CHAPTER 201: ZHOU SHUWEN’S BOMBSHELL EPISODE 201

Not every patient who receives timely medical attention can avert danger. This time, the mukbang patient also arrived just in time. Chen Xuehai’s surgical repair was very successful, but the patient was still moved to the ICU after the operation.

Mediastinitis complicated by a thoracic abscess—the very thing Liu Banxia had worried about—unfortunately occurred. What was even worse, her boyfriend had run off at some point...

"How can people be so depraved? Men are all terrible," Liang Xiaolin muttered the next morning at breakfast, shooting a glare at Liu Banxia.

"What’s the use of glaring at me? He insisted on waiting outside the operating room at first. Who knew he’d just vanish? Probably afraid of paying the bill," Liu Banxia said helplessly.

"That’s why you men are all terrible. Don’t let me see him again, or I’ll have Qiaoqiao beat him up," Liang Xiaolin said angrily.

Liu Banxia glanced at her. She’s really gotten close with Qiaoqiao; she’s even grown accustomed to resorting to violence.

"You take care of her for the next few days. Once her condition stabilizes a bit, let her unlock her phone to contact her family. She’s not out of the critical period yet," Liu Banxia said.

"I’m about finished with breakfast. I’ll head over to Brother Qiu and the little one to change their dressings. After that, I’ll be preparing for surgery with Director Zhou. You guys need to stay sharp in the Emergency Department."

"Dr. Liu, don’t worry, I’m here," Qing Kewa said excitedly, but then couldn’t help but yawn.

This meant they had accepted the challenge of working a straight 36-hour shift. Liu Banxia let them be; such shifts were quite common in the hospital.

"Oh, right, the car accident victim will be transferred from the ICU to a general ward today. During the morning rounds, chat a bit more with Grandpa Cao. His sons are busy with work, so they have less time to visit during the day," Liu Banxia added.

"Alright, alright, I know. Go change the dressings now," Liang Xiaolin said, exasperated.

I’m not a child, and it’s not my first day working in a hospital. There are only a few patients in the Emergency Department. It’s important to pay close attention to all of them, not just Grandpa Cao, but also the young man who self-harmed.

Upon entering Qiu Huaili’s room, Liu Banxia immediately saw Qiu Huaili looking at him resentfully.

"How did you sleep last night?" Liu Banxia asked with a smile.

"I only slept for about two hours. My lower back was killing me; I had to keep turning over," Qiu Huaili said.

"I’ll remove the gauze in a bit. After I’ve applied the medication, you’ll be able to lie down properly. The hardest part is over. The coming days will be much easier for you," Liu Banxia said.

"Banxia, don’t mind him. Change Doudou’s dressing first. Teach him a lesson so he doesn’t drink recklessly again," Wang Jingxian said.

Changing little Doudou’s dressing was very simple. The little one was a heavy sleeper and currently sound asleep. He could easily take care of it while she slept.

DING! Daily task completed (1/20)

Gained 5 experience points, 1 point dressing change skill proficiency.

Liu Banxia had already grown accustomed to such experience rewards. So what if it didn’t grant any skill proficiency points? What could he do about it anyway?

Removing the hemostatic gauze brought Qiu Huaili considerable relief. He had also taken painkillers, so the discomfort from the dressing change was not overwhelming and well within his tolerance.

DING! Daily task completed (2/20)

Gained 20 experience points, 30 points dressing change skill proficiency.

"I’ll come by this afternoon when I’m not busy to change it again. The dressing needs to be changed twice a day until the eschar sloughs off," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Just stay in bed for today. Starting tomorrow, you can move around a little. Don’t just listen to me; Doctor Guan will also give you instructions later."

Qiu Huaili nodded. "I was really on edge just now, but it wasn’t too painful. Phew... I finally feel a bit more at ease. I need to catch up on some sleep."

"By the way, Ming Yuan went to cause trouble for you, so please bear with him. Discipline him when you need to; don’t worry about saving face. I already talked to him yesterday. Why does he keep pestering you?"

"I think it’s great. How many kids these days would think of using their vacation to better themselves? Most just watch TV or play games. Don’t worry, I’ve got it," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

After leaving the ward, Liu Banxia hurried to the Anorectal Department office to greet Jiang Tao and Guan Wei. Jiang Tao teased him a bit about his "heroics" from yesterday.

Although doctors also want to fight back when attacked, very few can actually bring themselves to throw a punch. There are too many repercussions to consider.

If a patient’s family member hits you, not many people will sympathize. But if you hit a patient or their family member? Well, just look at the online comments; they’ll be overwhelmingly against you, if not completely one-sided. You’re also more likely to face disciplinary action from the hospital, which could affect your promotion.

Why else would they call Liu Banxia a warrior? He really does many things that others want to do but don’t dare.

