Ling Ran left quietly. When he was about to reach the washing room, he stopped and turned around to walk along the corridor until he exited the clean areas and entered the supply area.
Ling Ran opened his storage cabinet and took a set of clean clothes. He entered the cubicle in the bathroom, cleaned himself thoroughly, and splashed warm water on himself forcefully.
That was the first time Ling Ran had carried out surgery on an AIDS patient, and it was impossible for him to not be worried about it.
Things that only occurred by chance would only be etched deep into the minds of those involved when the matter happened to them.
For example, those who let their imaginations run wild after they bought a lottery ticket for 2 RMB were those who ignored probability and were incredibly unrealistic romanticists.
Similarly, if a person who was worried about his own life had to sit in an airplane that only crashed once every five million flights, he would be hesitant. If that same person had to participate in surgery for an AIDS patient, it would be an extremely terrifying matter for him.
However, doctors did not have many choices in this regard.
In their current situation, the doctors in tertiary Grade A hospitals would have to participate in such surgeries sooner or later.
When Ling Ran set up the ward area’s environment for his Ling Treatment Group, he had thought about such issues.
However, it would be impossible to say that he felt completely confident.
Right then, Ling Ran felt like he was a pilot who was about to have his first solo flight.
He knew that he was well prepared, yet… the warm water still provided some needed comfort.
After he showered for fifteen minutes, Ling Ran turned off the tap, wiped his body and put on all the clothes he brought with him. Then, he went to the dressing room while half-naked and slipped into a set of scrubs.
It was very difficult for Ling Ran to get a scrub that fit his figure. It all depended on the nurses from the supply area who classified the scrubs carefully. That was how Ling Ran could easily find suitable scrubs for himself.
Once he finished the whole procedure, which looked like a ceremony, Ling Ran was back in the bathroom, washing his hands step by step.
He scrubbed his nails, washed his big and long arms, cleaned his fingertips and purlicue, wiped his nail groves and the space between the fingers…
Ten minutes later, when Ling Ran returned to the operating theater, everyone raised their heads and looked at Ling Ran. No one would ever know that the cool and calm Ling Ran had just performed a psychological adjustment on himself.
Then, step by step, he put on his goggles, protective clothing, and two layers of gloves using the double-gloving technique. That was another ten minutes.
Lu Wenbin suddenly laughed.
Su Jiafu, the anesthetist felt weirded out, and he looked at Lu Wenbin. “Are today’s pork trotters all sold out?”
“I was thinking about the time when I had my BMW 535 maintained.”
“You don’t have to mention the model.” Su Jiafu chuckled. Anesthetists could be considered individuals with high income, but Su Jiafu did not get himself a good car. A person who stayed twenty-four hours in the hospital did not need a good car.
Lu Wenbin cleared his throat smugly and said, “Let me tell you something funny. When I sent my car to a 4S shop[1] for maintenance, not only did they charge me for the material, but they also charged me the labor wages. One working period was 38 RMB. Five minutes was considered as one working period too. So, the fee for an hour was 450 RMB. Do you think it’s too much if our hospital charges according to working periods as well? Maybe something like 450 RMB for an hour? Humans are more complicated than a BMW, right? What’s more, we’re now operating on patients with AIDS!”
“450 RMB for an hour?” Su Jiafu laughed. “Then, I might as well just get a Porsche.”
“Do you want to get a Porsche and get scolded?” Lu Wenbin pursed his lips. “The BMW 535 is the limit for doctors, you know?”
“So, are you saying that other doctors can’t dream of buying a better car than yours?”
“You finally caught the main point.” Lu Wenbin extended his hands and looked at the two layers of gloves he wore using the double-gloving technique, and he asked, “Can you promise me that my finger will not get any cuts?”
“No.” Ling Ran also raised his own hands.
The inner glove layer was tough and multicolored, while the outer layer was thinner with a lighter color. Once the outer layer was pierced through, the doctor could easily spot the colored inner layer, which was why that was known as the double-gloving technique. When the inner layer was visible, it gave the doctors a chance to change their gloves. Theoretically, it could reduce the probability of occupational exposure.
However, theory was just theory. When it came to real-life practice, the chances of the surgeon piercing through the multicolored glove still existed.
