Surgery Godfather
Chapter 488 - 444 Inserting a Catheter for Oneself

Chapter 488: Chapter 444 Inserting a Catheter for Oneself

"Qin Peiling is your daughter, isn’t she?" Professor Liang suddenly asked, seemingly with some hidden intention.

Being confronted with the question, Professor Qin could only nod, "Hmm." The young Miss Peiling had visited once before, and she was bewitched, insisting on observing the surgery this time.

Professor Su remained unfazed, his peripheral vision noticing Professor Qin’s slight embarrassment.

’Sparing the child to catch the wolf’? Was this his ultimate strategy?

Things weren’t this simple. It seemed very intricate; this cunning old fox, Professor Qin.

Professor Liang was about to step down from his position as the national chairman of Orthopedics, and the most likely successors were Professors Qin and Su.

These two professors represented the competition between the North and the South academically, neither conceded to the other.

Upon hearing this information, Director Han was surprised. Nurse Qin, who came along with the 301 Hospital doctors, was actually Professor Qin’s daughter. Professor Qin hadn’t mentioned a word about it.

Truth be told, Old Qin’s daughter is both beautiful and tall, she can definitely compete with Xiao Su.

Especially last time when she was in her military uniform, she was absolutely dashing. Every movement and gesture of hers was filled with a unique charm.

Thinking about it, Old Han chuckled to himself, laughing at his own rich imagination.

Director Han suppressed his laughter, sneaking a glance at Professor Su. He was calmly sitting there as if he hadn’t heard anything.

---

When it came down to dissecting the Subclavian artery, the aorta began to relax and was no longer twisted.

This was a pleasant surprise. It meant that there was hope for this patient, and it was not just a humanitarian effort.

Professor Li, acting as an assistant, instantly became excited.

He hadn’t held much hope for this patient. The anatomical relations were too messy. Looking for the original anatomical structure in a heap of muddled tissues was a daunting task.

The separation continued. The arteries and veins were stuck together; it was unclear which was which.

If it wasn’t necessary, it would have been much better to let them stay twisted together like this; the risk of separation was too high.

However, this distorted "romance" between the arteries and veins was destined to not end well. It would severely affect the functions of the heart, eventually leading to death.

It would increase the resistance of the blood being pumped out of the heart, reducing the returned blood. Over time, the heart muscle would become fatigued and exhausted. Then, the only choice left would be to replace the heart with an artificial or allograft heart to sustain life.

Unlike the usual scoliosis correction, this surgery was not just for correction, but to save a life.

Regardless of how difficult it was, the surgery continued. The sanctity of a doctor’s work came from the fact that they confronted and controlled life. Life and death was separated by an extremely fine line.

---

"What’s happening today? Why does he keep going to the bathroom?"

Zhang Lin had already made several trips to the restroom. It was probably due to the large pot of chicken soup his mother-in-law made for him in the morning. She also added Chinese medicine, like coix seed, which had a diuretic effect.

"He has to go on stage later. Should we insert a urinary catheter?" Little Five suggested.

Zhang Lin shook his head. Regardless of how skilled one is, inserting a urinary catheter could still risk damaging the urothelial membrane. The urothelial membrane was like the rifling of a gun. If it were to be damaged, the urinary stream would scatter, or lose its beautiful trajectory.

At times, one has no choice. When one is perfectly healthy, who would willingly insert a urinary catheter and carry around a urine bag for nothing?

However, the effects of this chicken soup are estimated to last several hours. If he has to go on stage for surgery, his bladder wouldn’t be able to handle it.

This was one thing that surgeons could not tolerate. During a surgery that was a matter of life and death, you were still irritatedly wiggling your buttocks and then claiming that you cannot hold it in and need to go for a pee?

However, considering his current urination frequency, he may not get a chance to be on stage.

"Let’s do it!" Zhang Lin made up his mind.

Little Five motioned for help. Zhou Can immediately made time to come over. In a low voice, Little Five asked, "Where is the catheter bag?"

Nurses were most familiar with the supplies in the operating room.

Zhang Lin initially planned to sneakily find a catheter bag and then quietly run to the changing room to insert it so that no one would notice. But now, this rascal Little Five had exposed him.

