Surgeons Episode 9 Recap
> Surgeons Recap
Dr. Zhuang Shu approached Lu Chenxi, inviting her to speak at an upcoming departmental meeting in Thoracic Surgery about the aortic dissection surgery they collaborated on. He lauded her for her initial diagnosis, full participation in the surgery, and her meticulously written surgical record. Lu Chenxi, surprised and enthusiastic, accepted the opportunity, recognizing its potential for publication and even a presentation at the Thoracic annual meeting if the patient recovered well.
Just after her acceptance, Lu Chenxi received an urgent call from the emergency department about an elderly female patient with a ten-year history of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and a recent coronary stent. The patient had experienced chest pain and sudden cardiac arrest, requiring immediate resuscitation. Upon stabilizing the patient, Lu Chenxi was stunned to find her ex-boyfriend, Xue Luan, accompanying the patient.
Xue Luan explained that the patient was Ms. Zhu, his junior high class teacher, and introduced her daughter, Pei Pei. Pei Pei, recognizing Lu Chenxi, remarked on her being mentioned by Xue Luan and questioned why a Thoracic Surgery physician was in the emergency room. Lu Chenxi responded sharply, prioritizing the patient's critical condition and formally introduced herself as Dr. Lu, disliking being called "Sis" by someone significantly younger and unrelated.
Later, her colleagues, aware of her history with Xue Luan, expressed their indignation that he would bring his "new mother-in-law" to Lu Chenxi's emergency department, reminiscing about the days when Lu Chenxi and Xue Luan were considered a brilliant, unstoppable team at the hospital. Meanwhile, Chu Jun approached Zhuang Shu, who was taking a coffee break, to request a spot as an assistant in his mediastinal tumor surgery.
Despite Zhuang Shu initially declining due to the procedure's simplicity and already having a full assist team, Chu Jun's persistence eventually swayed him. In the operating room, encouraged by her hard work, Zhuang Shu surprisingly instructed Chu Jun, a third assistant, to perform the initial chest incision, a crucial step for her development. However, before she could proceed, a nurse urgently called her away from surgery, informing her that she was desperately needed in Thoracic Surgery.
Chu Jun, apologetic, left the operating room. Prior to this, Chu Jun had inadvertently sparked the current crisis. When pneumothorax patient Xiao Zheng's girlfriend, Cao Yue, persistently inquired about his physical condition, Chu Jun accidentally revealed that Xiao Zheng's pneumothorax was caused by him moving heavy objects at a delivery company. Cao Yue, displeased that her boyfriend, a supposed postgraduate student, was working such a job, ignored Chu Jun's attempts to stop her and went to confront him.
The next day, an agitated Xiao Zheng, blaming Chu Jun for his predicament, hid in his office, too distraught to face anyone. The commotion was due to the parents of pneumothorax patient Xiao Zheng's girlfriend, Cao Yue, who were causing a scene in the hospital. They angrily accused Xiao Zheng of deceiving their daughter about his prestigious university background and demanded a confrontation.
Yang Fan arrived and instructed a distraught Chu Jun to go inside the patient's room and clarify the situation with Xiao Zheng, persuading him to come out and speak with the families. Inside, Chu Jun found Xiao Zheng huddled in a corner. She apologized, but he lashed out, blaming her for ruining his life. He felt no one would trust him anymore. In a desperate act, Xiao Zheng picked up a glass shard, threatening to harm himself.
Chu Jun bravely intervened, wrestling the glass from his hand, injuring herself in the process. Yang Fan and others rushed in to stop the escalating incident. After the commotion, Lu Chenxi attended to Chu Jun's injured hand, meticulously cleaning and stitching her wound. Chu Jun, tearful and dismayed, expressed regret for her actions, feeling she was too foolish to be a doctor.
She revealed that Yang Fan had suggested her status as a trainee meant she likely wouldn't implicate the hospital, implying she should consider leaving early. Lu Chenxi, realizing Yang Fan's intent to place the blame on Chu Jun, reassured her that it was not her responsibility to handle such negotiations and told her to rest. Lu Chenxi then went to the Office of Medical Affairs, where the hospital superiors and the families of Xiao Zheng and Cao Yue were gathered.
