Chapter 23 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Standing behind Chief Surgeon Liu, Cen Meng’s face was pale.

As the chief resident in the general surgery department, he had not considered Zheng Ren a rival. He figured some quiet guy who did not curry favor would not be likable to anyone.

Hence, Zheng Ren had never gotten the chance to operate solo and was not a threat to him.

However, after three non-standard appendectomies in a row, Cen Meng had to face the fact that Zheng Ren was definitely miles ahead of him. Zheng Ren’s skills might even surpa.s.s that of the Sea City Supreme Scalpel, Chief Surgeon Liu.

“Has the laparoscope been fixed?” Chief Surgeon Liu asked knowingly. He did not bother to lower his voice, wanting Old Chief Physician Pan to know.

“Chief, did you forget? The laparoscope broke down three days ago and was sent out for repair. The vendor said they need a week before it can be sent back,” Cen Meng replied.

The best practice for an appendectomy on a bariatric patient was to use a laparoscope. After the previous success, Chief Surgeon Liu was glad he checked the laparoscope’s availability. What was Zheng Ren going to do now?

Old Chief Physician Pan frowned. The tapping on the old copy of Limited Views picked up.

When the full details of the case were revealed, the chatroom of Xinglin Garden turned to chaos.

More than ten users went on long rants.

[A fatty, oh, the horror.]

[Three years ago, I did an appendectomy on a patient who had adipose tissue that was ten centimeters thick. There was fat liquefaction post-surgery and I did the dressing change for a month straight. I still have nightmares about it.]

[I feel you.]

[Same +1]

…

[Agreed +10086]

Fat liquefaction was a problematic issue. At certain levels, it could be even more troublesome than the appendectomy during pregnancy.

If an attending surgeon received a case of acute appendicitis in pregnancy, they could request for the chief surgeon to perform the surgery. No one would blame them.

However, if the patient was obese and the chief surgeon was requested to take on the case… Well, the attending surgeon had better be directly descended from the chief surgeon, or pray the chief surgeon was in an ecstatic mood from winning the lottery grand prize, or else they were in for a good lecture.

During the appendectomy on the pregnant lady, everyone was shouting praise as it was a rare and difficult procedure.

An appendectomy on a bariatric patient was something almost every doctor has witnessed and experienced. The barrage of live comments obscured the view of the operative field.

The continuous epidural anesthesia was set up efficiently. Zheng Ren began disinfecting the skin while Xie Yiren stood by the surgical tray, waiting for the start of a new battle.

The disinfection was complete. Zheng Ren held his hand out and a scalpel appeared.

A five-centimeter incision.

Just as the users were quieting down to watch the surgery, this decision gave rise to an explosion of live comments.

[Such a small incision. What is the G.o.d thinking?]

[d.a.m.n, such a small incision wouldn’t even grant you a peek of the peritoneum.]

[Which hospital is this? I want to intern there.]

Every doctor watching the livestream had the same thought—a five-centimeter incision was adequate for a normal appendectomy. Some might even call it a smaller than average incision. On a patient with an adipose layer of ten to twelve centimeters thick, the incision granted no access to the appendix.

[Should be a laparoscopic procedure.]

[Agreed. Must be a laparoscopy.]

[Don’t be stupid. Do you see any laparoscope set up? This G.o.d is challenging the human limit. Bow before him, trembling peasants!]

Zheng Ren was not aware that the laparoscope was not functioning, but had never planned to perform a laparoscopic appendectomy from the get-go. His appendectomy training in the System taught him that laparoscopy could not achieve the perfection he was aiming for.

This was because a laparoscopy relied on electrocutting and electrocoagulation to manipulate the adipose layer, resulting in a higher risk of fat liquefaction.

Hence, he decided to use a small incision to complete the appendectomy—something no doctor believed was possible.

To reduce fat liquefaction, the first step was to avoid electrocauterization. The second was to minimize contamination and the third was to apply negative pressure wound therapy for two to three days as part of post-surgery wound care.

That last step had been proven crucial to minimize fat liquefaction, but Zheng Ren could not go ahead with it. Once a negative pressure drainage tube was used, the case would be disqualified from being a perfect surgery.

Fortunately, he had other ways to ensure a near-perfect surgery.

After all, Zheng Ren was a man who had foregone food, water, and sleep to perform a thousand appendectomies!