Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1128 - 905: Blind Spot

Chapter 1128: Chapter 905: Blind Spot

The weekly case discussions every Friday are quite lively, and they offer an opportunity for learning and showcasing skills. As long as there are no emergencies, rescues, or ongoing surgeries, doctors from all departments return to participate. Due to the large number of people, the venue is set in the large meeting room of the administrative building.

Yang Ping glanced briefly at the venue; the department directors had essentially arrived. Some doctors, delayed by other matters, were now trickling in. After all, this kind of meeting didn’t require clocking in or registering names; attendance was completely voluntary, so everyone was under no pressure and felt very free.

If Director Tan’s cobalt poisoning case had not yet been diagnosed or spoiled in advance, bringing it up for discussion would have certainly been exciting.

Unfortunately, Director Tan went straight to explaining it, forsaking the pleasure of unraveling the mystery; however, it was in line with the directness characteristic of surgeons.

Had an internal doctor been explaining the case, it certainly wouldn’t have been so straightforward. If some department directors were to explain it, they could turn it into the feel of a suspenseful thriller.

"Old Tan, I’ve watched the American TV show ’House M.D.’, and Dr. House had to exert the strength of nine oxen and two tigers to crack a case like this. Yet you came to our cardiology department for a consultation, and it seemed like you made the diagnosis in just a few minutes. You’re not quite following the script, are you?"

Director Guan from cardiology said humorously.

Standing on the podium, Director Tan replied, "Can’t help it, the director demands that Dr. House must do so, but I don’t have a director’s instructions, so I can only improvise."

Unexpectedly humorous, both directors amused the doctors in the meeting room, making them laugh.

Director Tan, holding the microphone on the podium, said: "Actually, this case would be very difficult for doctors from other specialties to diagnose, but very simple for us orthopedic surgeons. It is not that our level is much higher, but that this falls into your blind spots of knowledge, whereas it is in the center of our vision. So, could we fail to diagnose?"

"Let’s hear it. The next time we encounter such a case, we won’t rack our brains in vain; that’s why we ask for your consultations, casting a wide net, fetching whichever department is relevant to the patient’s problems without missing anyone," Director Guan said with interest.

Director Tan was also keen on elaborating; he had thoughts about the case. Nowadays, the professional knowledge of doctors is limited to their own specialties. Once they step out of their areas of expertise, they are like blind and deaf, knowing nothing.

"Let me tell you about this case and why it is easy for orthopedic surgeons to diagnose but difficult for other specialists, relating to the issue of knowledge blind spots. Actually, our resident first suspected cobalt poisoning during the initial consultation, then called me hoping that I could take a look. After seeing the patient and asking about their medical history, I felt there was an eight or nine out of ten chance it was cobalt poisoning."

Yang Ping too felt strongly about it, as all doctors have their blind spots in knowledge. Once they enter it, they’re completely helpless.

For example, lower back pain, a common condition in orthopedics, is easily diagnosed and treated by orthopedic surgeons if it falls within their specialty. But if a patient with symptoms similar to those of a lumbar disc herniation from another specialty is taken into orthopedics, the surgeons, despite their probing, won’t be able to figure it out if it’s outside of their field.

The three-year rotation after graduation can play a certain "enlightening" role, but that’s just after graduation. As the years of work go by, the knowledge gained from the rotations is almost entirely forgotten.

"This patient underwent a left-side metal-on-metal total hip replacement surgery ten years ago. I asked about it, and it turned out to be a metal-on-metal prosthetic hip replacement," Director Tan explained from the podium.

"When you consult us, we, of course, focus most on this area; other aspects, less related to our specialty, don’t grab our attention. Focusing on the left hip replacement surgery, we would inevitably want to see the most recent x-rays of that area, even a newly working orthopedic surgeon would do the same."

"With one X-ray, we can identify from the image that it’s a metal-on-metal hip prosthesis, and can easily recognize the wear on the prosthesis."

"Seeing the wear on the hip prosthesis, any doctor who occasionally reads some books, flips through a few journal articles, or attends a few academic conferences would definitely think of the possibility of elevated cobalt ions in the patient’s blood, based on the wear of the prosthesis."

"Then, orthopedic surgeons would definitely request a blood test for heavy metal ions."

"Once the heavy metal ions test results came back, everything became clear."

Director Tan explained in an easygoing way, making it seem quite simple, not too complicated, almost like just following a procedure and letting everything fall into place naturally.

"Not difficult, right? Cobalt poisoning might be rare for others, but for orthopedic surgeons, especially those who perform joint replacements, cobalt poisoning is a buzzword mentioned in monographs, papers, and academic conferences," Director Tan stated. Although he did not speak with full confidence, his point was valid.

"So, it’s very important to regularly read books and journals. It helps to update your knowledge timely and continuously expand the depth and breadth of what you know," Director Zhao from the medical services office added at this point.

Director Zhao acted as a coordinator in the meeting, occasionally contributing a few words.

"For the young doctors present, our knowledge comes from a few sources—books, teaching from our teachers or others, and our own experience," he said.

"This concept of books is quite broad, including monographs, journal articles, and online knowledge platforms. Any knowledge platform can be considered a book, so books are our main source of knowledge, no other source is as extensive and enduring," he continued.