Surgery Godfather
Chapter 813 - 728 Craftsmanship

Chapter 813: Chapter 728 Craftsmanship

The cutting machine carefully dismembered the car, trying to avoid causing too much vibration or accidentally releasing tension by sudden disassembly, which could lead to incidents.

Dr. Lv leaned close to the car window, using it as a fulcrum for both upper limbs, steadying the patient’s head with both hands, ensuring the head and cervical spine remained aligned without any rotation. Then, he gently applied traction to keep the head in position.

To maintain the gesture, Dr. Lv’s body was in an awkward and strenuous position.

"I can take over for a bit," Dr. Zhou from the emergency department offered, knowing how tough and exhausting the task was.

Dr. Lv shook his head, "It’s okay, I’ll say something if it really becomes unbearable."

The job required experience; Dr. Lv had found his rhythm, and switching personnel mid-way could easily lead to errors.

"Dad, I’m going to be late for the exam---" the boy said weakly.

"Beibei, don’t talk, hang in there," the father, whose lower half was completely trapped in the deformed car, pleaded.

It was a family of three; the mother wasn’t trapped and was successfully rescued and already sent to the hospital.

The father and son were stuck in the deformed vehicle and could only hope for rescue by dismembering the car carefully.

"Hemoglobin 52 grams!"

The nurse reported the latest result.

One of the ambulances equipped by Sanbo Hospital was a mobile testing vehicle that could conduct simple blood routines, biochemical, liver and kidney functions tests to detect problems early.

Such low hemoglobin indicated that some part of the body out of sight was actively bleeding, and the boy could die from excessive blood loss at any time.

Comminuted pelvic fracture?

A thought flashed through Dr. Lv’s mind; if it was a comminuted pelvic fracture combined with traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation, he wasn’t sure if the patient could survive this ordeal. After all, as an emergency doctor, Dr. Lv had seen too much life and death.

"Dad, I can’t hold on any longer, I really want to sleep," the boy said, exhausted from the blood loss.

"Kid, hang in there," the father urged without being able to turn his head, feeling extremely anxious.

"Don’t worry, we’re here, just don’t move around," Dr. Lv comforted the boy, trying to stabilize the patient’s emotions.

While the cutting was underway, Dr. Lv’s arms were already extremely sore and numb, but he still clenched his teeth. He knew the life he was holding in his hands; the boy’s life and death were in his own hands.

"I’ll take over for a bit," Dr. Zhou requested again.

Dr. Lv still shook his head.

Even with Dr. Zhou’s experience, there was no extra space now to switch two people without errors; Dr. Lv had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep going until the end.

"Be careful! We’re going to pry this side open with force," said the rescuer, keeping in communication with Dr. Lv so he could prepare in advance.

A change in space might occur when a metal part was completely cut off, leading to sudden changes in the forces on the head and neck, which could cause shearing or strain.

Dr. Lv struggled to feel his limbs through the numbness and soreness, searching for that slight sense of autonomy to keep his brain in control of the extremities, maintain the position, and be ready to adjust his grip at any moment to cope with any unexpected incidents.

---

Director Wei’s car arrived at the scene.

"Where? Where?"

Guided by the emergency doctor, Director Wei approached the sedan being cut open.

"He’s trapped inside! Suspected traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation. Later, after we get him out, we need a custom-fitted support from you," Dr. Lv informed.

Director Wei, without any chit-chat, gestured, "Set lines, boil water, get ready to work."

"Boiling water" referred to a thermostatic water tank that could keep water temperatures between 40-60 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, his pliable materials could soften and then be used to make a custom-fitted orthotic to immobilize the head, neck, and chest, preventing them from moving freely.

The requirements for the support due to traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation were very high. Director Wei prepared to personally take on the task, utilizing his life’s work.

Originally a plaster technician, Director Wei’s interest shifted as casting patients dwindled over time and he lacked a sense of achievement. He went on to study orthotics, blending ancient plaster techniques with modern supports to create many fixation methods and tools. In the orthopedic external fixation device field, Director Wei was considered an expert, having dedicated most of his life to this area of study. Today, he was excited to apply his expertise in saving a life.

