Healing Doctor

Chapter 772 A Different Way of Life

"Xiao Ji, what can we do to improve the success rate of the surgery?" Deng Chaohong asked.

Clearly, Deng Chaohong took this very seriously.

Ji Xiang was curious; Deng Chaohong seemed to be acting strangely today.

After seeing Ji Xiang's gaze, Deng Chaohong hesitated for a moment before saying directly, "Recently, several of my classmates have been contacting me, asking about the recovery process of our post-operative patients, and even asking about every single physical examination in great detail."

"I have a feeling they're eyeing this technique."

"I didn't attend Neymar's surgery, but I didn't understand Zhao Dali's surgery at the time. I've been following this young man's progress ever since. His recovery is going very well; if..."

Deng Chaohong hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth.

The value of this procedure is well understood not only by specialists in sports medicine, but also by ordinary orthopedic surgeons.

I certainly can't assume that Ji Xiang doesn't know; if I did, I would be showing a complete lack of respect for him.

Ji Xiang smiled and did not interrupt Deng Chaohong.

"I'm saying this to make money," Deng Chaohong said frankly. "I think your surgery, Xiao Ji, is more inclined towards embolization followed by resection of kidney cancer."

At this point, Deng Chaohong himself became embarrassed, rubbing his hands together and smiling apologetically.

It felt like being by my mentor's side many years ago.

"Performing surgery on athletes, especially top athletes, is indeed quite lucrative," Ji Xiang said with a smile. "Professor Deng, the surgical technique is definitely not a problem."

"The challenge lies in minimizing damage to the capillary network; previous surgical techniques were too crude."

Deng Chaohong felt ashamed.

"More experience will help, and if someone needs you to perform surgery, I can arrange a session for you."

at last!

Deng Chaohong received an affirmative answer from Ji Xiang.

Although he felt somewhat ashamed, Deng Chaohong didn't care about that.

Now, most people know that their "student" casually performed Neymar's surgery, and Neymar is recovering well.

If the teacher had performed the surgery himself, it would definitely have been better!

Deng Chaohong chuckled, looking slightly embarrassed.

If I can make some money through Ji Xiang, so be it. There's nothing shameful about it.

"Xiao Ji, what should I say to the Sports Federation?"

"I'm just an assistant, you're the teacher. If you perform the surgery, the success rate will be quite high," Ji Xiang replied politely, which was exactly what Deng Chaohong wanted to hear.

"Really...really..." Deng Chaohong rubbed his hands, unsure of what to say.

"When will the patient arrive?" Ji Xiang asked.

"They didn't say, but I guess they might be going to Shanghai."

"oh."

Seeing that Ji Xiang was somewhat reluctant, Deng Chaohong quickly persuaded him, "Xiao Ji, there are many large, top-tier hospitals in Shanghai with high standards and higher incomes. Changing platforms would be better."

"I...don't lack money."

"!!!"

Deng Chaohong paused for a moment, then sighed deeply in his heart.

Having plenty of money is a truly enviable reason.

However, Deng Chaohong knew that Ji Xiang was not talking nonsense. An SCI paper was worth tens of thousands of yuan. Selling it for 1 yuan would be a great favor. But Ji Xiang just smiled and didn't care at all, and gave it away casually.

The differences between people are truly vast. As Deng Chaohong pondered this, a river of sorrow welled up in his heart.

However, he quickly cheered up, thinking that if Ji Xiang were short of money, he would never have had such a good opportunity.

As Deng Chaohong was thinking, his phone suddenly rang.

"Feed?"

"Ah! Where is it?"

"Okay, okay, I'll be there soon!"

Deng Chaohong hung up the phone and rushed out.

"Xiao Ji, I'm going to the intensive care unit."

Deng Chaohong ran a few steps and found Ji Xiang following behind him. "This kid really knows how to keep secrets," Deng Chaohong thought to himself.

While waiting for the elevator, Deng Chaohong said, "A nurse from the previous case had a sick daughter, and I suspect she's taking medication."

"Is he alright?"

"This is bad, he's not breathing on his own." Deng Chaohong frowned. "He's in the intensive care unit, and they say he might be brain dead."

Brain death!

A person in a vegetative state!!

