interns, they actually seem to thrive on his methods. He often pushes them hard, yet they still eagerly flock around him." He then turned to Xie Chunli, "What are your thoughts on the patient down there? Based on our current experience in burn care, it looks quite tricky. The wound surface is too extensive, and the follow-up treatment will be very demanding."

"Actually, it’s mainly about equipment disinfection," Xie Chunli responded. "As for debridement, there won’t be any issues with Liu Banxia. The way he debrided the firefighter’s hand from Jinshui District last time left a very deep impression on me."

"The key issue is what comes after. Once the patient comes to terms with his condition, we’ll enter a difficult phase. He might not be able to accept the reality and could even consider suicide. Furthermore, even if he accepts it, the daily dressing changes will be excruciatingly painful for him. We can provide pain relief, but this isn’t a short-term solution, and there’s a high risk of addiction. I can’t even begin to estimate how many skin grafts will be necessary. For an ordinary family, do you think they can bear such costs?"

"It seems the insurance company won’t cover this, will they? It’s due to an unauthorized vehicle modification. It’ll depend on whether the family can seek compensation from the company that did the modification. Either way, it won’t be easy."

"But these are all concerns for later. We still need to see if the patient can even survive this. With such extensive burns, the risk of infection is very high, and so is the mortality rate."

Zhou Shuwen nodded. "Instead of letting the youngsters struggle, why don’t we lend a hand?"

"Sure. No merit, no reward. Perhaps we can order an extra dish at dinner then," Xie Chunli joked.

The others nearby were envious. These two were titans in their respective fields. Not only had they praised Liu Banxia so highly, but it also seemed they intended to test their skills against his.

Who would have thought of this if not for personal experience?

Is it so leisurely for people at the director level? Can they just stroll around?

"Alright, make some room for us two. Let’s try to get everyone to dinner sooner," Zhou Shuwen said as he scrubbed in and entered the operating room.

"Oh, Director, Director Xie! What brings you two here?" Liu Banxia asked, a bit slow to react.

"Teacher Liu, the Director said it’s so we can all eat dinner sooner," Xu Yino reminded him.

"No chicken leg for you, Yino," Liu Banxia said. Then, to the interns, "Make two spots free. All of you, watch and learn carefully."

"Learn from me? You flatter me. Your debridement skills are already top-notch," Xie Chunli said.

"Director Xie, what do you think are this patient’s chances of survival?" Liu Banxia asked.

Xie Chunli shook his head. "It’s hard to say. His burns are extensive and severe. Ultimately, his willpower will be key. We’ll do our absolute best to provide the highest level of care; otherwise, we’ll have regrets. The rest is up to him."

"With the current extent of his burns, even for me, changing all his dressings would likely take over an hour," Liu Banxia remarked thoughtfully.

"That’s humbling. If I were to do it, it would take me over two hours," Xie Chunli commented.

Liu Banxia was taken aback; he truly had no intention of boasting and was merely voicing his thoughts.

"Don’t take it personally; I’m speaking frankly. If you don’t believe me, ask Old Zhou how long he’d take," Xie Chunli continued.

"It would take me over two hours as well," Zhou Shuwen stated directly.

"That’s different. Your hands are skilled surgical hands; mine are more for general tasks," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.

But even so, no one paid much heed to his words. All attention was focused on Zhou Shuwen and Xie Chunli, with occasional glances towards Liu Banxia. Having two department directors operating together wasn’t a common sight. This current situation was largely thanks to Liu Banxia.

It was a case of not knowing until a comparison was made, and the comparison was indeed startling.

Xie Chunli was the director of the burn department, so this was his area of expertise. Yet, judging by his debridement speed, he was merely on par with Liu Banxia. Zhou Shuwen was a general surgeon with truly solid technical skills. Even though it had been a long time since he’d performed debridement, his fundamental skills remained sharp. He was slightly slower than Liu Banxia and Xie Chunli, but he far outstripped the interns.

This was true skill.

Just as everyone was marveling internally, Xie Chunli remarked, "Don’t hold back. Just do your work."

His words startled everyone. They all knew he was speaking to Liu Banxia. Could that fellow actually be thinking of holding back, deferring to the directors somewhat?