183: Chapter 183 Textbook-Level Evaluation
At one hour and fifteen minutes, Lu Chen completed the operation on the entire hepatoduodenal ligament region and began working on the celiac trunk.
The celiac trunk is the first major branch of the abdominal aorta, which divides downward into the common hepatic artery, the splenic artery, and the left gastric artery.
These three arteries run through deep fat and connective tissue, surrounded by a large number of lymph nodes and autonomic nerve plexuses.
It is extremely difficult to isolate them completely without damaging any of the small branches.
With the system's assistance, Lu Chen had a clear roadmap of the course of every blood vessel in his mind.
His operating speed increased slightly while working on this area.
It was not because he was not careful enough, but because he was too precise.
When you know the position of every layer and every blood vessel by heart, the time spent hesitating and probing can be saved.
When the celiac trunk, along with its three major branches, was completely dissected from the retroperitoneum, Professor Yu walked over again.
This time he stood opposite Lu Chen and leaned over to take a direct look.
One common hepatic artery, with a preserved length of over 14 centimeters. One splenic artery, with a preserved length of over 12 centimeters. One left gastric artery, with a preserved length of over 8 centimeters.
The course standard required the preserved length of major blood vessels to be no less than 8 centimeters. Lu Chen's preserved length was almost double the standard.
Moreover, the adventitia of every blood vessel was intact, without any clamping damage.
Professor Yu watched for a long time.
Then he raised his head and said to the teaching assistant beside him, "Come over and take a look at this."
The teaching assistant walked over and lowered his head to take a glance.
"Who did this?"
"Number one at Station 3. Go and pull up his information."
The teaching assistant flipped through the list.
"Lu Chen, Jiangcheng City Central Hospital, Emergency Department, Resident Physician."
Professor Yu gave an "hmm" but did not make any comment. However, he did not leave Station 3 again. He stood there, watching Lu Chen continue his operation.
At two hours and sixteen minutes, Lu Chen completed all operations on the entire upper abdominal region.
The liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen were all removed completely from the cadaver and arranged on the stainless steel tray beside him.
The preserved length of all major blood vessels exceeded 12 centimeters. The main branches of the celiac plexus were clearly isolated, and the fiber paths were distinct at a glance.
At this moment, one hour and forty-four minutes remained of the four-hour time limit. He had finished one hour and forty-four minutes ahead of schedule.
Lu Chen put down his instruments, took off his gloves, and stepped back.
Then, he turned to look at the others in his group.
Zhou Haoran was sweating profusely while working on the root of the small bowel mesentery, with progress at about halfway.
Chen Hao's operating area was about two-thirds complete; his technique could not be called rough, but it was not refined either.
The other two Attending Physicians were still hard at work in their respective areas. No one noticed that Lu Chen had already finished.
It wasn't until Professor Yu walked to the front of the dissection table and gently tapped the stainless steel surface that someone noticed.
"Number one at Station 3, are you finished with the operation?"
Lu Chen nodded.
"Finished."
Everyone nearby paused their movements. Chen Hao's hand visibly faltered for a moment.
He raised his head and looked at the tray in front of Lu Chen. The liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen were neatly arranged in the tray.
Every organ was complete and intact. The vascular pedicles extending from the organs were finely isolated and preserved to a great length, looking just like the standard anatomical diagrams in textbooks.
Chen Hao's mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked at the uncleared vascular stumps in his own operating area, then slowly closed his mouth.
Professor Yu picked up a magnifying glass and inspected every dissection surface of Lu Chen's work, inch by inch. He checked for about five minutes, then put the magnifying glass down.
"Have you studied systemic anatomy?"
"I studied it during my undergraduate studies."
"Where did you study it?"
"Jiangcheng Medical University."
"Your anatomical foundation is not something that can be taught in a standard undergraduate curriculum." Professor Yu's tone was calm, but his words carried significant weight.
"Have you practiced extra?"
"I've performed many surgeries, so I'm quite familiar with the anatomical structures."
Professor Yu glanced at him.
"How long have you been performing surgeries?"
"Three months."
Professor Yu's expression finally showed a hint of change.
"Three months?"
"Yes."
Silence fell for a few seconds. Professor Yu turned to the teaching assistant.
"Give this specimen's upper abdominal region a score."
The teaching assistant took the grading sheet and scored it item by item against the standards. Five minutes later, the teaching assistant handed the grading sheet to Professor Yu.
Professor Yu took a look. Then he said four words: "Textbook-level."
These four words echoed throughout the quiet teaching lab. They were not loud, but loud enough for the trainees at the nearby stations to hear.
Some stopped their operations and turned their heads to look.
Textbook-level. This was the highest-grade comment in the anatomical grading.
Out of the fifty people in ten groups, only one had received a "Textbook-level" evaluation so far. Lu Chen.
Zhou Haoran wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered in a low voice.
"I'm working myself to death here, and you're just standing by watching me suffer."
"Need any help?"
"No, let me keep my last shred of dignity."
Lu Chen stood to the side, waiting for the others in his group to finish their operations. After the operation was completed, he did not rush to leave, but instead observed the progress and techniques of the other groups.
This was a good opportunity to learn. With Emergency Department backbone staff from all over the country, everyone's techniques and habits were different, and some details were worth learning from.
At three and a half hours, most of the trainees had completed their operations. The last one to finish was an Attending Physician from Xi'an, who took three hours and fifty-two minutes, nearly exceeding the time limit.
After all operations were concluded, Professor Yu gave a summary.
"The overall performance was above average; most people have the basic skills, but the precision is not enough."
"Especially regarding the length and clarity of vascular isolation, half of you met the standard, but the other half failed."
"I have seen many emergency doctors in clinical practice who operate quickly but not precisely enough. This is a common problem, and you must consciously correct it after you return."
"Today, one trainee performed exceptionally well." Professor Yu looked at Lu Chen.
"Number one at Station 3 completed all operations in two hours and sixteen minutes, which is forty-four minutes faster than the fastest estimated time."
"Full marks for organ integrity, vascular preservation length averaged over 150% of the standard value, full marks for nerve isolation clarity, and an overall rating of Textbook-level."
"This is the fourth trainee in the twelve sessions of this training program to receive a Textbook-level evaluation on this operation."
A low murmur broke out in the teaching lab. The fourth one. In the history of twelve sessions, only four people had ever achieved Textbook-level. And Lu Chen was one of them. He was also the one who used the least amount of time in the whole session.
Chen Hao stood in the line, his expression complex. Yesterday, he had questioned this person's qualifications in the hall. Today, this person responded with his strength. He didn't say a single extra word. He just did one thing. He did it the best in the entire session.
On the way back to the dormitory, Zhou Haoran kept ruminating on Professor Yu's evaluation.
"The fourth one."
"Hmm."
"In twelve sessions, only four people have achieved Textbook-level, and you are one of them."
"Hmm."
"Can you have some reaction?"
"It's pretty good."
"You are unbelievable. If I got that evaluation, I would be so excited I'd jump up."
"What's there to jump about?"
Zhou Haoran took a deep breath.
"Fine, excellent people are really all like this, aren't they? Unflappable."
Lu Chen didn't speak. He really didn't think there was anything to be excited about. This was just the beginning. There was still half a month of training ahead. The real challenge hadn't arrived yet.