After 100 days of signing in system, My first operation shocked the world - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Chief Physician Zhang Yuan: I feel like a student! 

“What? Are you planning to undergo anterior cervical spine surgery? Are you out of your mind?” Dr. Wang exclaimed, shouting at Lin Feng.

Dr. Wang was becoming agitated, shouting at Lin Feng, “That’s an intricate procedure! It’s a level-three surgery! Even if I, as an experienced surgeon, have been away from the operating table for a while, I wouldn’t dare to perform it directly! And you, an intern, dare to attempt a level three surgery? You’re playing with people’s lives! You’re doomed!”

Dr. Zhang nodded, “Anterior cervical spine surgery is highly challenging, and it’s a specialty of one of my mentors. I have assisted in two cases as a second assistant, but I wouldn’t dare to perform it myself. The surgical guidelines clearly state that this surgery carries significant risks and requires skilled techniques and extensive experience. Beginners are prohibited from attempting it, which can lead to catastrophic consequences! Lin Feng, are you sure you can handle it?”

Lin Feng smiled faintly. How could he not be aware of the surgery’s high difficulty? The potentially catastrophic consequences included, but were not limited to, damage to important neck nerves like the recurrent laryngeal nerve and superior laryngeal nerve, resulting in symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, or swallowing difficulties.

Moreover, spinal cord or nerve root damage could lead to paralysis, limb weakness, numbness, pain, and other nerve-related issues. Local organ damage, such as thyroid or esophagus, could cause swallowing difficulties, breathing problems, and thyroid dysfunction. Infections and slow wound healing were also possible risks.

The cervical spine was a crucial body part where the carotid artery and spinal cord nerves intersected. A single mistake could lead to catastrophic errors, endangering the patient’s life and potentially causing permanent paralysis or even death. It could result in a level-one medical accident.

“That would be a level-one medical accident!” Lin Feng chuckled, “Do you remember when I performed a bare-handed heart surgery? Saving Director Zhou? If there’s something I’m not confident about, can I still do it?”

Dr. Zhang paused, deeply aware of the debt he owed Lin Feng for saving Director Zhou Guorong’s life. With Lin Feng’s impressive track record, including level-four surgeries, attempting a level-three surgery didn’t seem unreasonable.

Dr. Zhang finally nodded, “How confident are you?”

Lin Feng shrugged, “Around 80-90%.”

Given Lin Feng’s impeccable record, an 80-90% confidence level was more than sufficient. Dr. Zhang signed the surgical notification form, handing it to the patient’s family, Qiao Hanruo.

Qiao Hanruo, looking at Lin Feng, signed it with determination. Dr. Wang and his disciple were left dumbfounded.

“This world is too crazy,” they thought, as their preconceptions shattered. By signing for the surgery, Lin Feng had defied all expectations, and so had Qiao Hanruo, the patient’s family member.

“Notify the anesthesiologist!” Lin Feng wasted no time, getting right to business. “Dr. Zhang, be my first assistant!”

“What about the second assistant?” Dr. Zhang inquired.

“We don’t need one. You and I, along with two nurses, will be enough for the surgery,” Zhang Yuan replied.

Dr. Wang remained speechless, his eyes wide in astonishment. “Are you even daring enough to perform such a high-risk surgery with this makeshift team?” he wondered. “Do you think performing surgery is child’s play?”

Lin Feng didn’t bother with small talk and proceeded directly with the surgical preparations. Fortunately, for anterior cervical spine surgery, an orthopedic procedure, there was no need for the patient to fast beforehand.

Thirty minutes later, the surgery commenced. Lin Feng, Zhang Yuan, and the nurses assumed their positions, with Dr. Wang eagerly watching, anticipating Lin Feng’s failure.

The old woman patient had already been fully anesthetized and intubated. She was prone with a thin pillow under her shoulders, her neck extended, and her head slightly tilted to one side. The rest of her body was covered with sterile green surgical drapes, exposing only a small area for the incision.

Lin Feng marked the surgical incision location on the patient’s neck with a pen beforehand.

Zhang Yuan, curious, asked, “For anterior cervical spine surgery, there are two typical incision choices. Why did you opt for the right anterior lateral neck instead of the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle?”

The choice of incision is a critical step in the surgical plan.

Lin Feng calmly replied, “I’ve determined that the issue lies between the C5-6 intervertebral discs, so I chose the right anterior lateral neck skin. If it were between the C7 disc and the first clavicle, I would have used the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Understand?”

Dr. Zhang, supervising Lin Feng, was left speechless and felt like a novice student in Lin Feng’s presence.

Lin Feng extended his hand, saying, “Tissue forceps!”

The instrument nurse handed over the tissue forceps. Lin Feng expertly used the forceps to disinfect the surgical area with an iodine-soaked gauze ball. Usually, this would be done by a nurse, but the nurse assigned to assist was unfamiliar with the surgery, so Lin Feng took matters into his own hands.

Fortunately, the surgery’s difficulty was not particularly high, though Zhang Yuan and Dr. Wang vehemently disagreed.

Lin Feng then secured the retractor and suction device, completing the preparations. Next, the surgery began. Lin Feng made a transverse incision on the right anterior lateral neck, starting from the outer side of the neck’s midline and extending towards the right clavicle. The incision measured two finger-widths in length, approximately 10 centimeters.

Lin Feng adeptly cut through the patient’s skin and neck muscles, layer by layer, with precise and confident movements. He paused momentarily and looked at Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan was puzzled, “? ? ?”

“Dissect the sternocleidomastoid muscle and retract the trachea and esophagus,” Lin Feng instructed.

Lin Feng sighed internally, realizing that Zhang Yuan wasn’t well-versed in cervical spine surgeries.

“Oh, oh!” Zhang Yuan replied, sweating profusely and feeling like he couldn’t keep up with Lin Feng.

Zhang Yuan successfully dissected the sternocleidomastoid muscle and retracted the trachea and esophagus, exposing the three surgical options’ target areas of C6-5, C5-4, and C4-5. He created a clear surgical field for Lin Feng.

Achieving clarity, cleanliness, precision, and caution is paramount in surgery. A clearer surgical field allows the surgeon to visualize the patient’s pathological structures better, ensuring a good overall understanding and surgical plan. Although Zhang Yuan had initially been flustered, he regained composure while working alongside the confident and steady Lin Feng.