CHAPTER 343: THE FIRST BATTLE OF RETURN 343

(Thanks to good friends Luodeni1925 for the reward encouragement, Yewo, Demon Head, su37zd, and Jiang Xin for the monthly ticket encouragement)

"The bleeding in the lung is too severe; we can’t get a clear view with the bronchoscope. Moreover, the patient’s vitals dropped again during the examination. We need to stop the bleeding urgently," Meng Qingfan said, stepping out after a moment.

"The bleeding worsens with each breath and lung movement. Based on my experience, it’s originating from the lower lobe of the right lung. You need to act fast. The best course of action is to remove the entire right lung."

"Thank you, Doctor Meng. We’ll handle the rest," Liu Banxia said.

"Remove it?" Chen Xuehai frowned.

"Let me discuss it with their leader," Liu Banxia said.

Once outside, the firefighters surrounded him.

"The patient is unconscious, and we can’t reach his family. Even if we could, we might not get timely consent for treatment," Liu Banxia explained.

"Our initial examination indicates bleeding from the lower lobe of his lung, and the blood loss is massive. We recommend removing the entire right lung. This will quickly stop the bleeding and save his life."

"Doctor, isn’t there any other way? If an entire lung is removed, it will severely impact his work and future life," the fire department leader said.

"He gave his oxygen tank to a child in the building to save them. Doctors, please, try to find another way. He genuinely loves this job."

Liu Banxia frowned. "Don’t get your hopes up too high. We’ll go back and discuss it further, but we don’t have much time."

He, of course, knew better than these men how severely removing an entire lung would affect someone’s life. But he couldn’t make any promises; it wasn’t a decision he, as a general surgeon, could make alone, especially for a thoracic case.

"What’s the situation?" Liu Banxia asked upon returning to the resuscitation room.

"It’s tough. I’ve considered several options, but none seem ideal," Chen Xuehai said, shaking his head.

"With bleeding in the lower lobe, the lung’s movement will definitely obstruct the surgical field and complicate the procedure. We risk puncturing the alveoli while searching for the bleeding point, which would make his condition even worse."

"An ECMO machine is also not an option. It requires anticoagulants, which would inevitably worsen the bleeding. That could be fatal."

"Therefore, I still believe removing the right lung is the safest approach. It’s the most responsible option for him. His vitals are still unstable, and this offers the highest chance of survival."

"What if we operate with extreme care?" Liu Banxia asked.

"The bleeding is from the lower lobe. If we can manage that, can’t we save the rest of his right lung? Even if we have to resect a part of it, it wouldn’t impact his future life as drastically."

"That’s very difficult. We’d be operating on a constantly moving lung. I’m worried we’d waste too much time attempting that, delaying life-saving measures," Chen Xuehai said.

"How about you assist me? We could try to clamp the base of the pulmonary artery as quickly as possible. It might require a blind clamp to temporarily stop the bleeding. Then, perhaps we’ll have a chance to resect just the lower lobe."

"However, if we’re not fast enough, or if his vitals deteriorate further, we’ll still have to remove the entire right lung to save his life."

"Me? I just got reinstated, and I’m a general surgeon," Liu Banxia said, his mouth twitching slightly.

This touched on the issue of responsibility. If something went wrong during the surgery, Liu Banxia wouldn’t be primarily accountable. As the chief surgeon, Chen Xuehai would bear all the responsibility.

Chen Xuehai’s proposal was quite bold, especially since he had just finished his suspension and this was his first day back.

"Why not? For a blind clamp, you’re likely the fastest in the hospital. With this much bleeding, it’s definitely outpacing the suction. Suctioning too aggressively will only make it bleed more," Chen Xuehai said.

"Alright, I’ll scrub in with you," Liu Banxia nodded decisively.

"Liang Xiaolin, explain the surgical plan to their leader, then find us in the operating room," Chen Xuehai said.

The firefighters’ leader didn’t have the final say in the patient’s treatment; informing him was more of a courtesy. Since the patient’s life was in imminent danger, the hospital could exercise its right to provide emergency treatment.

Truth be told, the mere thought of being in surgery again, even just as an assistant, thrilled Liu Banxia. His recent suspension had left him feeling stifled; he desperately missed the operating room.

"Well, Banxia, hitting the ground running on your first day back?" Li Liwei, the anesthesiologist, looked surprised as Liu Banxia walked in.

"Just assisting, just helping to control the bleeding. Worst-case scenario, the entire right lung might have to come out," Liu Banxia quickly replied.

"I reviewed his case; it definitely looks risky," Li Liwei said.

"Tell me about it. He got himself injured saving someone else," Liu Banxia nodded.

Just then, the young man was wheeled in. Liu Banxia stretched, loosening his neck and wrists. This was his comeback surgery; he had to give it his absolute best.

He hoped his skills hadn’t dulled during his time off. This time, the objective was clear: clamp the pulmonary artery.