The meeting was tense, with both families arguing. Cao Yue's mother accused the hospital of damage and her doctors of "sowing discord," while Xiao Zheng's mother feared her son's expulsion. Lu Chenxi intervened, defending Chu Jun's actions as an attempt to save Xiao Zheng and arguing that his dishonesty and Cao Yue's vanity were the true issues. She cautioned them that further escalation would only bring negative publicity to both Xiao Zheng and Cao Yue.
Lu Chenxi then launched into a detailed explanation of spontaneous pneumothorax, emphasizing that doctors' inquiries, even into personal details, are necessary for accurate diagnosis, not for prying into privacy. As the families remained partially swayed, Zhuang Shu entered and revealed a critical discovery from his review of Xiao Zheng's medical records: an actual tumor, shifting the focus from blame to the patient's health. Later, Zhuang Shu called Chu Jun to check on her hand.
She confirmed it was a superficial wound, stitched by Lu Chenxi, which would not affect her ability to continue working, just not operating for a while. Chu Jun, still feeling responsible for the "big incident," questioned whether she could continue her training. Zhuang Shu reassured her that making mistakes is part of learning and does not warrant an end to her medical training. Moved by his words, Chu Jun became tearful, determined to persevere.
Lu Chenxi received news about Lin Sen, the boy who fell. His comprehensive exams revealed a mediastinal tumor, the same condition his mother had undergone surgery for years ago. Lu Chenxi speculated that his mother's chronic post-surgical chest pain might have led to severe depression. Learning of her son's identical diagnosis, the mother, fearing he would endure similar suffering, might have tragically attempted suicide with him.
Zhuang Shu confirmed that Lin Sen's mother had sustained irreversible brain damage from the fall. On her way to the ICU, Lu Chenxi decided to take the stairs to avoid Xue Luan, who a colleague warned was lingering, hoping to catch her. However, Xue Luan intercepted her on the stairs, attempting to explain. He clarified that Ms. Zhu, the patient, was his junior high teacher, and Pei Pei was not his girlfriend.
He asserted that he didn't have a girlfriend and was simply taking his teacher's medical treatment seriously. Lu Chenxi, feigning indifference, brushed him off and continued on her way, though she was secretly pleased by his explanation. Back at the hospital, Zhuang Shu spoke with Xiao Zheng and his mother. He defended Chu Jun's intentions, explaining that while she was inexperienced, her actions were out of concern for the patient, and she had even been injured trying to save him.
He appealed to them to give Chu Jun another chance to learn. Just then, Cao Yue pulled Xiao Zheng aside. She chastised him for blaming Chu Jun, acknowledging his lies but emphasizing that she cared for him, not his background. She revealed her own past deceptions, stating that he was her sixth boyfriend, not her first, prompting her mother to lead her away to let the young couple reconcile.
Chief Zhong approached Zhuang Shu, informing him that the hospital's research materials on lidocaine allergies, which Zhuang Shu had expressed interest in, had been found. He invited Zhuang Shu to review them with him that night. Zhuang Shu accepted, eager to discuss any questions with Chief Zhong, who reminded him that the files could only be viewed on-site and not copied. Later, in Lin Sen's room, Lu Chenxi and Zhuang Shu discussed the boy's diagnosis.
Lu Chenxi regretfully confirmed that Lin Sen's mother had died after failed resuscitation, and Zhuang Shu confirmed the presence of a mediastinal tumor in Lin Sen. Lin Sen, awake and distressed, rejected a teddy bear offered by Zhuang Shu, which Lu Chenxi also encouraged him to take, asserting his six-year-old maturity. He then plaintively asked Zhuang Shu if his mother would recover.
Zhuang Shu, honoring Lin Sen's right to the truth, gently explained that her condition was "indeed not too good." Lin Sen bravely recounted his mother's desperate act, questioning if her death meant an end to her pain, and if that was a good thing. Zhuang Shu, deeply moved and recalling his own painful past, attempted to console the boy, telling him that his mother's actions, like his own mother's departure, likely stemmed from immense personal pain.
He encouraged Lin Sen to embrace life and the future. As Lu Chenxi was paged away, Lin Sen asked Zhuang Shu to visit him often, or send "the lady doctor just now," calling her "really pretty."
