Surgery Godfather
Chapter 673 - 604: Orthopedics as a Lifesaver

Chapter 673: Chapter 604: Orthopedics as a Lifesaver

The helicopter landed on the roof of the Sanbo Hospital, and the emergency department quickly sent Qin Xiaowei to the ICU and promptly connected him to the artificial liver.

Qin Xiaowei’s organ failure was caused by heat stroke. Various tests indicated severe liver failure. Both his ALT and AST had skyrocketed to over ten thousand, signifying substantial hepatocyte necrosis. The severity of Qin Xiaowei’s condition was alarming.

Heat stroke is the most dangerous type of heat-related illness.

Heat stroke, in layman’s terms, occurs when the body is unable to dissipate heat effectively due to various reasons. Excess heat builds up within the body, leading to a rise in body temperature and subsequently a host of problems.

Just like a mobile phone malfunctioning or even exploding due to inadequate heat dissipation, the human body too can "malfunction" or "shut down" if the accumulated heat isn’t dissipated.

Based on the severity of the condition, heat stroke can be classified into three types: prodromal heat stroke, mild heat stroke, and severe heat stroke.

Severe heat stroke can be further divided into heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke - the most severe type of heat stroke. Without immediate treatment, the mortality rate is 80 percent.

The immediate first-aid for heat stroke is cooling. Move the patient to a cool, ventilated place - an air-conditioned environment is better. Then, quickly bring down the body temperature by removing excess clothing to promote heat dissipation. Cold water, preferably iced, is the readiest means of cooling - pour it over the patient to cool them down faster.

Once in the hospital however, the primary treatment objective is to manage any complications to save the patient’s life while preventing and mitigating organ damage and loss of organ function.

Qin Xiaowei had already been cooled on the scene, and the quick transfer to the hospital via helicopter offered a glimmer of hope for his recovery.

After receiving a call from Dr. An, Yang Ping arrived at the ICU with Xu Zhiliang trailing after him. Xu Zhiliang, having a background in emergency medicine, thought he might be able to help in the ICU. Qin Xiaowei was placed in the room next to Li Jun’s, but Li Jun was oblivious to this.

"The primary issue is liver failure. He’s currently in a deep coma, connected to an artificial liver and ventilator-assisted breathing. His heart function is relatively stable for now, but if he develops severe heart failure, we’ll need to put him on ECMO," explained Dr. An, who was also Qin Xiaowei’s physician.

It was quite a poignant feeling for Yang Ping to see both individuals critically ill in the ICU.

Everyone was initially worried about Qin Xiaowei falling during his free climb, but no one expected him to experience heat stroke once he reached the top.

"He must have started showing symptoms of heat stroke during his climb. His robust constitution and sheer determination probably helped him finish the last leg," Xu Zhiliang remarked, having noticed something amiss while watching the climbing video.

Had he given up then, he might not have made it to the ICU now.

Qin Xiaowei doesn’t have any family. His contract work unit is paying for his medical expenses, and Dr. An has to update them about his condition.

Having gleaned an understanding of Qin Xiaowei’s condition, Yang Ping, realizing he couldn’t do much to help, bid the ICU doctors goodbye and returned to his department.

——

Ward in the Harald Orthopedics Hospital.

A nurse’s cry for help, followed by the sound of doctors running.

"Gothenburg!" The doctor checks his breathing, heartbeat, and pupils while calling out his name.

Gothenburg is the name of the young Duke, his surname being von, a name affixed to German nobility.

Looking like he was gasping for breath, the young Duke’s face was pale, his body ice-cold. His blood pressure had plunged to a shock level, his lungs filled with rales, and his heartbeat faint.

Apart from the various tests the young Duke had undertaken, his condition hadn’t changed dramatically. He had told a nurse in his ward that he hoped to return to Göttingen after his check-ups were completed, as he had to take classes for his students.

Despite the efforts to stimulate his heart and increase his urine output, there was no response!

ECMO! The doctor unhesitatingly decided on the intervention. As soon as the ward filled with various medical apparatus, and as soon as the ECMO was connected to stabilize his life, he was rushed to the ICU for more aggressive resuscitation.

Before leaving Harald, the notable orthopedics experts had already started hurrying back. After the rapid pitter-patter of dress shoes, the ICU door burst open, and everyone rushed into the ward to gather around the bed. The young Duke had severe heart failure; his heart could no longer sustain basic circulatory needs.

