Chapter 35

“Thank you, tomorrow night at six, Uncle Er’s Grilled Fish!” Su Yixuan sent a WeChat message.

Yang Ping checked her phone countless times and then put it on her chest, feeling sweet inside and excitedly unable to sleep.

Tomorrow is going to be a happy day.

But time was passing too slowly for her enlivened state.

Unable to sleep, Yang Ping opened WeChat and browsed through several groups until she felt sleepy.

In her college group, few people were active, and the most active ones had all joined top tertiary hospitals via the fast track.

Someone was showing off photos of attending an academic conference abroad with the head of the department, standing next to international big shots for group photos, and humorously making a complaint: “Being a doctor is not easy, having to go overseas for training.”

A few congratulatory messages followed.

After that were various links for group-buy discounts sprinkled through the group chat.

She didn’t sleep well because she felt too excited last night. She got up early in the morning, still feeling a little sleep-deprived. After having breakfast in a restaurant near the hospital, she arrived at the hospital just a little after seven.

Doctors like Zhang Lin and Little Five who lived in the hospital were already busy, and the keyboard sound of the computers never stopped. Little Five gave a simple report to Yang Ping about the patients’ situations from the previous day, about those who owed fees, exceeded insurance coverage, didn’t report hospital infections promptly, and so forth, all kinds of complicated issues.

Director Han’s group actually had two sub-groups: Yang Ping and Little Five’s group, and Song Zimo and Zhang Lin’s group, each group handled different patients. Zhang Lin managed ten beds and Little Five managed ten beds.

While typing on the keyboard, Zhang Lin said mysteriously, “Didn’t you hear about the incident in the spinal department?”

“An accident?” Little Five asked curiously.

Zhang Lin nodded, “Remember the three-noes patient? His four sons and two daughters came. Yesterday, they caused a scene in the department, and were forced out by the security.”

“Didn’t he have no relatives? Their home was called before, and they said he had no family.” Not only did Yang Ping know, the whole department knew about this patient. He had a bursting fracture of the thoracic vertebrae and damage to the spinal cord at the same plane, and he was paralyzed from the navel down.

Zhang Lin gave a sly smile, “Right, but they denied being his family because they were afraid of being asked for money. An entire half year in the hospital and not a single person came to visit. Now that his family is suddenly here, they’re demanding compensation.”

“Compensation? For a three-noes worker who fell from a height at a construction site, resulting in severe spinal fracture, spinal cord injury, and destruction of the spinal cord? He would be paralyzed anywhere he went. This is a problem worldwide. Free treatment, free caregiver service, free meals three times a day, stayed for more than half a year, and now suddenly relatives appeared, upon arrival demanding compensation?” Little Five was indignant.

Zhang Lin said, “Right, yesterday the medics went there, and the other party proposed a compensation amount of six million yuan. Threatened to give the hospital a blood bath if they didn’t get the money.”

“Seems like there’s going to be trouble! Be careful these days, everyone. And be especially cautious while commuting,” said Zhang Lin.

“I’m thinking about buying a stab-resistant vest, do you want to group order? Oh, and remember, your desk should never face the doorway. Pay attention to suspicious people on your way to and from work, and try to wear running shoes.”

“Is it that serious?” Yang Ping said quietly.

Zhang Lin said seriously, “Trust me, not long ago, a doctor at Nandu Fuer was stabbed several times and admitted to the ICU. Haven’t you seen someone measuring the door clearance of the outpatient and emergency departments recently?”

“Weren’t they saying it was just some doorway renovation?” Yang Ping was interested in this.

Zhang Lin was well-informed, “Reliable sources say the outpatient and emergency departments will only keep one door open and install security screening channels at the entrance. This is a policy pushed directly by Dean Xia. You didn’t know that they were also going to strengthen security and train doctors in self-defence? The new triple security policies of the hospital will be announced on the official website soon.”

“How do you know all this?” Yang Ping knew none of this.

Zhang Lin said mysteriously, “Don’t ask about that, just know that I’m right. And remember not to tell anyone about this.”

Then he repeated the same words to Little Five, Fang Yan and several others.

He announced it to everyone, but still asked for confidentiality.

Shift exchanges, ward rounds, surgeries, all were done as per normal routine.

She performed a finger reattachment surgery, and assisted Director Han in several surgeries. It was past five in the afternoon when she finally finished.

Director Han was both fast and skilled in surgery, it’s like he could control the pace as he desired, always had a well-thought-out plan.

While they were changing, Old Han received a call. After hanging up, he said,

“Xiao Yang, the emergency department just asked for help. An accident happened at a construction site and a worker’s leg is trapped under a piece of cement. He can’t get out. They are currently attempting a rescue. It’s estimated they’ll have to amputate on site. You take Little Five and go. Meet at the entrance to the emergency department. The emergency transport is waiting.”