Ji Xiang was slightly taken aback.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the intensive care unit, a middle-aged woman squatted on the ground, covering her eyes with her hands, tears streaming through her fingers.

"Qu Dan, what's going on?" Deng Chaohong asked.

"Brother Deng, I don't know either. My child was studying at home when I went to deliver fruit. She smiled at me, then turned around and collapsed to the ground. I...I..."

"I'll go take a look."

Instead of comforting the middle-aged woman, Deng Chaohong entered the intensive care unit.

Ji Xiang followed Deng Chaohong, put on a sterile gown, changed his shoes, and strode inside.

After learning the details, Deng Chaohong and Ji Xiang were both dumbfounded.

The head of the intensive care unit suspects the patient overdosed on medication, likely committing suicide. The patient had stopped breathing spontaneously before being admitted to the hospital and still hasn't; brain death is suspected, and the patient is now in a vegetative state.

The patient is currently on a ventilator and is doing well for now.

Deng Chaohong frowned and sighed repeatedly.

"Director Lei, is there any hope?" Deng Chaohong asked.

The head of the intensive care unit said with a stern face, "Although the rescue was timely, the current situation is not optimistic."

The phrase "not optimistic" has many extended meanings, but in the current context, it can basically be understood as a high probability of brain death or a vegetative state.

Ji Xiang quietly went to conduct a simple physical examination, and the patient's neurological reflexes were indeed as Director Lei of the intensive care unit had said, which was not optimistic, with a score of almost zero.

The patient's diagnosis was relatively simple, but his age was quite heartbreaking.

After cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the patient regained a spontaneous heart rate but remained in a deep coma, unable to breathe independently, and had low blood pressure, requiring vasopressors to maintain blood pressure.

She is currently connected to a tube and is on a ventilator to help her breathe.

As the ventilator operated, the patient's chest rose and fell, a sight that left Ji Xiang feeling empty inside.

There wasn't much Deng Chaohong could do. After finding out the situation, he went out and explained it to the patient's family.

When faced with similar situations, all a doctor can do is offer comfort.

It was obvious that Deng Chaohong was also in a bad mood. Half an hour later, he left with Ji Xiang, his eyes red.

"Xiao Ji, this nurse was a very capable worker back then. It's just a pity she wasn't a tenured staff member. One year, the hospital went crazy... the year all the doctors and nurses without tenure were to be transferred to labor dispatch positions."

Ji Xiang vaguely knew about this. In order to avoid many problems, doctors and nurses without formal employment status were managed by a labor service company, and the labor service company signed contracts with the hospital.

"The hospital didn't quite understand the situation at the time, so they dismissed all those nurses. The people who came later were a bit lazy, so we always missed them when something happened. Even though I don't work here anymore, I still try my best to help them when they bring people to see a doctor over the years."

Every year, I would meet up with them for a meal and catch up. But who could have imagined something like this would happen?

Deng Chaohong sighed as he spoke.

He didn't say much about the labor dispatch, just gave some background information, and then went to the fire escape. Just as he was about to take out a cigarette, a pack of cigarettes was handed to him.

Deng Chaohong took the cigarette, his mood was very bad. "Xiao Qu has had a tough time these past few years. I heard that her daughter has excellent grades. When she got into a key high school, a few of us doctors and nurses who were close to her had a drink to celebrate."

"Who would have thought...sigh."

"The children are under a lot of pressure. When I was interning, I met a high school student who jumped off a building because she couldn't accept that someone else was doing better than her in her grade, since she ranked second in her grade," Ji Xiang said.

Deng Chaohong shook his head.

"Teacher Deng, do you think there's a chance of him waking up?"

"No," Deng Chaohong replied affirmatively.

"But if you ask the patient's family to go home and look for the medicine box to see what kind of medicine it was, is there still a chance for a miracle?"

"I do hope so, but to be honest, there's not much hope for the two of us. The neurological examination score is very low; there's no chance. He'll probably end up in a vegetative state."

Deng Chaohong took a deep drag of his cigarette, then remained silent for a long time as if he had forgotten to exhale, before finally letting out a sigh.

However, no smoke was emitted.

