77: Chapter 77 Have you considered coming to the thoracic surgery department?

Twenty-five minutes later.

The Doctor on Duty from the Department of Thoracic Surgery finally arrived at the Red Zone.

It was an Associate Chief Physician in his early forties, surnamed Zheng.

"Sorry, sorry, the surgeries this morning were just too packed, I came late."

Associate Chief Physician Zheng glanced at the patient's condition and monitoring data, and froze.

"The Closed Thoracic Drainage has already been done?"

"Yes, just done." Wu Fan said from the side.

"Who did it?"

"Him."

Wu Fan pointed at Lu Chen, who was writing medical records at his workstation.

Associate Chief Physician Zheng's gaze turned to Lu Chen, seeing the name tag on his chest.

Resident Physician.

"A Resident Physician did it?"

"Yes."

"This patient has pleural adhesions, right? I see in the medical history that there was a thoracoplasty."

"Yes, twenty years ago."

Associate Chief Physician Zheng walked to the patient's bedside and carefully checked the position of the drainage tube and the drainage status.

The fluid level fluctuation in the water-seal bottle was normal.

The drainage volume was gradually decreasing.

The tubing was unobstructed, with no air leaks.

The Suturing of the skin incision for the drainage tube was neat, and it was firmly secured.

He also looked at the chest X-ray.

The position of the drainage tube precisely avoided all adhesion areas, with the tip located at the lowest point of fluid in the left thoracic cavity.

Perfect position.

Textbooks wouldn't dare to draw it this standard.

Associate Chief Physician Zheng was silent for a long while.

"How was this tube placement position chosen?"

Lu Chen walked over.

"It was determined during the physical examination by Palpation; the parietal pleura at the position posterior to the anterior axillary line in the sixth intercostal space had the least thickening, suggesting the adhesions were sparsest here."

"Before placing the tube, I used my index finger to probe and confirm the path and safe depth, then advanced the tube along the path into position."

Associate Chief Physician Zheng looked at him.

"Have you done thoracic drainage with adhesions before?"

"First time."

Associate Chief Physician Zheng's expression changed slightly.

He turned his head to look at Wu Fan.

Wu Fan nodded, meaning: That's right, it was his first time. I find it absurd too, but that's the fact.

"To do it like this on your first try." Associate Chief Physician Zheng's voice was somewhat complex, "Young man, what is your name?"

"Lu Chen."

"Lu Chen..." Associate Chief Physician Zheng repeated, "Do you know that you placed this tube better than more than half of the attending physicians in our department?"

"Thank you."

"Have you considered coming to the Department of Thoracic Surgery?"

Wu Fan almost choked on the side.

"Director Zheng, aren't you being too direct? Poaching people right in front of us?"

"I was just asking casually." Associate Chief Physician Zheng smiled, "But seriously, it's a bit of a pity if someone with this level doesn't go into the direction of thoracic surgery."

"I'm doing quite well in the Emergency Department." Lu Chen replied.

"Alright then." Associate Chief Physician Zheng didn't press the issue, "For follow-up treatment, I will arrange the fixation of the rib fractures and the management of the lung contusion. You just continue to observe the drainage here; call me anytime if there are abnormal changes in drainage volume."

"Okay."

Associate Chief Physician Zheng took one more look at that drainage tube, shook his head, and left.

When he reached the door, he muttered to himself.

"Are all young people nowadays this fierce?"

Wu Fan heard it and pursed his lips.

"It's not that all young people are this fierce, it's that this young man is exceptionally fierce."

Shen Xiaoning heard this sentence from the side and secretly smiled.

Then she composed her expression, acting as if nothing had happened, and continued organizing the instruments.

12:00 PM.

The busyness in the Red Zone came to a pause.

Zhang Ge's vital signs continued to improve, the drainage volume gradually decreased, and the coagulation indicators also tended to recover under the correction of Vitamin K1 and frozen plasma.

Lu Chen sat at his workstation and finished the last medical record.

Shen Xiaoning walked over carrying an insulated bag.

"Time to eat."

"What is it?"

"Braised pork belly!"

Lu Chen looked up at her.

"Didn't you say it was still burnt?"

"That was what I made this morning! This one at noon was made with Sister Fang's help!"

"Made by Sister Fang?"

"Yeah, I begged her to teach me. She did most of it, and I did a small part!"

"Which part did you do?"

"I did the part where I cut the meat!"

"Just cut the meat?"

"Cutting meat is also part of cooking!"

Lu Chen looked at the insulated bag and opened it.

