CHAPTER 373: 347 MANUAL REDUCTION_2

However, Du Heng, sitting in his office, was caught in a dilemma.

Given Zhu Heizi’s current family situation, it was unlikely he could repay any borrowed money. Moreover, it seemed he might not even accept such a kind gesture.

If the Health Clinic had the necessary surgical conditions and technology, Du Heng could perform the surgery himself. The cost, over ten thousand yuan, wasn’t too much; he could even cover it.

But the problem was, they lacked the necessary technology and conditions.

Another option was conservative treatment, such as applying a plaster cast. But the same issue arose: Du Heng’s current orthopedic skills were insufficient for conservative treatment of such a trauma.

If he proceeded, he would be harming the patient.

However, there was still an opportunity with the system reward.

Fame in One Side (Activated)

Effective Treatments: 1,516 / 1,000 cases (In Progress), Reward: Orthopedics Expertise (Claimable)

Effective Treatments: 1,516 / 1,000 cases (In Progress), Reward: Otorhinolaryngology Expertise (Claimable)

Effective Treatments: 1,516 / 1,000 cases (In Progress), Reward: Pharmaceutical Expertise (Claimable)

(Note: Claiming a reward resets its progress counter.)

Effective Treatments: 1,516 / 10,000 cases, Monthly Allowance: 200,000 yuan.

In the past two months, one of the system’s smaller goals had been achieved, but Du Heng had always hesitated about which reward to claim.

Now, there was no need to hesitate. He would just choose.

If the system’s Orthopedics Expertise could be utilized, it would be Zhu Heizi’s good fortune. If the reward was still insufficient to solve his problem, Du Heng would send Zhu to the Chinese Medicine Hospital, ask Jin Zan for help, and personally cover Zhu’s expenses.

He closed the door, and the convulsions began!!!

But this time, it wasn’t just his brain that convulsed; his arms didn’t escape either. Moreover, the episode lasted a few minutes longer than before.

A few minutes later, when the convulsions stopped, Du Heng gently shook his head. It wasn’t painful, but his head felt numb.

More importantly, both his arms were sore and numb, as if they had been electrocuted.

It was unclear how long it took before Du Heng finally felt he had returned to normal.

His mind and arms regained mobility. As before, his brain was suddenly flooded with a vast amount of knowledge—this wasn’t unusual.

But why did his arms convulse this time?

He flexed his arms but didn’t notice any changes.

Du Heng flexed his fingers again. That’s not quite right, he thought, watching them move; they seemed more agile, not as stiff as before.

Heh, could it be that the system not only imparts knowledge but also provides the corresponding physical enhancements?

Reviewing the knowledge in his mind, Du Heng found no surgical skills, precautions, or related information. It was all about the basic structures and characteristics of human bones, along with some knowledge of manipulative techniques.

Du Heng looked at his hands and sighed quietly. It seems shortcuts can’t turn me into a surgical expert, he thought. If I truly want to perform surgeries, I’ll need to learn and practice diligently.

With the knowledge now integrated into his mind, Du Heng believed that with more practice and a mentor’s guidance, he could achieve results quickly. However, the mere thought of using a sharp scalpel to cut into human flesh, like carving pork, made him tremble uncontrollably.

Better to forget it, he mused. If I can’t overcome this psychological barrier, how could I dare cut into flesh? The slightest tremor could turn me from a life-saver into a life-destroyer.

A person needs to know their own limitations.

However, as the new knowledge settled in his mind, Du Heng grew confident he could solve Zhu Heizi’s problem.

The ability to manually manipulate shattered bones back into place—this was the greatest gain from the recent episode.

As for the later stages of skeletal recovery and the typically slow healing process, these weren’t major concerns for Du Heng. Even without this new expertise, prescribing medication to accelerate bone healing was a simple matter for him.

His confidence restored, Du Heng opened the X-ray images on his computer again, examining them carefully. Only when he had thoroughly memorized every detail did he get up and head to the upstairs hospital room.

