CHAPTER 481: 481 COMBINED CHEST AND ABDOMINAL BONE SURGERY

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Xu Yino was a little worried, feeling like she had been played by Liu Banxia, the "big demon." Despite being very careful for so long, she still felt tricked.

But for the six of them, they actually felt a lot more relaxed now. Otherwise, they were always responsible for seeing the patients, while Liu Banxia and the others supervised them.

Sometimes, when there were too many patients, there were no supervisors. They would have to report their diagnoses before issuing proper medical orders.

There were fewer patients these days. Under Liu Banxia’s arrangement, Shi Lei and the others primarily handled the cases, and the interns suddenly felt very relaxed.

"What do you guys think? Will you stay here when the time comes? I kind of feel persuaded by Liu Banxia, the ’big demon’," Xu Yino said.

"Hmm... I will stay. We’re given more opportunities here, and the teachers appreciate us," Liu Yiqing said.

"I haven’t decided yet. You know my home situation," Su Wenhao said, hesitating for a moment.

"Honestly, I want to stay, but I don’t know if I can persist," Huang Bo said with a wry smile. "There are indeed opportunities here that are hard for anyone else to get, but the pressure is really high. We might complete in one year what takes others two or three. That pressure..."

Miao Rui and Li Hao nodded in agreement. The pressure here was indeed immense. Even though they knew it, only under such pressure could they learn real skills in the shortest possible time.

It was like being in the special forces—truly tough. But to become a qualified special forces soldier, one needed to undergo rigorous training; otherwise, elimination was inevitable.

Not everyone had the courage to endure such training. Now, they were just interns. The workload and pressure would be much greater when they became resident doctors.

Because at that time, they would have to diagnose patients independently and wouldn’t necessarily have much time to think when dealing with emergency patients. They might even face medical lawsuits.

"Considering this involves our future, let’s all think about it for ourselves. I lost again today, so I have to buy chicken legs for Liu Banxia, the ’big demon’," Xu Yino said.

"Ah, out of all the teachers we’ve met, only Liu Banxia, the ’big demon,’ is truly admirable," Li Hao said.

"We’re constantly under pressure from him. Although we felt depressed at the time, we’d later forget all about it.

And then, we’d just hover around him, waiting for the next round of pressure. It seems endless. Maybe we have a bit of a masochistic tendency?"

The others laughed out loud, because it was indeed the case.

Because after each bout of hardship, there would always be some gains, regardless of how big or small. Everyone’s growth stemmed from such experiences.

To use a popular saying, "Though tormented by Liu Banxia, the ’big demon,’ a million times, we still cherish him like a first love."

In medicine, surgery is king. Even their official mentors sometimes needed Liu Banxia’s guidance and support, which spoke volumes about his capabilities.

"Dr. Liu, two car accident patients will be transported here shortly. The situation is rather serious; one of them has multiple fractures," the dispatch nurse called out.

"Liu Yiqing and Su Wenhao didn’t handle emergency admissions yesterday, so today it’s your turn. The rest will assist. Shi Lei and I will supervise," Liu Banxia said.

Liu Yiqing and Su Wenhao hurriedly put on disposable surgical gowns and instructed a nurse to prepare blood bags immediately.

After about five minutes, ambulances and police cars whizzed up to the entrance.

"Female, fifteen years old. Struck by a car, multiple compound injuries on the left side. Blood pressure 80/120 mmHg, dyspnea, IV fluids started on site," the paramedic reported, pushing the gurney.

"Trauma Bay One! Post-transfer X-ray, check airway, connect monitors, blood draw for labs, and ultrasound!" Liu Yiqing ordered.

With that, she immediately pushed the patient’s gurney into Trauma Bay One.

"Male, seventeen years old, lost consciousness in the ambulance. Multiple injuries and fractures. Blood pressure 70/90 mmHg, heart rate 110, intubated on site," the paramedic from the second ambulance reported, wheeling in another patient.

Su Wenhao, who was supposed to receive this patient, stared at the injured leg, startled for a few seconds. "Trauma Bay Two! Dr. Liu, with me! Page Orthopedics and book an OR!"

"Okay," Liu Banxia replied.

No wonder Su Wenhao had seemed startled; the patient’s left leg was completely twisted around, with the toes pointing backward. It looked like a vehicle-related crush injury, and it was uncertain if the leg could be saved.

"One, two, three, transfer! Don’t remove the backboard yet. Dr. Liu, check his left leg first. Connect monitors, primary trauma survey, rapid blood tests, and crossmatch," Su Wenhao instructed after they moved the patient to the trauma bed.

"Dr. Su, his left leg needs immediate reperfusion. I can’t feel a pedal pulse in the right leg either," Liu Banxia reported after a quick check.

"Get full-body X-rays," Su Wenhao ordered.

Everyone quickly backed away.

This patient indeed needed multiple X-rays; he had fractures in both legs and arms, likely due to significant impact. Even without an abdominal exam, internal bleeding was highly suspected.