Ling Ran extended his hand and looked at it before he said, “Today, we’ll be performing a knee arthroscopy surgery. The gloves won’t be easily torn. Go and inform the patient to come over.”
Lu Wenbin showed Ling Ran that he “trusted” him with a fake smile.
A while later, Zuo Cidian followed Xu Yongchang, who had gotten ready and entered the operating theater.
Yu Yuan then brought in the three interns as well.
“Lu Wenbin will become my assistant. Yu Yuan, be on standby. Zuo Cidian, you can go out first.” Ling Ran quickly came to a decision.
Among his three assistants, he put his greatest hope in Lu Wenbin’s skills. Yu Yuan and Zuo Cidian’s skill levels were very horrible.
However, Ling Ran still needed Yu Yuan to manage the interns. Besides, the Ling Treatment Group and the interns had never performed surgery on an AIDS patient before, and that was a compulsory course to be taken in tertiary Grade A hospitals.
Compulsory courses needed to be taken no matter what.
Yun Hua Hospital was the top hospital in the region. While it enjoyed the title of a “high-class hospital”, it also had to bear the responsibility that came with being a high-class hospital.
When those patients who could not be treated in lower-level hospitals that did not dare to treat them, or patients who were near death’s door were sent to Yun Hua Hospital, they would have no choice but to accept these patients.
Yun Hua Hospital was the hospital that could receive all patients in Yun Hua City and even all of Changxi Province.
“Doctor Ling, thank you.” Xu Yongchang coughed softly and attracted everyone’s attention.
The three interns subconsciously avoided his mouth and nose, but they also regarded Xu Yongchang curiously.
Yu Yuan and Lu Wenbin’s facial expressions were not natural as well.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Ling Ran replied while his surgical head cover over his mouth.
Ling Ran even wore a mouth face mask under the head cover. He was fully geared.
Xu Yongchang looked at Ling Ran’s medical protective clothing and said happily, “No, Doctor Ling, I would like to thank you…”
“I don’t like you!” Ling Ran cut off Xu Yongchang’s words. He said, “I do not want to chat with you. Due to your medical condition, I had agreed with using regional anesthesia. But I do not want to talk with you.”
Xu Yongchang opened his mouth with great difficulty. He said with an unwillingness to admit defeat, “I really had no choice…”
Ling Ran gave him the cold shoulder and whispered to Lu Wenbin, “Perform disinfection and draping.”
Xu Yongchang looked at Ling Ran, who had a stern face, and pursed his lips. He made the smart decision and chose not to say anything.
Lu Wenbin and Yu Yuan felt happy.
Even Guan Fei, who got scolded just now, felt much better.
For them, patients who hid their medical conditions were like ticking time bombs that were buried in the hospital. They could destroy the lives, future, effort, and all the hard work of one or a few innocent medical staff…
Lu Wenbin and the nurses started to get busy.
When he turned around, Ling Ran reminded him. “Use the thigh fixing frame.”
Knee arthroscopy surgeries required the doctors to disinfect the patient’s entire leg. During this process, the assistant would need to carry the patient’s thigh, and usually, the thigh was lifted using their shoulders. This was the most convenient posture for them as well.
Compared to it, using the thigh fixing frame was much more troublesome, since they would need to use a sponge mat to protect the surrounding thigh fixing frame as well. With all the work necessary to operate a thigh fixing frame, it was much easier to use a young and sturdy set of shoulders.
But since the surgery was performed on an AIDS patient, no one was willing to carry the thigh while they worked.
Even if Lu Wenbin was very built from his fitness training, he would not want to show his results during this moment. He even did a self-reflection. ‘Next time, when I perform another emergency surgery, I am not going to show how strong I am in the future.’
“Fix the frame and prevent it from moving around.” Ling Ran checked each and every item. He started the knee arthroscopy surgery once he was done checking.
“Scalpel.” At the same time Ling Ran gave his order, a cold stainless steel scalpel was pressed into his hand.
Ling Ran lowered his head and looked at the scalpel. He got to know its side as a murderous weapon again.
After a moment of hesitation, Ling Ran gently cut the skin of Xu Yongchang’s knee along the line he drew on it.