"Liang Xiaolin, once you’re ready, proceed with the thoracotomy immediately," Chen Xuehai instructed.

Liang Xiaolin glanced nervously at Liu Banxia, which made the usually serious Liu Banxia unsure how to react.

"Looks like you’ve improved during my absence, handling a thoracotomy independently now. Show me what you’ve got. Even though I’m not in cardiothoracic surgery, I’ll be watching," Liu Banxia said earnestly.

Liang Xiaolin, who had been feeling a little insecure, immediately felt her confidence surge at his words. She wouldn’t let this guy underestimate her; she was a dedicated cardiothoracic surgeon, after all!

Was Liang Xiaolin incompetent? Not at all. It was just a personal weakness: under pressure, her self-confidence tended to waver. But Liu Banxia’s prodding had dispelled that burden.

The thoracotomy was performed flawlessly, a textbook procedure. As soon as the chest cavity was open, Liu Banxia didn’t hesitate. Before Chen Xuehai could even utter a word, Liu Banxia reached in.

Now it was a race against time. Opening the chest would cause the bleeding to intensify. If they couldn’t clamp the pulmonary artery quickly, Chen Xuehai would have no other option. Between attempting a complex repair and ensuring the patient’s survival, there was no real choice.

Everyone in the operating room, except for Li Liwei, was now riveted on the surgical site. The success of this attempt hinged on Liu Banxia’s next move.

Li Liwei wanted to watch too, but he couldn’t afford any distractions.

Once the chest was open, the patient’s vital signs began to plummet, and Li Liwei had to work furiously to stabilize them. If they dropped to a critical threshold, he would have to call a halt to the current attempt to prioritize keeping the patient alive.

Even though the objective was clear this time, unlike the often blind searches for bleeding points in the past, this maneuver was still incredibly difficult, especially under such intense pressure.

Liu Banxia felt immense pressure too. He knew exactly what his success or failure in this moment meant for the patient on the table.

After probing for a moment, Liu Banxia suddenly asked, "How are the vitals now?"

"Blood pressure is up slightly, but it’s unstable. You probably haven’t clamped it yet," Li Liwei said in a low voice.

"Wait a moment," Liu Banxia said, taking another hemostat.

This attempt was much quicker. Once he applied the clamp, Li Liwei gave him a thumbs-up.

"Damn, that was close," Liu Banxia exhaled deeply. "Suction."

"Dr. Chen, he’s all yours. The clamp can’t stay on too long, right? And this repair won’t be easy."

"I’ll do my best," Chen Xuehai smiled and nodded.

DING! Surgery completed.

Reward: 400 experience points, 100 diagnostic skill proficiency points, 200 dressing change skill proficiency points, 3 Glory Points.

Even Chen Xuehai had to admire Liu Banxia’s skill. That wasn’t a maneuver just anyone could pull off. It had been a gamble today, but it paid off.

The next challenge for Chen Xuehai would be operating with the alveoli constantly moving due to respiration, obscuring the surgical field. But as an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon, his only option now was to proceed with confidence and trust his skills.

Liu Banxia didn’t stay in the operating room much longer; his part was done. Besides, he was needed back in the Emergency Center.

"Teacher Liu, was it a success?" The interns swarmed him the moment he stepped into the Emergency Center.

Liu Banxia smiled and nodded. "I’ve done my part; the rest is up to Dr. Chen. But the chance of saving the right lung is quite high. Let’s wait for the results."

"Wow, Teacher Liu is really amazing!" Liu Yiqing exclaimed.

"Haha, naturally. This was my comeback debut; I had to make it impressive," Liu Banxia said with a pleased grin.

He might have sounded a bit arrogant, but no one present thought so. They all knew that what he’d accomplished, while perhaps looking straightforward to an outsider, was incredibly difficult.

Consider if Liu Banxia hadn’t been there today. What would have happened to the patient? It was a foregone conclusion: a complete pneumonectomy.

This was Liu Banxia’s impact; he had earned his bragging rights. It was like the small-incision appendectomy—seemingly a minor surgery, yet few could perform it flawlessly. And at Second Hospital? He was the only one.

"That firefighter is truly remarkable. He went into a burning residential building—a gas leak fire—twice and rescued three people," Shi Lei said.

"Sigh... I have a soft spot for firefighters. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to take the risk and scrub in today," Liu Banxia said.

"I was rescued by firefighters once myself, remember? Fortunately, everything turned out well, no lasting damage. And today, watching Liang Xiaolin operate, she’s improved a lot. It seems I’ve underestimated you all."

"Absolutely! Even if we can’t reach Teacher Liu’s level, we have to catch up as quickly as possible," Xu Yinuo chimed in.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She sensed Liu Banxia was setting them up for something. Why had she walked right into it?

Liu Banxia merely gave her a knowing smile and said nothing. But wherever his gaze landed, the interns all flinched slightly, avoiding his eyes.

They were all afraid of being put on the spot by Liu Banxia. The pressure of being the first one called on was immense.