Rebirth of a Doctor Without Regrets

Chapter 105 Ex vivo artificial valve reconstruction

Li Lei stood aside, watching the steady heart rate curve on the monitor, and the shock in his heart could not be calmed for a long time.

He walked over to the ultrasound machine and pulled up the images Wang Xiao had reviewed before the surgery. Looking at the blurry, strong echoes and chaotic sounds on the screen, his face was full of disbelief.

He turned to look at Wang Xiao, who had just taken off her surgical gown: "Dr. Wang, I'm truly impressed! You were able to accurately determine the area of ​​calcification and the depth of resection based on this ultrasound image, and even predict in advance that the valve opening needed to be widened. That's amazing!"

Wang Xiao smiled sheepishly. This wasn't about being able to read images; it was about having a cheat code.

Thinking that he had completed Shen Hao's task, Li Lei became even more excited: "And the surgical procedure you adjusted, reconstructing the valve orifice outside the body and removing the diseased valve orifice at the same time, the rhythm was really well controlled, much faster than the traditional secondary surgery."

To be honest, this isn't a variation of the double leaflet procedure at all; it's a completely new procedure!

Zhu Chunhua nodded repeatedly upon hearing Li Lei's words, her eyes filled with pride: "Li Lei is right, this is indeed a brand new technique."

In the past, valve reconstruction in secondary surgeries was performed in situ within the heart. However, Wang Xiao's innovative ex vivo reconstruction method significantly shortens the surgical time and reduces the risks associated with in-situ procedures, demonstrating extremely high clinical value.

She walked up to Wang Xiao, a hint of anticipation on her face, and said softly, "Xiao, I'd like to formally name this procedure 'Ex vivo artificial valve reconstruction.' What do you think of this name?"

The surrounding medical staff also chimed in, all agreeing that the name was very fitting.

Wang Xiao nodded, but there was little joy on his face. Instead, he frowned and remained serious.

"Let's leave it at that for now. However, I feel this surgery was far from perfect and there are many areas that need improvement."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

In their view, this surgery was a masterpiece that surpassed textbooks, but in Wang Xiao's eyes, there were still many shortcomings.

Li Lei couldn't see any problem at all, but if there were any postoperative sequelae or complications, he wouldn't know how to explain it to Shen Hao.

Ignoring his position as a senior doctor, he quickly asked, "Dr. Wang, this surgery was already very successful. What wasn't perfect enough?"

Wang Xiao walked to the operating table, his gaze sweeping over the area where the operation had just taken place, and began to calmly review the situation: "First of all, when reconstructing the valve, the operating table that the nurse temporarily brought over was too small."

Although they eventually worked together, it initially slowed down Wei Jie and Lei Ge's operation speed. The platform was too small, and the two inevitably interfered with each other when cooperating, wasting several minutes.

"Secondly, ex vivo valve reconstruction requires a high level of surgical skill from the assistant. Last time, Deputy Director Shen performed the procedure, and this time, Brother Lei helped out; the collaboration went relatively smoothly."

However, if an assistant with insufficient operational skills is used, it is difficult to guarantee the fit and suturing accuracy of the pericardial patch by relying solely on the artificial valve ring as a mold.

Artificial valve annulus itself is smooth and has no adhesion, making it too inconvenient to use as a temporary mold. Specialized molds need to be developed to reduce the difficulty of the procedure, so that more doctors can master this technique.

"And most importantly, the depth of the flap resection this time was entirely based on my subjective judgment through ultrasound images. Although it was a precise match in the end, this method relies too much on personal experience and has a high risk of error."

If this type of surgery is to be performed again in the future, a multi-slice spiral CT scan of the heart should be performed beforehand. Precise imaging data can be used to fully assess the depth and extent of the calcifications, thus further improving the precision of the surgery.

After listening to Wang Xiao's recap, everyone fell silent.

The resident doctors in the back row even pulled out small notebooks from their scrub suits and started writing furiously.

Most people can only see the success of the surgery, but they don't think about these details. Even assistants who are personally involved in the surgery often find it difficult to consider these issues.

Wang Xiao's analysis accurately pointed out the shortcomings of this new surgical technique, demonstrating his pursuit of surgical perfection.

That's why people who start on stage improve quickly, and those who are the lead surgeons improve even faster.

When you're in the lead surgeon's position, you need to consider the overall situation, and your thinking is at its most active.

A hint of relief flashed in Zhu Chunhua's eyes: "Xiao, you're right. These are all crucial questions. I will summarize them and use them as the research direction for my subsequent thesis."

This will not only refine the surgical technique but also provide a reference for colleagues, allowing it to truly be effective and help more patients.

Li Lei stood aside, deeply moved after listening to Wang Xiao's recap.

He had followed Shen Hao for many years and always felt that Shen Hao was already at the top level in cardiac surgery, with comprehensive surgical techniques and rich experience.

But seeing Wang Xiao's surgery today and hearing his post-operative analysis, I suddenly realized that what makes Wang Xiao so formidable is not just his talent, but also his insatiable attitude and his innovative ability that far surpasses that of ordinary people.

An idea rose uncontrollably in his mind: Although Shen Hao has mastered a wide range of techniques, Wang Xiao is young, talented, and can continuously optimize techniques and discover problems. His future prospects are much broader than Shen Hao's.

If I could switch to Zhu Chunhua's team and learn from Wang Xiao, I might be able to break through my bottleneck and reach a higher level in my profession.

Once the thought arose, it grew wildly like a vine, causing a stir in his heart.

But just a few seconds later, he shook his head and suppressed the thought.

Having worked in the hospital for many years, he knows the rules of the workplace all too well.

Fickle and opportunistic people never have a good ending.

Shen Hao treated him well, not only giving him many opportunities to perform surgeries, but also constantly promoting him.

If someone betrays Shen Hao and switches to another team because they see Wang Xiao's potential, they will surely be despised in the future and may even completely ruin their career.

Li Lei took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and forced himself to forget everything he had just seen and thought.

He secretly told himself that he should just do his job well and that he should never have any more inappropriate thoughts.

At this point, the nurses began cleaning the surgical instruments and organizing the surgical records.

Wang Xiao walked to the monitor, checked the patient's vital signs one last time, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that everything was stable.

"Circuit doctor, the patient has been transferred to the CICU after surgery. Closely monitor heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels, especially for any valve leakage. Notify me immediately if there are any issues."

Meanwhile, Li Lei, watching Wang Xiao's departing figure, was filled with inner turmoil.