"Get a power strip from my car and boil some water!"

The two apprentices had never seen such a scene before and were at a loss, prompting Director Wei to grow irritated, "What are you dazed for, boil the water, and get ready to start working."

Only then did the apprentices snap to attention, starting their tasks by pulling a power strip from the vehicle, filling the water tank, and fetching some polymer materials.

Everything was ready, but the rescue cutting was still not complete. Director Wei stood on tiptoes, craning his neck to look inside. He observed the casualty from different angles, hoping to acquire some data by visual estimation.

After circling the sedan over ten times, Director Wei began cutting material on the spot.

---

"Dad, I’m going to be late for the exam---"

The boy’s voice grew fainter, so soft it was inaudible unless one listened closely.

His father, nearly in tears with urgency, said, "Beibei, it’s okay. Let’s not worry about that now, just hang in there, hang on."

Finally, the rear seat area was dismantled. Abruptly, a sharp metal edge somewhere sliced through Dr. Lv’s arm, severing the skin and the small artery and vein beneath, spouting blood.

Dr. Lv, completely ignoring the wound on his arm, firmly stabilized the patient’s head and neck while Dr. Zhou took out some bandages, intending to dress Dr. Lv’s wound.

"Don’t touch it!" barked Dr. Lv.

At this moment, no one could afford to move his hand carelessly; a single slip could mean the difference between life and death.

"Slow down, slow down! Get the stretcher!" Dr. Lv instructed everyone.

The team cooperated smoothly, carefully moving the patient out, laying them flat, and then gently transferring them to the stretcher.

Director Wei lifted a piece of cut polymer material from the water tank. The material was somewhat translucent and dripping wet. He skillfully and gently slid the material behind the head and neck, then wrapped it around both sides.

With the palms of his hands, Director Wei swiftly and gently massaged the soft material into place, allowing it to take on the optimal shape.

The apprentice wanted to lend a hand but was stopped by Director Wei: "Don’t move!"

Normally, he would be glad for the apprentice to be more hands-on, but at that moment, he wanted to do it himself. A traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation was no joke—any small movement could be fatal.

"Don’t fidget, watch my technique. Try to use the thenar and hypothenar eminences, be gentle, be even, this material requires high technical skill," Director Wei said as he worked.

He wasn’t exaggerating; usually, a small discrepancy wouldn’t matter much, but right now, any small error could cost a life.

The splint’s effectiveness depended on how well it conformed to the body—the closer the fit, the better the effect, yet on the chest it couldn’t restrict breathing, so achieving the perfect balance was crucial.

This was like tailoring a fitted garment directly on a person’s body on the spot, requiring considerable skill.

The splint material changed from soft to hard with a time limit of about ten to twenty minutes, and the entire process had to be completed within this window to avoid the difficulty of redoing it. Ordinary patients could simply start over, but there was no such opportunity with this kind of casualty.

Director Wei was like a skilled sculptor, with the simple repetitive motions of smoothing the material between his hands, the splint gradually took shape.

Soon, an elegant and well-fitted splint magically appeared before everyone.

"Success!"

Director Wei released his hands, smiling contentedly at his handiwork, and then gently flicked the outer shell of the splint with his finger.

"Can he be moved onto the vehicle now?" Dr. Lv asked worriedly.

Director Wei nodded and pulled out a cigarette, "Don’t worry, onto the vehicle, just be careful, that’s all."

They all carefully lifted the boy onto the ambulance, with Dr. Lv checking the patient’s limb reflexes and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Don’t think our craft lacks technical skill. From now on, pay more attention. See, today our craft saved a life," Director Wei proudly lectured his apprentices.

Usually, the two apprentices were lackadaisical, always feeling that making casts and splints was a dead end and were eager to find another job.

This annoyed Director Wei, so he took the opportunity of today’s successful case to give the apprentices a good lesson.

PS: Updates will resume daily in mid-August once the real three shifts begin. Currently, it’s a pseudo three-shift schedule.