Surgeons Episode 27 Recap
> Surgeons Recap
Dean Yang Fan made the difficult decision to reopen the hospital’s green channel, overriding previous concerns about infection. He declared that while he had fulfilled his administrative duty by reporting the situation, his primary responsibility as a doctor was to accept and treat the injured. As the code green was reinstated, ambulances streamed into Ren He Hospital, bringing in a surge of patients.
Among them was Lin Hao, Lin Huan’s adoptive father, whose arrival stirred a deep emotional response in Zhuang Shu. The hospital swiftly initiated comprehensive measures to combat the burgeoning threat of gas gangrene. Temporary observation rooms were designated, and a surgical suite was converted into a special infection operating room. Lin Hao, suffering from severe thoracic and abdominal injuries and exhibiting clear signs of possible gas gangrene, was rushed to surgery.
Lu Chenxi, who had provided initial care to him in the disaster zone, had specifically advised Lin Huan to seek out Zhuang Shu for his specialized expertise. Consequently, Zhuang Shu personally undertook the complex operation, which proved successful, bringing relief to Lin Huan. Following the successful operation, Zhuang Shu meticulously provided Lin Huan with post-operative instructions, even printing them for her, for which Lin Huan was deeply grateful. Lin Huan then apologized for her earlier distress at the hospital entrance.
Zhuang Shu, in turn, apologized for the initial refusal to admit patients, explaining that the hospital's green channel had to be closed due to an outbreak of gas gangrene and the high risk of cross-infection with increased patient intake. Lin Huan, an understanding person, expressed her belief that doctors always have their reasons and did not blame him. As Zhuang Shu escorted Lin Huan to the waiting room for her father, they chatted.
Zhuang Shu, whose own sister had been lost as a child, was eager to learn more about Lin Huan's life and experiences. Concurrently, the medical rescue team in the disaster area faced immense emotional strain. Lu Chenxi found Fang Zhiwei distraught, having witnessed a young girl's agonizing death beneath rubble, unable to reach her bleeding wounds despite his desperate efforts. Lu Chenxi consoled him, reminding him that while doctors strive to save every life, they are not superheroes.
She emphasized that his own safety was paramount, and he should never risk his life, as it was equally valuable to that of a patient. That night, Zhuang Shu and Lu Chenxi connected via a phone call, their conversation a blend of professional updates and personal longing. Lu Chenxi, still stranded in the disaster zone due to collapsed roads, reported treating dozens of patients. Zhuang Shu described Ren He Hospital as a war zone, with non-stop surgeries.
He shared the good news of Lin Hao's successful operation, and Lu Chenxi expressed her satisfaction, mentioning she had already praised Zhuang Shu's skills to Lin Huan. She also spoke of the unexpected beauty of Li Feng and invited Zhuang Shu to visit with her once the crisis passed, to which he playfully agreed to be her driver. As their conversation ended, they wished each other a restful night.
Later, Zhuang Shu stood by Lin Hao's ward, watching Lin Huan attentively caring for her father, and vivid memories of his own sister laughing and playing as a child flooded his mind. The next morning, the hospital resumed its frantic pace. Zhuang Shu, prioritizing Lin Huan and her father's comfort, visited their ward after finishing his other patient rounds.
Noticing Lin Huan's mother sleeping by the bedside, exhausted from her overnight vigil, he learned that their home was too far for convenient commuting. Zhuang Shu promptly arranged a reasonably priced hotel room nearby for them through the hospital's general office. When Lin Huan decided to go home for some necessities, Zhuang Shu offered to drive her, citing the difficulty of finding taxis amid the city’s damaged road conditions.
Before leaving, Zhuang Shu requested an hour of leave from Dean Yang. Dean Yang, observing Zhuang Shu's exhaustion from over 24 hours of continuous surgery, insisted he take five hours to rest. Zhuang Shu, however, asserted that one hour was sufficient, accustomed to the demanding hours of domestic hospitals. Dean Yang then informed Zhuang Shu that Fu Bowen had returned to assist during this critical period, citing his valuable experience and asking for Zhuang Shu's understanding.