"Teacher Deng, there's nothing we can do about it." Ji Xiang had never experienced anything like this before, so he didn't know how to comfort Deng Chaohong and could only offer dry words.

"Sigh." Deng Chaohong calmed down. "It's all fate, there's nothing we can do. The kid is still young, what kind of medicine is he taking! It's all just to scare people!! Every year, at least three to five nurses in the hospital have to take medicine to avoid working night shifts."

"It's enough to scare people, why eat yourself into a vegetable?"

Deng Chaohong was always refined and scholarly, and this was the first time Ji Xiang had ever heard him swear.

"Then there are those who drink paraquat... never mind, let's not talk about that."

Deng Chaohong's joy vanished instantly. After speaking, he fell silent, lit a cigarette, and went back.

Since then, Deng Chaohong has visited the intensive care unit every year.

The intensive care unit issued multiple critical condition notices, informing the family that the patient showed no signs of brain resuscitation, had an extremely low neurological score, and that the preliminary assessment indicated possible brain death.

A day later, Ji Xiang followed Deng Chaohong to the intensive care unit again.

"Brother Deng." The middle-aged woman's eyes were bloodshot and her complexion was extremely poor. She lowered her head and said to Deng Chaohong, "Thank you."

Deng Chaohong paused, seemingly realizing what had happened. His lips moved, but he swallowed the words back.

"The child is probably gone. Her father and I discussed it and decided that rather than living a vegetative state with the help of a ventilator, we should try a different way of life."

"Organ donation?" Deng Chaohong asked in a hoarse voice.

The middle-aged woman nodded.

"Should we wait a little longer?"

"I knew when the doctor issued the critical condition notice," the middle-aged woman said blankly. "Brother Deng, they mean that Xiaoyu will definitely be in a vegetative state, even if she can be weaned off the ventilator in the future."

"The cost of the intensive care unit is too high, we can't afford it. Our family doesn't have the means either. Even if he regains spontaneous breathing, we can't afford to take care of him if he's brain dead. So be it."

Ji Xiang lowered his head.

The woman said softly, "That's it." She didn't cry, nor did she seem relieved. She was simply stating a fact, making a decision.

"Alright, since you've made your decision... Give me a call if anything comes up," Deng Chaohong said softly.

"Okay, Brother Deng. You've worked hard these past few days."

Can we change our way of life, get an organ transplant, and find a new meaning in life?

Ji Xiang didn't understand, but then he thought of the system NPC.

"The organ donation coordinator from the First Affiliated Hospital will be here soon. I don't know the specific procedures, Brother Deng. You're busy, it's almost time to hand over the shift. My wife and I will have dinner with you after this is all done."

"Okay, you guys celebrate..." Deng Chaohong didn't even finish saying the words "condolences."

Ji Xiang held back for a while, and after leaving, he asked, "Teacher Deng, the ICU costs more than 10,000 yuan a day. What if we stay for two more days?"

"Hey." Deng Chaohong lowered his head and walked towards the ward.

I ran into Director Liu, who was standing next to Zhou Tianbo.

Ji Xiang was slightly taken aback. Professor Zhou Tianbo did not greet Ji Xiang, but instead came to the patient's family and bowed deeply.

"Teacher Deng, you go back first. I'll go with Director Liu to take a look."

"Okay, don't rush, I'll do the surgery first." Deng Chaohong was in no mood for anything, and after saying that, he left with his head down.

"director."

"You and Professor Deng will come to see the patient," Director Liu said quietly. "Zhou Tianbo will assess the patient's kidney function, and the organ donation coordinator will be here shortly."

Ji Xiang's feelings were extremely complicated.

Director Liu did the same, only briefly describing the situation to Ji Xiang before both of them fell silent.

Although Professor Zhou Tianbo did not speak, he expressed his respect through body language.

He was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit.

After examining the patient's condition, Zhou Tianbo remained silent for a long time.

"Professor Zhou, the patient's kidney function seems to be alright," Director Liu asked.

"There shouldn't be a problem, but I still feel something's off." Zhou Tianbo frowned, his expression completely different from the stereotypical impression Ji Xiang had of him when they first met at the private hospital.

"What's wrong?"

"The patient's family member seems to be a former nurse at the Second Affiliated Hospital, right?"

