Chapter 640: Chapter 268: The Doctor’s Sense of Responsibility, Surpassing the Master
The patient has lung cancer and his pre-surgery examination was insufficient.
Even though the situation was urgent at the time, and the patient’s right lung was compressed by 80%, accompanied by pneumothorax and severe pleural effusion, it was still an oversight in our work.
If we had known about the tumor in the patient’s lungs before the surgery, we might have been more cautious during the resuscitation and considered using a double-lumen tube.
Every incident occurs with various objective factors.
Medical staff must be extremely careful to avoid accidents.
Now the patient’s life has been saved, and a medical accident was successfully resolved by Zhou Can. However, the thoracotomy was not for nothing, it was meant to treat the disease.
If the lung tumor is not addressed, the patient will still be in mortal danger.
The only issue is how to address it, which presents a challenge.
With so many directors and senior physicians here, how could Zhou Can dare to freely express his opinion!
Earlier, it was a matter of acting swiftly in an emergency.
Now that the patient’s vital signs have stabilized, he would never be the one to step forward again.
“My opinion is to listen to all of you directors, whatever you say goes!”
Zhou Can’s remark lightened the mood among everyone.
The tense atmosphere in the operating room was diluted once again, and everyone could clearly feel the discussion atmosphere becoming as relaxed as usual.
Zhou Can had achieved great merit but was not arrogant or boastful, which greatly raised everyone’s opinion of him.
“Director Le, Director Liu, what are your thoughts?”
Director Xue sought the opinion of others.
“This surgery is filled with hardship, and it was not easy to save the patient’s life. Everyone is welcome to express their views and work together to help the patient recover.”
She fully demonstrated female gentleness and inclusivity, mobilizing everyone.
Let’s join the discussion.
“Then let me throw out some ideas first,” said Director Le, who is strong in the field of cardiology, particularly excelling at a high level.
“In my opinion, the surgical plan for the patient was originally a thoracotomy. It was just during the anesthesia process that an incident disrupted the original surgical plan. Now that the chest is open and the cause of the problem is found, we might as well communicate with the relatives immediately. Taking this opportunity to remove the tumor would create favorable conditions for the patient’s later recovery.”
This plan is the best option, but many still have reservations.
Mainly, everyone remembers how the patient almost died during the general anesthesia, which still unnerves them.
It wasn’t easy to revive the patient, and many doctors adhere to the principle of avoiding blame rather than achieving merit.
According to them, it’s better to maintain the current outcomes and ensure the patient safely leaves the operating room.
No need for further complications.
“Removing the tumor is indeed a very good plan, but everyone has seen the patient’s condition; he nearly died. Under such circumstances, can the patient endure the surgery to remove the tumor?”
A deputy chief physician raised an objection.
“I also feel that it is better to be cautious. We can wait until the patient’s condition improves before performing the surgery.”
“Looking at him now, he seems like a flickering candle in the wind, unstable. I’m really worried he won’t make it off the operating table.”
“Better safe than sorry, it’s still wiser to be cautious.”
There are truly a lot of conservatives.
No one wants to deal with a medical incident, nor do they wish to see the patient lose his life.
“Director Liu, you are an expert of the Intensive Care Medicine Department and also have a background as an anesthetist, holding some authority in assessing surgical risks for the patient. Please share your thoughts!”
Xue Yan turned to Director Liu.
She asked this, clearly leaning towards Director Le’s suggestion to perform the surgery in one go.
“Hmm… I dare not make a decision on this. Considering the patient’s tumor, it seems that the entire right lung needs to be removed, which is quite risky.”
Director Liu’s stance was rather neutral.
Being the head of the Intensive Care Medicine Department means he is adept at handling various situations smoothly.
He came just to participate in saving this patient; now that the task is done, he obviously doesn’t want to be involved in more troubles and looks forward to returning to his department as soon as possible.
“Dr. Guan, what’s your opinion?”
Director Xue did not ask the real anesthesiologist’s opinion first but asked others before finally turning to him. This also showed that after the incident in the surgery, Dr. Guan’s standing had significantly dropped.
His influence has naturally declined, which is nothing unexpected.
Dr. Guan was still somewhat in shock, clearly not in the right state of mind.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, “If we decide to remove the tumor for the patient, I request a change of anesthesiologist. We should invite Director Feng from our Anesthesiology Department.”
At this point, one could feel that not only was Dr. Guan’s tone weak, but he also had extreme self-doubt about his own capabilities.
A medical accident inflicts a huge impact on the involved doctors and nurses.
It’s enough to make them severely doubt their professional skills.
Before this incident, Dr. Guan gave Zhou Can the impression of being calm, confident, and composed.
Who knows how long it will take him to emerge from this shadow?
“Please invite Director Feng over right away to help,” she said to the circulating nurse, then turned to Director Le. “Director Le, can you communicate with the family to seek their opinion?”
Director Le readily agreed.
“Director Xue, Director Le, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? The risk is too high!”