The orthopedic experts felt helpless - this had already exceeded their area of expertise.

They had just begun to grasp the technology of external spinal fixation and were eagerly waiting for August’s return to perform surgery on the young Duke. But then, this unforeseen incident happened.

Cardiac surgery and cardiology experts from the Charité hospital were rushing to the Harald Orthopedics Hospital via a chartered plane.

A cardiologist claimed helplessness. The heart was squeezed into a tiny crevice, and surgical intervention was the only means to fix this problem. However, software operation on hardware problems was unlikely to yield results.

Constantine, the accompanying cardiac surgeon, let his pen glide over the image before saying solemnly:

"His heart muscle is fatigued, due to it being compressed in such a small space. If we can widen that space to allow his heart to beat freely, he might be able to sustain himself for a while. Without widening that space, he can only rely on an ECMO to sustain life briefly. Then, he would wait for a heart transplant. But such a deformed, crevice-like space would certainly hinder the completion of a heart transplant."

Constantine, as a thoracic surgeon, had a knowledge structure that did not allow him to conceive a novel surgical procedure to solve this crisis. His strategy was to rely on the ECMO to maintain cardiopulmonary function while trying to buy some time to figure out a new approach.

Soon enough, the old Duke, leaning on his cane, stood by the bedside, watching his son, who was at death’s door. He knew this day would come, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon. It was too sudden and still unfathomable.

His good friend August was absent, and he felt as if his support was lost.

"Poor child. August just found a doctor who can treat his spine." The old Duke pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears.

"Yes, sir, we also looked forward to new technology as a solution for his problems, but unfortunately, it arrived unanticipatedly. The new technological orthopedics will take three months--" Professor William remarked regretfully. The new technology could not be used.

"Where is Markus?"

Professor Lloyd recalled the confident young man, possibly capable of coming up with a clever solution.

"He is on the phone with August!"

Someone saw Markus hiding in a corner, phoning.

----

"Professor--"

Chasing after Yang Ping, August was huffing and puffing as he cried out for the professor and managed to keep the elevator doors from closing at the last moment.

"Calm down, Dr. Ao. What happened?" Song Zimo stabilized August.

"The young Duke is not doing well. His heart failure worsened suddenly. They are keeping him alive using ECMO", Dr. Ao managed to gasp out.

What kind of days have these been, always hearing about ECMO?

"Not so fast, calm down and tell us." Yang Ping and Song Zimo left the elevator and started walking back to their office.

August followed them, thoroughly explaining the young Duke’s condition to Yang Ping.

"Do you have the medical records?"

"Yes!"

A case file was pulled up from the email. Yang Ping read through the materials.

His heart was already swollen, stuck in a confined space, forming a vicious cycle. If swift actions weren’t taken, the young Duke would quickly lose his heart due to ischemic myocardium.

Yang Ping tapped his fingers on the desk a few times, slightly thought about it, and then resolutely said: all the ribs in the left precordial region must be removed to reduce the pressure on the heart. Then the area where the ribs were removed should be replaced with an artificial titanium mesh, providing artificial support for a new space. Only then, the heart could be saved.

Yang Ping casually grabbed a piece of paper and sketched the structure of a titanium mesh.

"Like this, print it out using a 3D printer. The mesh connects to the sternum and the remaining ribs. This way, we can buy some time until we get there. They can’t use the spinal external fixation rack now, they can only do traditional orthopedic surgery."

Surgery at this time is crucial for saving his life.

As Qin Xiaowei is being treated in the ICU, there’s nothing Yang Ping can do to help right now. He needs to get to Germany as soon as possible. The Germans have not dealt with this type of case before, and any mistake could cost the patient their life.

The plan made by Yang Ping in a few minutes, even includes the drawings for the temporary titanium mesh.

"Tell them, if they want to save the young Duke, do as I instructed. Any hesitation could delay the opportunity. Book the earliest available flight."

The fastest flight still leaves tomorrow, and the journey will take more than ten hours.

"Charter a plane!"

August didn’t care about the cost, but unfortunately, this wasn’t Europe; otherwise, the Duke’s luxurious private jet would take off at any time.

"Didn’t Ning Qi already prepare a private jet? It can take off anytime." Song Zimo reminded Yang Ping.

Yes, this is when the advantage of a private plane comes into play.

Every second counts when it comes to saving people.

Yang Ping pulled out his phone and dialed Ning Qi: I need to go to Germany immediately, when can your plane take off?

Anytime!

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