After his greetings, Liu Banxia quickly slipped into the operating room and began pre-operative preparations. He took this operation extremely seriously, as it was a proper level-four surgery in general surgery.

It was also a teaching operating room, offering a rare learning opportunity for many doctors.

Of course, for Zhou Shuwen, such an operation was routine. It would be an exaggeration to say he performed one daily, but doing one or two a month was standard.

He had also reviewed the pre-operative examination materials. The tumor was already pressing against the lesser curvature of the stomach and the left hepatic vein. The patient hadn’t initially wanted to come to the hospital for a check-up. If their children hadn’t forced them to, the future would have been uncertain.

Today’s anesthesiologist was Ding Shaoyuan, the deputy director of the Anesthesiology Department. For major surgeries like this, or when the patient’s condition was poor, they always had to send their top people.

"Director Zhou, how long will this surgery take approximately?" Ding Shaoyuan asked as Zhou Shuwen walked in.

"How long will it take?" Zhou Shuwen, however, turned his head and asked Liu Banxia.

Liu Banxia was dumbfounded. Could one just casually state the duration of a surgery? It’s understandable if you can’t give an exact time, but you have to give an approximate duration for the anesthesiologist to reference for medication dosage.

"Um... in the past, similar surgeries have usually taken Within Five Hours. Today’s surgery should also take about five hours," Liu Banxia said, somewhat uncertainly.

Ding Shaoyuan smiled and nodded. Although this was his first time operating with Liu Banxia, he had heard a lot about him. He’s a bit of a troublemaker, but Director Zhou clearly favors him.

Once the patient was under general anesthesia, Liu Banxia began working on the patient’s abdomen. Just like yesterday’s surgery, the puncture sites were standardized, and it was necessary to establish a carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum to facilitate the procedure.

"Laparoscopic exploration reveals no ascites in the abdominal cavity. No metastatic nodules observed on the stomach, small intestine, abdominal wall, or omentum. The tumor is located in the left lobe of the liver, approximately 5 cm by 9 cm. Laparoscopic resection of the tumor is deemed feasible," Liu Banxia announced after careful observation.

"Has that family contacted you again?" Zhou Shuwen asked suddenly.

"Er... no. But I’ve already decided to sue them. The lawyer is coming this afternoon, and then we’ll proceed with legal action. I’m refusing any settlement," Liu Banxia replied.

Zhou Shuwen nodded. "The Emergency Department will be seeing a lot more patients in the future. It’s inevitable that similar situations will arise again. You need to consider this aspect as well."

"Director, don’t worry, I’ll give it some serious thought later. We’re doctors; we barely have enough time to study medicine, let alone find time to learn self-defense," Liu Banxia quipped.

The surgeons waiting outside to observe the surgery were now speechless. When had they ever seen Director Zhou chat so casually with someone before an operation? This is his true apprentice, his favored disciple!

But this Liu Banxia was indeed audacious, daring to crack jokes in front of Director Zhou. Who else would have such guts? Anyone else might have been instantly kicked out of the operating room by Zhou Shuwen.

"I also saw a volunteer today; she was quite good. The current equipment for examinations in the Emergency Department needs to be moved some distance, so volunteers can provide a lot of convenience for patients and their families," Zhou Shuwen continued.

"By the way, did you thoroughly review the techniques for laparoscopic liver resection last night? It’s not actually that difficult. It’s merely a difference in the method of resection, isn’t it?"

Liu Banxia’s mind was still a bit muddled. He also couldn’t figure out what Zhou Shuwen was getting at with all this rambling. However, upon hearing Zhou Shuwen’s words, he nodded habitually.

His understanding was indeed that, whether it was laparoscopic or open surgery, only the operational approach differed; the principles remained the same. The dissection process and the anatomical locations requiring dissection wouldn’t change just because one was an open surgery and the other laparoscopic.

"Then you do it. I’ll take a break," Zhou Shuwen said lightly, dropping a bombshell.

This statement was no small matter. The people in the operating room were stunned, and those outside waiting for the teaching session were also completely floored.

To let Liu Banxia, a resident, be the chief surgeon for such an important operation? Were they joking? It had to be a test for Liu Banxia, definitely.

This was what many people were thinking, Liu Banxia included. He must be trying to see if I’m incredibly arrogant. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have laid so much groundwork beforehand. This is another surprise attack on me.

But how should he answer? If I say I can’t do it, that seems somewhat inappropriate. If I agree directly, that would be arrogant.

"Well? Can you do it or not?" Zhou Shuwen frowned when he saw Liu Banxia hesitating for a long time without replying.

"I can," Liu Banxia answered, his voice firm and decisive.

He had thought it through. If I directly say I can’t, it means I lack confidence in my abilities. Even if I’m called arrogant, that’s still better than lacking confidence.

"Good. You do it," Zhou Shuwen nodded, quite readily.

His words once again threw everyone for a loop. He was actually letting Liu Banxia be the chief surgeon.