Just as he reached the hospital room door, he ran into Yu Haiting, who looked frustrated. "Dean, what’s going on with this patient?" Yu Haiting exclaimed. "I’ve tried everything, but he refuses to be transferred or undergo surgery. He even insists on being discharged! Doesn’t he care about his leg at all?"

Yu Haiting couldn’t understand. "If the shattered bones aren’t set and are left to heal in this jumbled state, he won’t just walk with a limp—he’ll barely be able to drag that leg around!"

Seeing Yu Haiting’s exasperation, Du Heng quietly explained Zhu Heizi’s family situation.

"The family is already deeply in debt," Du Heng concluded. "They don’t want to incur more debt, nor do they want to owe favors, fearing they’ll never be able to repay them."

Yu Haiting opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.

"I’ll try to perform a manual reduction, repositioning the bone fragments, and then apply a cast."

A skeptical look crossed Yu Haiting’s face.

He respected, even admired, Du Heng’s medical skills, but that was primarily in internal medicine. Orthopedics was an entirely different field. Using pure manual techniques to restore shattered bones to their original position wasn’t something achievable merely through a thorough understanding of pathology and pharmacology; it demanded extensive hands-on experience.

However, Du Heng didn’t give him a chance to object, and given the current circumstances, Yu Haiting couldn’t really argue anyway.

The patient himself refused surgery, making manual reduction the only viable option. They couldn’t just let the leg heal on its own in its current state.

"Old Yu, do you know how to administer anesthesia?"

Yu Haiting nodded, then shook his head. "I can manage small-scale local anesthesia. But for this patient, Dean, if we’re doing what you suggested, it would require lower body anesthesia. I’m not confident enough for that."

Du Heng pursed his lips.

It was possible to proceed without anesthesia, but Zhu Heizi would endure excruciating pain, likely unbearable.

After some thought, Du Heng called Zhou Yixian. He hoped to borrow someone skilled in anesthesia from him—ideally, a professional anesthetist.

Since the incident with the pulmonale patient, Du Heng’s relationship with Zhou Yixian seemed to have entered a honeymoon phase, and their cooperation was excellent.

Du Heng had barely finished explaining when Zhou Yixian agreed and, impressively, managed to arrange for a professional anesthetist to come over.

While waiting for the anesthetist, Du Heng had Yu Haiting print out Zhu Heizi’s X-rays.

Since this was his first time performing such a manual reduction, Du Heng had to be extremely cautious. He planned to refer to the X-rays constantly while performing the procedure on Zhu Heizi.

Once the anesthetist arrived and everything was ready, Du Heng didn’t rush into the reduction. Instead, he began by carefully palpating the fractured area.

It was fortunate Zhu Heizi was anesthetized; otherwise, the man would likely have had the urge to grab a knife by now.

Du Heng palpated very carefully, meticulously trying to locate every fragment, large or small, through the layers of skin and muscle.

And now, the effects of the earlier arm convulsions became apparent. Not only were his fingers more flexible, but crucially, his sense of touch had become immeasurably more acute. He successfully located every fragment visible on the X-rays.

This heightened tactile sensitivity, he realized, is the true reward from this experience.

Then, Du Heng began a series of maneuvers that baffled the onlookers: pushing, kneading, pressing, and squeezing.

The assisting anesthetist, Yu Haiting beside him, and the two nurses on duty watched in utter confusion, wondering if their beloved Dean could truly set these shattered bones using only his hands, without any visual aid.

In the simple, even somewhat dilapidated, Health Clinic operating room, everyone watched Du Heng work in silence. Without a clear view of the bone, they could offer no assistance whatsoever.

PHEW. Du Heng finally straightened his back.

This kind of hands-on work was far more tiring than just formulating a prescription, but it was also immensely more satisfying.

When they examined the post-procedure X-rays, everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.

If not for the clear fracture lines still visible on the new X-rays, and the pre-procedure images they still held, they would have sworn they were hallucinating.