Zhuang Shu simply acknowledged the information and departed. Elsewhere in the hospital, a worker named Yang Zixuan voiced his frustration at being assigned only cleaning duties, eager to contribute more directly to patient care. Chen Shaocong explained the crucial need for specialized skills, even for tasks like patient transfer, to prevent secondary injuries to patients with delicate spinal conditions.
A cleaner, affectionately known as "Uncle Chen," joined their discussion, revealing his surprising knowledge of clinical procedures from his childhood days spent at the hospital. He also shared his current endeavor to collect statistical data on Ren He’s disaster rescue efforts for comparative research. Soon after, new patient arrivals spurred Uncle Chen to lead an impromptu training session on proper patient transfer techniques.
Zhuang Shu drove Lin Huan to her apartment, taking in her meticulously kept home, adorned with numerous photographs. While she packed her belongings, Zhuang Shu observed the pictures, piecing together fragments of her life. She recounted growing up in Li Feng, where her adoptive parents, now retired, preferred to stay. Lin Huan shared that she began playing the cello at age six, after a period of frequent illness and nightmares around age four, which made her introverted.
Her father encouraged the cello to provide her with an indoor pursuit. Zhuang Shu remarked on her remarkably smooth life, from her early musical training to her university education and successful career as a chief cellist. Lin Huan, considering herself fortunate, also mentioned her parents' desire for her to start a family, a prospect she had little time for due to her demanding career.
Seeing his sister leading a happy and fulfilling life brought Zhuang Shu a sense of quiet reassurance. As Lin Huan finished packing, she gifted Zhuang Shu her solo album as a heartfelt thank you, which he received as the "best present." She then promised to invite him for dinner and prepare her delicious homemade dumplings once her father fully recovered.
The mention of dumplings evoked a poignant memory for Zhuang Shu, who remarked that his own mother made exceptionally good dumplings but that he could no longer enjoy them, implicitly revealing his mother's passing. Their conversation, despite the brief melancholy, remained warm and easy. Zhuang Shu then encouraged Lin Huan to bring her cello to the hospital, suggesting her father would appreciate hearing her play, and offered to carry the instrument for her.
Their interaction was harmonious, and before leaving, Zhuang Shu subtly took one of Lin Huan's photographs. In the disaster zone, heavy rains intensified, causing another landslide that completely blocked the roads, halting all transportation and relief efforts for an estimated six to eight hours. Severely injured patients continued to arrive at the medical tent. One patient presented with critical cardiac tamponade, requiring immediate thoracic intervention.
Adding to the crisis, Fang Zhiwei was brought in, gravely wounded with a collapsed chest cavity and severe bleeding. With both patients rapidly deteriorating and no possibility of transfer, Lu Chenxi, deeply concerned, declared her intention to perform emergency surgeries right in the makeshift tent. Despite the inherent risks of non-sterile conditions and the absence of an anesthesiologist, she firmly stated that surgery was their only hope, and without it, both would surely die.
Taking full responsibility, Lu Chenxi obtained Director Zhong's authorization to proceed. Facing the impossible choice of who to save, Lu Chenxi resolutely decided to operate on both patients simultaneously. She began by addressing the patient with cardiac tamponade, while Director Zhong attended to Fang Zhiwei. Lu Chenxi bravely tackled a superior vena cava injury, a complex cardiac surgery she had only read about, lacking specialized equipment.
Demonstrating remarkable ingenuity, she fashioned a makeshift shunt tube from two small IV tubings and a rubber tube, successfully repairing the laceration on the patient's right ventricle and the superior vena cava. Despite her success with the first patient, Fang Zhiwei's condition remained critical. Even after repairing all identified bleeding sites in his chest and his bronchial airways, his blood pressure and oxygen saturation, which had momentarily improved, began to drop again.
Unable to ascertain the mysterious cause of this decline, Lu Chenxi, recognizing it was beyond her specialized field, urgently called Zhuang Shu for consultation. Zhuang Shu, in the midst of his own surgery at Ren He Hospital, listened intently as Lu Chenxi conveyed the dire details of Fang Zhiwei's deteriorating state.