"It’s in the supply room. Why?" Zhou Can asked as she looked at Zhang Lin, whose face was puffed up and flushed red.

Little Five said, "Director Zhang has frequency urgency of urination. He has to go on stage for surgery later. Help find a suitable catheter bag and insert it."

Zhou Can couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, "Really? Seriously?"

"Really? Quickly give me a catheter bag, and a pair of sterile gloves!" Zhang Lin said in irritation.

"What size of catheter?" Zhou Can asked.

"What size, just grab any!" Zhang Lin was impatient.

Little Five said seriously, "Are you a first-day doctor? If it’s too big, it won’t go in. If it’s too small, it will leak urine."

"How the fuck would I know my catheter size. Have I ever inserted one before?" Zhang Lin was slightly angry at Little Five intentionally messing with him. But, Little Five was correct.

"Don’t you even know your own size?" Little Five laughed at him.

"I’ll choose one myself." Zhang Lin immediately blushed and got up to go to the storeroom to find a urinary catheter bag.

Zhou Can immediately stopped him, "Do you want me to help you insert it?"

Little Five told Zhou Can to ignore him, "Let him do it himself. Even if you go, you won’t be able to insert the thinnest one."

Zhang Lin left the operating room, went to the storage room, and checked each storage box label. He finally found the catheters and chose one that seemed appropriate. He also took a pair of sterile gloves, a syringe and then slipped off to the men’s changing room.

Inserting a catheter into himself, usually it was the nurses who did the catheter insertion. Although doctors knew how to do it, the chance of inserting a urinary catheter was relatively rare.

Normally this simple task became quite difficult when done to oneself. Zhang Lin wanted to ask Little Five to come help but was worried about being laughed at. So, he gritted his teeth and prepared to do it himself.

After opening the catheter bag, Zhang Lin did the disinfection for himself, then put on gloves, and laid a sheet.

He gritted his teeth and inserted it into the urethra. It was a bit painful and couldn’t go in. If he had known beforehand, he would have brought some lidocaine gel for a surface anesthesia before inserting.

Upon careful inspection, he had forgotten a step--lubricating.

Zhang Lin re-coated the catheter with lubricant, and this time it went in smoothly. The catheter was easily inserted, and urine came out. He inflated the balloon, pulled back to secure it, attached the urine bag, and clipped it to his pants.

This time, there was no need to worry. He could perform the operation in peace.

Zhang Lin returned to the operating room, sat down, and Little Five glanced at the urine bag hanging on his pants and the exposed catheter.

"Did you really insert it?"

"How can one achieve great things without being harsh on oneself? This is the first surgery in the Surgical Research Institute. As a key member of the department, I can’t afford not to participate in Doctor Yang’s golden silver duo operation."

"That’s hardcore!" Little Five couldn’t help but give a thumbs up.

"Not really." Zhang Lin replied nonchalantly.

"The size of your catheter isn’t bad, huh? 20?" Little Five picked up the catheter to inspect it.

"Don’t touch it, it’s thinner than yours, you probably need a 22 catheter." Zhang Lin swatted away Little Five’s hand.

Zhang Lin calmly sat in the corner, no longer needing to worry about holding in his urine, feeling a bit relieved.

---

The more Professor Li followed Yang Ping, the more confident he became. The separation had reached the subclavian artery, the adhesions of the aorta and the vena cava had been separated, as well as the adhesions around it. Fortunately, the three-layer structure of these blood vessel walls was still intact, otherwise, they would need to implant an artificial blood vessel to prevent the formation of aortic dissection.

Yang Ping’s proficiency in anatomy, his familiarity with abnormal anatomy, the calm and composed demeanor during the surgery, all these made Professor Li admire him greatly. Yang Ping’s performance gave Professor Li a sense that he is very proficient in any surgery, well-prepared, and he respected this young doctor.

Moving downwards, the aorta and the vena cava were stuck together, and they adhered to the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. If it were other surgeons, they would definitely be at a loss.

Another scalpel blade was replaced. He had lost count of how many times he had changed his blade.

Anyway, the curved tray specifically used to hold blades was already filled with round and pointed scalpels.

"Vital signs are stable!"

Fatty reported to Yang Ping from time to time, his legs crossed and his short trousers seemed even shorter, revealing the lower half of his calf.