This couldn’t wait. Yang Ping and Little Five hurried to the emergency department. A Mercedes ambulance was waiting at the door. The doctor saw Yang Ping and immediately opened the door, “Doctor Yang, you’re doing a great job!”

The emergency department had already sent an ambulance earlier. This one was just for transporting Yang Ping. The ambulance’s sirens sounded as it headed straight to the construction site.

“Ding Dong! Task: Race against time to save the life of a critically ill patient. Successful completion will be rewarded with 6000 points.”

Tasks had now become part of their life. Yang Ping wasn’t surprised when the system released tasks at any time.

People were waiting at the entrance and exit of the construction site to hand out hard hats. Yang Ping and his team put on the hard hats and followed the worker who was leading them to the accident site.

It was a subway tunnel construction project, leading underground. They could see the early signs of tracks, escalators, pillars, etc.

“There was a corner that hadn’t been reinforced yet which was off-limits. But a worker had hidden there because he needed to relieve himself urgently. As a result, it collapsed. His upper body has been dug out, but one of his legs is trapped under a chunk of cement,” explained the site leader who was responsible for safety.

Dr. Lv from the emergency department was already waiting there with a nurse. An IV drip was set up and fluids were being administered. Dr. Lv reported, “His right lower extremity is trapped under cement weighing hundreds of kilos. The rescue is difficult because the machinery can’t be used and manual rescue is required. His internal organs have sustained damage. A surface ultrasound just revealed that his liver is ruptured and approximately 1000ml of fluid has accumulated in his abdominal cavity; there is bleeding beneath the casing of the spleen, and the bleeding is worsening. We should perform a laparotomy as soon as we get him back to the hospital.”

The emergency department was well-equipped with portable surface ultrasound machines, X-ray machines, ECG machines, etc. The larger ambulances also had fully automatic biochemical analyzers for on-site blood drawing and results analysis. Ever since the Trauma Emergency Center was established, these doctors have undergone training every few days, so using a surface ultrasound machine was no major task now.

A ruptured liver was already dangerous enough. In addition to that, the patient had steadily worsening hemorrhage beneath the spleen’s casing – an urgent indicator for a laparotomy. Otherwise, if the bleeding increased, especially if the spleen’s casing is ruptured, it could prove fatal on the spot.

The patient was barely conscious, thanks to his strong overall physical condition and timely fluid replenishment.

They needed to quickly rescue the man and transport him to the hospital for the laparotomy. Timing was critical: it was a matter of life and death.

The patient’s face was pale, his expression agonized. His right pant leg had been cut open, and the entire part of the leg from below the thigh down was trapped inside. Rescue workers were using a tool to remove chunks of cement bit by bit.

Yang Ping said, “We can only amputate. Otherwise, he won’t survive!”

At urgent moments, it’s best to put harsh realities into words as clearly as possible.

Dr. Lv passed over an informed consent form attached to a clipboard, and an open box of ink, “Please sign here. If you can’t sign, pressing a hand print will also work.”

It couldn’t be helped. All conscious patients had to sign. It was procedure.

The worker kept sweating and his face twisted with pain. Each word he spoke was a struggle, “Doctor, can it be saved? Please try. I have old parents and young children to support. If I lose a leg, it would be a disaster.”

“We can’t save it, nor should we try. Currently, you need to choose between your leg and your life. What will it be?” Yang Ping was stern. At a time like this, lengthy or flowery speech was useless. Only firm and resolute decisions were helpful.

“Nowadays, prosthetic lower limbs are highly functional. You’ll be able to walk and work normally in the future,” Yang Ping added.

The worker was still hesitating. After all, it’s not easy to make a decision to amputate a live leg that was fine just a moment ago.

“Doctor, if the leg is amputated, can it be reconnected at the hospital once it’s dug out?” The worker strived to negotiate.

Yang Ping peeked through the gap between the cement chunk and the ground. The lower leg had been completely flattened and it had turned a pale gray. Regrettably, he said, “There’s very little hope. The severe crush injury makes it impossible to reattach.”

“Creatine levels have increased!” Dr. Lv interrupted.

That meant a large amount of muscle tissue had been destroyed by being crushed, causing myoglobin to enter the bloodstream and clog the renal tubules, which damaged the tubular cells and led to acute renal failure. This could also be fatal.

“Trust me, we need to amputate immediately. We are all here to save your life. If you hesitate any longer, what you’ll lose won’t just be your leg, it will be your life.” Yang Ping’s tone was calm, every word clear.

The worker took a deep breath, closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and said, “I trust you, Doctor. Amputate.”

Then, he dipped his right index finger into the ink and pressed it onto the informed consent form.

At this moment, there was no choice. His liver had ruptured and he was already bleeding. If his spleen ruptured as well, he would surely die on the spot.

The only option was to amputate to buy some time and save his life.

“Little Five, prepare!”