The color of the braised pork belly was much more normal.

At least it wasn't black.

He picked up a piece and tasted it.

The taste was indeed not bad.

"How is it!"

"It's okay."

"Is 'okay' tasty or not tasty?"

"It's just okay."

Shen Xiaoning puffed out her cheeks.

"Can't you just say it's tasty!"

"It's tasty."

"Your tone is not sincere at all!"

"Then how do you want me to say it?"

"You should say, 'Classmate Shen Xiaoning, this is the most delicious braised pork belly I've ever eaten. Thank you, you've worked hard!'"

"You're overthinking it."

"You!"

Sun Ji, who was nearby, laughed out loud.

"Can you two go somewhere else to be lovey-dovey? I'm eating instant noodles here and I feel like I've been stuffed with dog food."

"Who's being lovey-dovey with him!" Shen Xiaoning's face flushed red instantly.

"Not lovey-dovey." Lu Chen continued eating, his expression unchanged.

Sun Ji shook his head.

"Fine, fine, fine, not lovey-dovey, it's a pure medical-nursing relationship, I believe you."

Shen Xiaoning stomped her foot and ran away.

She walked three steps and came back.

"Just leave the bowl at the Nurse Station later!"

Then she ran away again.

Sun Ji watched her back and sighed.

"Little Lu, are you really not getting it, or are you pretending?"

"Eat."

"I'm asking you a question."

"Mm."

"'Mm' again. What's with the 'mm'? Can't you say a few more words to the young lady?"

Lu Chen picked up a piece of braised pork belly.

"I think it's quite good as it is now."

Sun Ji looked at him.

He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't.

Forget it.

Young people's affairs, let them take it slow.

1:30 PM.

Director Li Sen returned from a meeting outside.

Just as he entered the Emergency Department, Meng Yan intercepted him.

"Director Li, something happened this morning."

"What happened?"

"The Red Zone admitted a critical patient with a fall from height, tension hemopneumothorax combined with extensive pleural adhesions, the situation was very critical."

"Who handled it?"

"Lu Chen."

Director Li Sen's footsteps stopped.

"What did he do?"

"Closed Thoracic Drainage, done independently, with Wu Fan as the First assistant. The whole process took less than five minutes, and the patient is now stabilized."

"He performed Closed Thoracic Drainage on a patient with adhesions?"

"Yes."

"What was the result?"

"Associate Chief Physician Zheng came for a consultation later, and his exact words after seeing it were that this tube was placed better than more than half of the attending physicians in their department."

Director Li Sen's expression didn't change.

But something flashed in his eyes.

"Why didn't the Department of Thoracic Surgery come for a consultation in time?"

"They said the elective surgeries were fully booked in the morning and they couldn't come."

"Fully booked? Is everyone still in the operating room? Even the one on duty?"

"The Associate Chief Physician on duty was indeed in the operating room; he said a surgery was added temporarily."

Director Li Sen frowned.

"Who approved the temporary addition of the surgery?"

"I'm not clear about that."

Director Li Sen didn't ask further.

He walked into his office and closed the door.

After sitting down, he first pulled up the Emergency Department's admission records for this morning and the surgery schedule of the Department of Thoracic Surgery.

He looked for five minutes.

Then he picked up the phone.

"Department of Thoracic Surgery? This is Director Li Sen from the Emergency Department. That temporarily added surgery this morning, what time was it added?"

The person on the other end of the phone answered.

Director Li Sen's expression changed.

"Added at 8:30? The patient had an elective surgery scheduled yesterday? Moved to this morning temporarily because of a scheduling conflict? Who arranged this adjustment?"

The person on the other end of the phone said a few more words.

Director Li Sen's hand tightened.

"Okay, I know."

He hung up the phone.

Sitting in the chair, motionless.

The elective surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery this morning was originally scheduled for tomorrow.

It was temporarily adjusted to this morning yesterday afternoon.

The person who adjusted it was the Medical Affairs Department.

Section Chief He Zhongfeng signed it.

Is that normal?

Adjustments to surgery schedules are indeed common in large Hospitals.

But it just so happened that when Lu Chen was on duty, the only Doctor on Duty from the Department of Thoracic Surgery who could come for a consultation was reassigned, and a patient who needed high-difficulty Closed Thoracic Drainage just happened to arrive.

One coincidence is a coincidence.

Two coincidences are suspicious.

Three coincidences are intentional.

Director Li Sen closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was full of anger.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Old Zeng, do you have time this afternoon? I have something to discuss with you in person."