Surgeons Episode 35 Recap
> Surgeons Recap
Yang Zixuan found himself at a standstill with his dissertation, unable to obtain crucial hospital data due to Yang Fan's obstruction. Chen Shaocong stepped in to connect him with Zhuang Shu. Yang Zixuan thanked them both for their assistance, expressing frustration that his own father, who had previously advised against returning to China due to its complex medical environment, was now paradoxically making things difficult for him.
Zhuang Shu then shared his personal experience, revealing that his own PhD thesis in the United States had been repeatedly rejected and delayed for three years because his advisor, a respected figure, had resigned due to a corruption scandal involving a new research building, leading to the scrutiny of all his students' work.
Zhuang Shu emphasized that such "adulterated" environments exist universally, and it is the duty of medical scientists to strive to allow pure medicine and science to survive and advance within these complex conditions. Meanwhile, Zhong Xibei was posthumously awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award." Fu Bowen felt increasingly redundant as Yang Fan managed most of the hospital's affairs, including signing official documents.
While signing a commendation list for disaster relief efforts, which his assistant noted Yang Fan specifically wanted him to endorse due to his leadership during the crisis, Fu Bowen acknowledged his desire to leave but stated he still had unfinished business at Renhe. He promised to depart once these matters were resolved, clearly burdened by unresolved issues, including Zhong Xibei's dying wish for him to clear Zhang Shumei's name.
Chen Shaocong's mobile consultation platform garnered positive attention after its successful emergency use. Director Ma of the ER showed interest in the platform, offering suggestions such as creating a temporary online consultation service by pooling on-duty doctors from various departments to alleviate the emergency room's workload, which Chen Shaocong enthusiastically welcomed. Concurrently, Lu Chenxi was examining Mr. Jiang, who suffered from esophageal cancer that had invaded his trachea, causing bleeding and a tracheoesophageal fistula.
Although emergency measures had stabilized his bleeding, his condition remained severe. Lu Chenxi noted Yang Fan's personal involvement, learning that Mr. Jiang was the father of the Director-General of Pioneer Medical Treatment Corporation's China Region. Chen Shaocong's timely guidance via the mobile platform had been critical in Mr. Jiang's choking incident, preventing dire consequences. Director-General Jiang, Mr. Jiang's son, requested Lu Chenxi, renowned as the best esophageal cancer surgeon, to perform his father's operation.
Lu Chenxi agreed but stipulated her standard practice of manual suturing, though she offered the alternative of stapler sutures from Pioneer Medical Treatment Corporation. Director-General Jiang, aware of Lu Chenxi's dissatisfaction with Pioneer's aggressive promotion of staplers using big data, insisted on manual suturing, citing Lu Chenxi's perfect 0% esophageal leak rate and expressing complete trust in her skills.
He also offered a personal donation of ¥500,000 to support Lu Chenxi's thoracoscopic research, appealing to her understanding of his filial devotion. Lu Chenxi, however, firmly reiterated the gravity and high difficulty of his father's operation, offering no 100% guarantee but assuring him of their strongest technical team. She clarified that their medical commitment was independent of his donation, refusing to let treatment become a transaction.
Addressing the stapler issue directly, Lu Chenxi stated she did not oppose their use but objected to Pioneer Medical Treatment Corporation's practice of indiscriminately inducing patients to demand expensive medical equipment. She urged Pioneer to develop targeted promotional strategies based on surgeons' technical skills to prevent conflicts between hospital leadership and surgical staff, leaving Yang Fan, who was present, visibly uncomfortable when she directly addressed him on the matter. Later, Fu Bowen visited Xiu Minqi.
After exchanging pleasantries about their health and the hospital's challenges during the disaster relief, Fu Bowen revealed the true reason for his visit: "Xiao Bin is back," clarifying he meant Zhang Shumei's son. Fu urged Xiu to acknowledge their shared mistake 30 years prior regarding the lidocaine incident. He explained that if they had reported the allergic reaction honestly, it would have been a medical discovery, but instead, they chose to shift blame.