After all the X-rays were completed, Liu Banxia drew a sharp breath. This patient didn’t just have fractures in both legs and arms; surprisingly, his pelvis was fractured too.

"Left hemothorax. Needs a chest tube. Page Cardiothoracic. Dr. Liu, can you temporarily reduce the leg fractures? Otherwise, we might not be able to save his legs," Su Wenhao said.

Liu Banxia nodded. "They can be reduced."

"Good. Schedule an emergency CT scan. Take him over after Dr. Liu reduces them, and then straight to the OR," Su Wenhao said.

They began working concurrently. Su Wenhao inserted a chest tube for drainage, while Liu Banxia started reducing the patient’s leg fractures.

The left leg was the most severe; an injury of this magnitude would undoubtedly involve damaged blood vessels. As Liu Banxia reduced the fracture, the patient’s leg began to swell noticeably.

"Tourniquet and prep for a fasciotomy!" Liu Banxia ordered.

A nearby nurse quickly applied the tourniquet. Liu Banxia grabbed povidone-iodine from an opened sterile pack, poured it onto the patient’s leg, and then made an incision with a scalpel.

"What’s the situation?" Wu Mingyu asked, rushing over.

"Severe bilateral leg fractures. Help stabilize the pelvis first. The images are on the monitor," Liu Banxia said.

"Okay." Without hesitation, Wu Mingyu began to stabilize the patient’s pelvis.

The patient’s right leg injury was slightly less severe, but only in comparison to his left.

"What’s happening here?" Chen Xuehai asked, also hurrying over with Liang Xiaolin.

"The patient has a left pulmonary hemorrhage; we just inserted a chest tube. After Teacher Wu and Dr. Liu finish stabilizing the pelvis and legs, he’ll go for a CT scan and then directly to the OR," Su Wenhao explained.

Chen Xuehai nodded. "Then I’ll go prepare in the OR."

"What about the other patient?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Right hemothorax, likely a ruptured pulmonary bulla. Wu Xiaoyue will assist in the OR. She also has multiple compound injuries that need surgical treatment. Shi Lei is with her," Chen Xuehai said.

"I’m done reducing the leg fractures here." At this point, Liu Banxia stopped his work.

"I can only do a temporary stabilization of the pelvis for now; otherwise, it might affect the laparotomy. Is there still time for a pelvic CT?" Wu Mingyu asked.

"I doubt it." Liu Banxia shook his head.

Wu Mingyu nodded.

He knew why they had to get a head CT first, even with the patient in such critical condition. It was necessary to assess for cerebral hemorrhage; otherwise, the patient might die before surgery even began.

"This crash was brutal. The pressure for this surgery will be immense. Su Wenhao, you’ll be primary on the abdominal part, and I’ll be first assist," Liu Banxia said on the way to the operating room.

"Liang Xiaolin, you’ll be primary for the pulmonary surgery, and I’ll be first assist," Chen Xuehai added.

Their words made both Su Wenhao and Liang Xiaolin tense up. Not only them, but even Qing Kewa, Miao Rui, and Li Hao, who had followed, felt extremely nervous.

The patient’s injuries were so severe; entrusting them with the responsibility of being primary surgeons was undeniably a test.

If they passed, they could proceed as primary. If not, they would be immediately replaced by Liu Banxia or Chen Xuehai, with no room for hesitation or error.

"Uh... hey... what about me? There are so many fractures to deal with," Wu Mingyu said with a pained expression.

"Don’t worry. Handle the left leg first, then the right. By then, the abdominal and pulmonary injuries should be addressed. Then you can tackle the arm fractures," Liu Banxia said. "The pelvic fracture can be definitively fixed later; get another pelvic CT post-op. Besides Ma Zhiguo, whom you’re supervising, the other three can assist you."

"I guess that’s the only way. At least you guys can work in shifts; I have to handle this all by myself," Wu Mingyu muttered.

"While Zhiguo and I work on the left leg, Qing Kewa and Miao Rui, you can start prepping for the internal fixation of the right leg fracture. I’ll guide you, and if it goes well, you two can do it."

He was actually a bit envious of Liu Banxia now. The interns Liu Banxia trained were very versatile, just like him.

If the interns he supervised were this multi-talented, wouldn’t his own admissions be easier? It looked like he’d have to ask Director Xu for more people; otherwise, he really wouldn’t be able to manage.

After they arrived at the operating room and waited a short while, the patient was wheeled in.

There was no sign of intracranial bleeding or hematoma, meaning his head was stable for now. This brought some relief to Liu Banxia and the team.

Otherwise, if they had to perform a comprehensive, multi-departmental surgery involving neuro, thoracic, general surgery, and orthopedics, the patient might not have survived the table.

Even so, the patient was still in grave danger. Their earlier conversation, though seemingly casual, had actually been a discussion of the surgical plan. If the legs hadn’t also been critically compromised, they would have been addressed after the combined thoracic and abdominal procedures.