"Yes," Director Liu said. "I heard from someone that she used to be an orthopedic nurse."

Zhou Tianbo did not continue speaking.

"The patient was barely made it to the emergency room after receiving immediate resuscitation efforts, and then transferred to the intensive care unit. Professor Zhou, do you have any concerns?"

"Yes...no." Zhou Tianbo's face was solemn.

Ji Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

Prior to this, Ji Xiang and Deng Chaohong conducted a physical examination together. The patient was in a deep coma, with a spontaneous heartbeat but no spontaneous breathing. The neurological reflex score was extremely low, indicating a possible vegetative state.

However, Zhou Tianbo's intermittent questioning made Ji Xiang a little suspicious.

Ji Xiang silently turned around, went to a corner, pretended to look out the window, and then entered the system space while holding his breath.

"The kidney function is okay, it can be used. Tell the patient's family to prepare for surgery."

Just as Ji Xiang came to his senses, a familiar yet annoying voice reached his ears.

Wei Fusi!

It's him again!

Ji Xiang breathed a sigh of relief.

"No rush, let's take a look first. I have some ideas about this patient," Zhou Tianbo said softly, arms crossed and chin in hand.

"Old Zhou, although you're a patient taking medication, your kidney function hasn't been damaged. You wouldn't be afraid to do it, would you?" Wei Fusi asked.

"No, the main patient..."

"What kind of patient are you? Can you tell me where the problem is with your kidney function?" Wei Fusi pressed.

"The patient is probably not in a vegetative state, Professor Zhou, that's what you're thinking, right?" Ji Xiang walked over and interrupted Wei Fusi.

"!!!" When Wei Fusi saw Ji Xiang, he seemed to have the same feeling as Ji Xiang: he was disgusted by both of them.

"The patient fell into a coma at home and then suffered respiratory and circulatory arrest. Because the patient's family members are medical workers, they immediately performed CPR until the 120 ambulance arrived."

"They continued to resuscitate me in the emergency department and intensive care unit until I was intubated and put on a ventilator."

"What are you trying to say? Did you even examine him? Do you even know what the patient's neurological reflex score means?" Wei Fusi retorted with utter disdain. "Deep coma, still not breathing on his own, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Old Wei, I also think the cause of the patient's coma is the medication, coupled with the continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation, so we can't easily diagnose brain death." Zhou Tianbo looked deeply at Ji Xiang, hesitated for a moment, and still chose to stand on Ji Xiang's side.

"Old Zhou, are you fucking out too?" Wei Fusi said angrily.

"The patient's chances of brain regeneration need to be reassessed."

Ji Xiang and Zhou Tianbo gave their next proposal in unison.

Wei Fusi looked coldly at Ji Xiang, and curled his lip, "You little resident trainee, you're so arrogant. Old Zhou, you didn't come here to help out for a year, did you? You didn't perform many surgeries, so you've lost confidence in yourself, have you?"

Zhou Tianbo sighed and shook his head.

"The patient's family has given their consent. The patient is in a deep coma and has no spontaneous breathing. However, the kidney function is within acceptable limits. I think an organ transplant is feasible," Wei Fusi said without hesitation.

"Let's wait a bit." Zhou Tianbo looked up and stared directly into Wei Fusi's eyes.

"What's the point of waiting? Waiting for the emergency medication to accumulate in the kidneys and cause renal failure? Or waiting for the patient to endure 30 to 50 days in the ICU before making a final decision?"

Wei Fusi looked at Zhou Tianbo with great dissatisfaction, and finally said in a deep voice, "Old Zhou, you used to be a responsible person. How come you've become so effeminate after just a few months?"

"It has nothing to do with making a decision. Xiao Ji and I agree that the patient needs further observation."

"You!" Wei Fusi said angrily, "Are you dissatisfied with the person who will receive the organs? You want to wait?"

These words left Zhou Tianbo speechless, unsure how to explain.

"Old Zhou, all the paperwork is complete, you...you...you're really something!" Faced with Zhou Tianbo's questioning, Wei Fusi didn't want to lose his temper, so he stomped his foot and turned to leave.

"Old Wei, wait for me." Zhou Tianbo hurriedly followed him out.