Fu emphasized that Xiao Bin sought only an explanation, not public accusation, and that delivering justice for Zhang Shumei was also Zhong Xibei's dying wish. He suggested resolving the matter privately, free from concerns about reputation now that they were retired. However, Xiu Minqi adamantly refused, dismissing the 30-year-old "medical accident" as long settled. He advised Fu to retire, implying his mental state was deteriorating and suggesting he needed more medication.
Dejected, Fu Bowen left, only to encounter Yang Fan, who was just arriving at Xiu Minqi's residence. Yang Fan then reported to Xiu Minqi on Renhe Hospital's strong performance during the disaster relief efforts. However, he expressed concern about a potential investigation into the hospital's medical equipment usage, possibly triggered by the discovery of a new E. coli strain and Lin Hao's case.
He worried that under emergency conditions, maintaining perfect aseptic protocols was impossible, leaving the hospital vulnerable despite using certified equipment. Xiu Minqi pressed him on the high usage rate of Pioneer Medical Treatment Corporation's instruments, which Yang Fan admitted was "80% or more." Xiu warned that the public, upon hearing about equipment-related infections, would inevitably suspect corruption, questioning how Yang Fan would justify such a high usage percentage.
Xiu then implicitly threatened Yang Fan's "acting dean" position, criticizing his close ties to medical equipment businesses. Yang Fan, seeking protection, asked Xiu to publicly vouch for the equipment's quality to avert a deeper investigation, but Xiu evaded a direct answer, instead asking if Yang Fan knew Zhang Shumei's son, to which Yang Fan confirmed he did.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Shu received a phone call from Mr. Liao in Beijing, who confirmed preliminary results: the bacterial strain from Lin Hao was indeed a new subtype of drug-resistant E. coli. Zhuang Shu requested further investigation and planned a trip to Beijing to coordinate a meeting with Dr. Williams, who had discovered a similar E. coli strain six months prior, to explore any potential connections. He stressed the critical importance of early strain analysis to prevent future infections.
Separately, a 19-year-old, Zhang Xiaohan, arrived in the ER with severe abdominal pain. During examination, Chen Shaocong and Yang Yu noticed stretch marks on her abdomen. When Chen Shaocong cautiously inquired if she had given birth or had a miscarriage, Zhang Xiaohan became agitated and tried to leave. Yang Yu, acting on a strong intuition, stopped her and demanded to know where the child was.
Zhang Xiaohan then confessed to abandoning her newborn in a public lavatory in the southern part of the city. Chen Shaocong immediately alerted the police by phone, and he and Yang Yu rushed to the location. When their car broke down en route, Yang Yu, driven by intense urgency, insisted they continue on foot. Exhausted, they finally reached the public toilet where Chen Shaocong located the baby. Yang Yu was overcome with emotion upon seeing the child.
The baby was immediately rushed to the hospital, suffering from high fever, dehydration, and suspected pneumonia, requiring urgent treatment and guardian consent. Zhang Xiaohan, however, remained unresponsive and tearful, refusing to sign the necessary documents despite Chen Shaocong and Yang Yu's persistent pleas for her to acknowledge her responsibility as a mother. When the baby's condition suddenly worsened, showing signs of respiratory distress, Zhang Xiaohan still wouldn't consent.
Seeing the dire situation, Yang Yu, unable to wait for official authorization, initiated CPR and treatment. Chen Shaocong, taking full responsibility, quickly joined her, disregarding the procedural obstacles raised by other hesitant medical staff. They successfully restored the baby's heart rate, but he still couldn't breathe independently, indicating constricted airways and the immediate need for intubation. Chen Shaocong promptly called Lu Chenxi, who arrived shortly after with Chu Jun, prepared to perform the intubation on the newborn. Later, showing a flicker of remorse, Zhang Xiaohan disconnected her IV and went to the baby's ward, quietly watching as the medical team worked to save her child.