This was the first time Nurse Qin witnessed a surgery performed by Yang Ping. His composure on the operating table impressed her.

In 301, the surgeries she assisted with were all performed by national-class experts, yet they lacked this kind of aura. Yang Ping stood there as if he could control the entire situation.

Indeed, Yang Ping often had a peculiar feeling during each surgery, that he could control the world.

"Increase the blood pressure a bit more!"

Yang Ping ordered. The higher the blood pressure, the more distended the aorta will be, which would be more conducive to surgical separation.

Fatty decisively pushed some medication through the indwelling pipeline. Soon, the blood pressure rose.

There were messy blood vessels growing inside some adhesions, which couldn’t be ligated in advance and had to be cut during separation, followed by double-click electrocoagulation for hemostasis.

Crossing over the aortic arch, for Zheng Baosheng’s anatomy, there was no true aortic arch as all the vessels were stacked up together. The tortuous vessels made it hard for the heart to pump blood and it was the reason for his limited survival time without surgery.

Although presently young, the remaining normal cells of the myocardium can barely work overload. Gradually, all myocardial cells would fatigue and the entire heart would reach its end stage. By then, there would be no solution other than a heart transplant.

"Would you like to take a rest?" Yang Ping asked Professor Li.

Professor Li’s forehead was covered in sweat. Excessive tension exhausted him. Despite learning not to fear pressure or danger from his mentor, this surgery still left him in a difficult condition.

He was merely an assistant at the moment. If he were the chief surgeon, he wouldn’t be able to complete even a third of the procedure, and the patient would die on the operating table.

"No, it’s okay!"

Professor Li moved his head out of the sterile zone, and a patrolling nurse in white gauze helped wipe the sweat from his forehead, preventing it from gathering into beads and falling into the patient’s chest, increasing the chance of infection.

Continue!

Professor Li was very determined. He couldn’t let his own weakness drag the chief surgeon down.

Back in the day, one of his patients died on the operating table. After the surgery, he curled up on a chair in the changing room.

His mentor told him, "Drop your empathy, forget about grief. What you have to do is not to grieve, but to learn from failures and avoid making the same mistake again."

Right now, he needed to forget the fear and follow Yang Ping’s steps.

The aortic arch was already exposed, and the corresponding vena cava was successfully separated from the aorta without any rupture during the separation. From beginning to end, Doctor Yang preserved the entire three-layered wall of blood vessels which was crucial as it determined whether the separated vessels were healthy and whether they would leave dangerous hidden risks behind.

The scalpel began to explore downwards. The large blood vessels formed a curved pathway at this point before passing through the diaphragm and into the abdominal cavity, making the anatomy seem dangerous and complex.

---

"Can I... help on stage?" Nurse Qin asked tentatively during a short break of Yang Ping’s.

"Thank you, but there’s no need!" Yang Ping declined decisively.

There was already an instrument nurse on stage, adding another person would only cause confusion.

Sometimes, having more people wouldn’t improve efficiency, but may instead disrupt the inherent rhythm and lower efficiency.

Being declined straightforwardly by Yang Ping, Nurse Qin didn’t feel upset.

She really wanted to participate in such high-risk and high-difficulty surgeries like Xiao Su.

However, after giving it some thought, she realized that stepping up without preparation would only create confusion, and she regretted her previous reckless suggestion.

There were already at least two hundred milliliters of urine collected in Zhang Lin’s urine bag, and he decided to change a new one.

As he didn’t know when he would be called on stage, he wanted to be prepared.

"Zhang Lin?"

Fatty waved his hand.

Zhang Lin reluctantly walked towards Fatty.

"What’s going on?" Fatty pointed at the urine bag hanging on his pant leg.

"I drank a large pot of chicken soup this morning, which probably contained some diuretic Chinese medicine, causing frequent urination and polyuria!" Zhang Lin held up the urine bag, as the heavy urine bag was pulling his pants down.

Fatty casually said, "Why didn’t you say so earlier? I could have given you a shot to counteract the diuretic effect, it would tide you over for a few hours."

"Never mind, the catheter is already in."

Zhang Lin knew, once Fatty was done, he would definitely want cigarettes as a bargaining chip.