"Xiao Ji, do you think there's still hope? I've seen many patients like this. Even if they're rescued and have spontaneous breathing, they often end up in a vegetative state." Director Liu frowned slightly.

"Huh?!" Ji Xiang stared blankly at Wei Fusi's back.

"Many years ago, there was an 18-year-old boy who was repairing a car. His equipment malfunctioned, and the car fell and hit him directly. He suffered cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. His vital signs returned, but he was brain dead."

"Because he is an only child, the patient's family has never given up on him. It has been more than ten years now, and the patient is still lying at home. Our nurses are taken there every two weeks to change his urinary catheter and perform catheter care."

"So long! Do you have bedsores?" Ji Xiang asked in surprise.

"No, the nurse said the young man has gained weight." Director Liu sighed. "I don't know who's right or wrong. These things are really hard to say. You're young, so it's normal to be soft-hearted, but it's ultimately pointless."

Although Director Liu said he didn't know who was right and who was wrong, his last sentence made his stance clear.

"Doctor, I just feel that the patient can still be saved."

Director Liu glanced at Ji Xiang helplessly.

Perhaps when you first start working, you all think you need a perfect solution.

This is because Ji Xiang didn't see the patient who needed a kidney transplant. If he did see the patient, he wouldn't know what to do.

"Let's go, it has nothing to do with us. Xiao Ji, do you know why I didn't choose to have an organ transplant?" Director Liu asked.

Ji Xiang understood; Director Liu's problem was definitely not due to a lack of competence.

In urology, kidney transplantation is not the most difficult surgical procedure.

It's likely that Director Liu and the system NPCs share similar ideas.

Seeing that Ji Xiang remained silent, Director Liu didn't bother to explain further. The topic of organ transplantation, no matter how it was phrased, would inevitably lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble and controversy.

Therefore, he was unwilling to use this technique to avoid trouble.

If organs were truly 3D printed, wouldn't surgery be as simple as picking them up and performing them?

"Let's go." Director Liu patted Ji Xiang on the shoulder. "It has nothing to do with us. Director Bai is just trying to do some technical research and doesn't want to get involved in this trouble. There's no point in going into the details."

"oh."

Ji Xiang and Director Liu exited the intensive care unit.

As Ji Xiang was leaving, he saw Wei Fusi bowing respectfully.

The patients, their families, doctors, and nurses who are organ transplant donors are treated with the utmost respect.

"We have some differing opinions. What are your thoughts?" Wei Fusi asked politely.

Although he looked down on Ji Xiang, he didn't treat the patients' families the same way.

"We agree to organ transplantation," the middle-aged woman said calmly. "You have my phone number; just call me when you've made your decision."

"Making a phone call? You...?"

"I can't get leave." The middle-aged woman stated a fact calmly, "Today is the day shift, and the company only allows me to work for the morning."

Wei Fusi looked horrified.

He hesitated for a moment, his expression as if he had swallowed a fly.

"Teacher Wei, Teacher Zhou, I'll be going now." The middle-aged woman bowed and said very respectfully.

Watching the woman leave, Wei Fusi frowned and said with disgust, "There really are patients' family members like this!"

"Hey, Lao Wei, say less."

"She's so heartless! Her daughter is dying in the ICU, and she still goes to work!"

Wei Fusi's voice wasn't loud, but the respect he had just felt was completely gone, replaced only by disgust and disdain.

Ji Xiang was also taken aback.

"Director Liu?"

"Do you have surgery?" Director Liu asked calmly.

"Yes, but there's no rush. Professor Deng and Dr. Lin have already gone up." Ji Xiang knew that Director Liu had something to say to him.

"Come to my office."

Ji Xiang didn't say anything; he could sense that something was off.

Following Director Liu to his office, Director Liu sat down and stared at Ji Xiang for a full 20 seconds.

Twenty seconds isn't a long time, but it made Ji Xiang feel very embarrassed.

"Director, is there anything you can tell me?" Ji Xiang had no choice but to ask the question.

"Do you share the same thoughts as Professor Wei Fusi?" Director Liu asked calmly.

"It just feels a bit strange."

"I have something to tell you," Director Liu said softly, looking at Ji Xiang.

(End of this chapter)