Brother Luo was still beside Kobayashi Kaoru, constantly comforting him while also helping with basic translation to complete a series of tasks like registration and payment.
"Why are you back?" Seeing Sun Li'en's slow pace, Brother Luo thought something had happened. Frowning, he leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Did something happen to the girl with the balls?"
It took Sun Li'en several seconds to react. Brother Luo was asking about Lin Lan. He shook his head and glanced at Kobayashi Kaoru, who was leaning against the counter a short distance away, struggling to count bills. "I'll tell the resuscitation room to admit him later. He might have a mild concussion. I'm afraid he might just pass out."
Kobayashi Kaoru's condition indeed didn't look good. He was half-leaning against the hospital's payment window, his right hand repeatedly trying to reach into his pocket. Yet, his hand kept brushing over the pocket's opening, failing to go in.
"Are you okay?" Brother Luo, seeing Kobayashi Kaoru's state, also grew concerned. "Are you trying to get money from your pocket?"
"Doctor..." Kobayashi Kaoru's expression was full of confusion. "My hand... feels strange."
He tried the pocket-reaching motion once more. After failing, he slowly raised his hand. "I can't feel my hand."
Mild concussion can cause many symptoms, including dizziness, amnesia, tinnitus, etc. But loss of sensation in a limb is not typically one of them.
"Brother Luo, please take him to the resuscitation room." Sun Li'en scratched his head. "I'll come handle the admission procedures for him after his wife goes into the OR."
Brother Luo waved a hand. "I don't have much to do right now anyway. You go do your thing. When his wife's other family members arrive, I'll have them help with the procedures."
Sun Li'en ran towards the CT room again, only to find both the control room and the CT room empty of Lin Lan. After grabbing a resident from Imaging who was cleaning the vomit off the floor and asking a couple of questions, Sun Li'en changed direction and headed for the operating rooms.
The Fourth Central Hospital where Sun Li'en worked boasted the largest emergency medical center in all of Ningyuan City. As a pilot hospital for the "comprehensive emergency" model, its emergency center was completely different from other hospitals—it wasn't located on the first floor of some outpatient building corner convenient for vehicle transport. Instead, it occupied an entire twelve-story building. It was also lavishly equipped with a full two floors dedicated to fourteen operating rooms. Two of the first-class operating rooms even had observation windows from the floor above—these were teaching operating rooms used in collaboration with Ningyuan Medical University.
Lin Lan had already been wheeled into an operating room. Preoperative preparations were underway in a tense yet orderly manner. The combined surgical teams from Orthopedics and Neurosurgery packed the quite spacious teaching OR to capacity. They were waiting for the consultation results from the directors in the adjacent lounge.
"The simultaneous surgery plan is worth trying." After a long silence, Professor Li finally looked up, stubbing out his fourth cigarette. "Delay the anticoagulant medication for Orthopedics until eight hours post-op. Combine that with drainage and intraoperative electrocautery hemostasis from Neurosurgery. The risks can be lowered to an acceptable level. The internal abdominal hemorrhage isn't severe. The CT scan results are acceptable; the accumulated blood is within the abdominal capsule. The abdominal surgery can be scheduled for a later date. Strengthen post-op observation. I'll assign someone to specifically monitor the patient's coagulation and bleeding status."
Deputy Director Liu's furrowed brow finally relaxed slightly. "This plan is best. Although for our Emergency Center, preserving the patient's life is the top priority. But on that foundation, being able to preserve more of the limb is always better."
Director Zheng Guoyou from Orthopedics didn't smoke. The heavy smoker, Professor Li, had made his eyes red and teary. After coughing twice, he also made a decision. "Minimizing surgery time has a positive effect on reducing bleeding. We'll perform the surgery jointly with Neurosurgery, aiming to complete it as quickly as possible."
BANG!The door to the surgery lounge was shoved open by Sun Li'en. He waved the papers in his hand at Director Liu Tangchun, gasping for breath. "Dir... Director Liu, the family member signed the consent."
"Excellent." Director Liu's eyes lit up. He looked at Xu Yourong and Director Zheng beside him. "Let's skip the pleasantries, everyone. It's time for us to take the stage."
Sun Li'en placed the consent forms on the data desk in the operating room area. He prepared to turn and go report back to his supervising physician, Zhou Jun. Unexpectedly, Director Liu called him back. "Xiao Sun, you go change into scrubs too. Combined Neurosurgery and Orthopedics surgeries aren't common. Since you've encountered one, come into the OR and observe."
A senior doctor's suggestion carries more weight than a supervising physician's orders for a resident-in-training. Sun Li'en nodded repeatedly and followed a young nurse from the lounge, receiving a set of scrubs sealed in a plastic bag.
"You know how to put these on, right?" The young nurse wasn't very old either, possibly even two years younger than Sun Li'en. But she was already a seasoned OR nurse. "This size of scrubs runs a bit small. You can't wear your own clothes underneath. In a moment, take off all your clothes, keep your underwear on, and then put these on."
Sun Li'en racked his brain, trying to recall the steps for donning surgical attire. "I find an open space, pinch the collar..."
"How are you going to put on the pants if you're pinching the collar?" The young nurse burst out laughing. "That's the method for disposable surgical gowns. You wear those after surgical hand scrubbing. For regular scrubs, you just put them on normally. Remember to tie the drawstring on the pants tight. I don't want to help you pull up your pants later."
Sun Li'en smiled sheepishly. During his internships, he had only observed other doctors' surgeries in the surgical demonstration classroom. Strictly speaking, this was his first time entering an actual operating room. Feeling somewhat nervous was inevitable, though the nurse's joke had mostly dissipated his anxiety.
"The disposable surgical gown worn on the outside isn't your concern. I'll help you into that after you scrub in." The young nurse seemed to sense Sun Li'en's nervousness and said with a smile, "Just get the inner scrubs on properly. Oh, and change your shoes too. There are clean, disinfected slippers in the changing room."
A senior nurse with such a good attitude! Sun Li'en felt goosebumps rising. Usually, these senior nurses were famously short-tempered. Newly entered residents were basically immersed in their roars all day. Being scolded by a nurse younger than oneself was practically routine for residents. Some head nurses, when really angry, might even resort to physical action... Sun Li'en blinked a few times. For some reason, he suddenly thought of Head Nurse Hu Jing, who could single-handedly yank a radiation-proof door back on its track.
"Alright, go change quickly." The young nurse smiled, squinting her eyes. "I'll go to the scrub sink area and prepare first. Come over as soon as you're dressed."