Chapter 94

Chapter 4 of Episode 94: A Satisfying Blow (4)

"Has Professor Fellow not arrived yet?"

"They're on their way. Let's start the angiography first among ourselves."

"Yes, Chief."

I carefully moved the patient to the procedure table with Choi Hosub.

In the angiography room.

Just as the thoracic surgery department has an operating room, the cardiology department has an angiography room.

This is because important procedures such as coronary angioplasty and stenting are performed here.

At the head of the table where the patient lay, a C-arm was installed.

The C-arm, as its name suggests, is C-shaped X-ray equipment.

The device can move up and down, allowing for real-time X-ray imaging of the patient's entire body.

Next to the table was a monitor divided into six screens.

When angiography and intervention are performed, the patient's blood vessels will appear on the monitor.

Since I did not intern in cardiology in my previous life,

this was my first time entering the angiography room.

The interior of the angiography room felt unfamiliar and intriguing.

"Senior, can I set up the femoral artery?"

"Can you do it? You haven't assisted in the angiography room before."

"I can do it."

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll prepare to start the intervention as soon as Professor Fellow arrives."

Choi Hosub believed me without a word.

He must remember my past performance.

The feeling of being trusted by someone made me happy.

In my previous life, at this time, I was branded as a failure and went through a painful period.

If I had known then what I know now, perhaps reincarnation wouldn't have been necessary.

"Patient, we will start the angiography before the intervention."

"Yes."

"However, if your chest pain worsens, please let us know immediately. It's actually worse to try to endure it."

The patient nodded.

I pulled the dressing cart to the side of the procedure table and began the procedure.

First, I disinfected the femoral artery area with a large area using Betadine (red antiseptic) soaked cotton.

I used a razor to neatly trim the hair around the femoral artery.

This was to prevent secondary infection that could occur after the procedure.

Infection management after surgery is as important as the surgery itself.

"Dr. Oh, have you done the contrast agent allergy test?"

"No, I haven't done it yet."

"Please do it now."

Following my order, Nurse Oh Ji-hyo injected the contrast agent into the patient's hand.

After a few minutes, there was no abnormal reaction around the patient's hand.

No redness, no hives, etc.

Since there was no allergic reaction to the contrast agent, there was no obstacle to performing the angiography.

"Chief, I'm ready on my side."

"I'm done too. We just need to wait for Professor Fellow."

While waiting for the fellow, Choi Hosub and I carefully monitored the patient's condition.

Despite receiving medication, the patient was suffering from a transmural myocardial infarction.

We didn't know when or how a heart attack might occur.

So we couldn't afford to let our guard down.

"Doctor... The chest pain seems to be getting worse."

The patient frowned and spoke in pain.

It felt as if the temperature in the angiography room had dropped a few degrees.

If a problem arose before the fellow arrived,

before the intervention began, it would be difficult to manage.

I quickly checked the patient monitoring device.

The temperature and pulse were the same as before, but the blood pressure was a concern.

The blood pressure had dropped to 70mmHg/30mmHg.

The patient's face seemed to have a slight bluish tinge.

Cyanosis.

Due to inadequate blood supply,

and inadequate oxygen supply in the blood,

the skin tissue in thin areas turned blue.

Moreover, the oxygen saturation had dropped to 90%.

This was the critical point.

The patient needed immediate intervention.

"Chief, please give the order. Also, please contact Professor Fellow again."

I was the first to break free from the anxiety and tension and spoke to Choi Hosub.

The more serious the condition, the colder and calmer a doctor's mind and heart must be.

"Let's start with intravenous injections of Naloxone, Morphine, and Pragmin."

"The oxygen saturation has also dropped significantly. Should we use an oxygen mask?"

"You're right. Add the oxygen mask. I'll call Professor Fellow."

While Choi Hosub was on the phone, I secured the patient's airway and intubated the trachea.

I connected the intubation tube to the oxygen mask.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

The misty breath from the oxygen mask.

As mechanical ventilation began, the patient's oxygen saturation started to rise gradually.

After Nurse Oh administered the intravenous injections, the patient's expression looked more relaxed.

However, my tense expression did not ease.

It wasn't a time to be happy that the patient was improving.

All the measures taken so far were just temporary, and the ultimate treatment was something else.

The only thing that could save the patient was percutaneous coronary intervention.

While anxiously watching the wall clock, Choi Hosub and the fellow entered the angiography room.

"Let's start the PCI immediately. Have you administered anesthesia?"

The fellow hurriedly stood in front of the procedure table.

His breathing was rough, as if he had run from the parking lot to the angiography room.

Sweat beads formed on his face.

I felt more sorry than resentful about the fellow's late arrival.

I, too, had run frantically to the operating room when I received an emergency call during my time as a thoracic surgery assistant professor.

Doctors in departments with emergency surgeries or procedures have no rest.

They are merely on standby for emergencies.

"Local anesthesia, let's proceed immediately."

I injected the pre-measured lidocaine (local anesthetic) near the patient's femoral artery.

While the local anesthesia was being administered, the fellow received a briefing from Choi Hosub.

"You both did well. This is really a good job. If a clumsy intern had been with the patient, it would have been a dangerous situation."

"Thank you."

"The anesthesia seems to be done... 10-blade."

"Here it is."

I attached a 10-blade to the scalpel and handed it to the fellow.

The fellow created a 2-3 cm opening in the skin where the femoral artery was located without hesitation.

Choi Hosub was preparing for imaging in front of the monitor.

With the fellow's reliable presence, the angiography and intervention proceeded smoothly.

The guide wire was inserted into the femoral artery,

the catheter was positioned in the heart,

the contrast agent was injected, revealing the patient's blood vessels clearly,

the balloon was inflated to widen the narrowed coronary artery, and so on.

The coronary angiography and intervention were successfully completed in just 30 minutes.

A patient who could have been freed from suffering in just 30 minutes.

The fact that the patient suffered for several hours due to Kim Seulgi was absurd to me.

I felt compassion and regret for the patient and anger towards Kim Seulgi.

"Now we can remove the oxygen mask. Is there a free bed?"

"Yes, we will proceed with admission immediately."

"Intern, please finish up, and Hosub, come see me for a moment."

"Yes, sir."

After Choi Hosub and the fellow left the angiography room, I removed the patient's oxygen mask.

I placed a heavy sandbag on the patient's femoral artery to prevent bleeding.

"Even if it's uncomfortable, please lie on your back and look at the ceiling for about 3 hours. The bleeding needs to stop completely."

"Yes, thank you, doctor. Thanks to you, I survived."

"You're welcome. It's all thanks to your endurance, patient."

The patient, whose condition had improved, looked up at me, and I looked down at the patient.

Our gazes were intense.

We were comrades who had fought and won the war against death.

I sighed in relief, knowing that I had saved a patient who had died pointlessly in my previous life.

No matter what, my reincarnation was not in vain.

"Doctor, is my father okay?"

As I pulled the gurney out of the procedure room, the patient's daughter jumped up from her seat.

"Yes, he just needs to rest in the ward."

"Thank you, doctor. Father, are you feeling better?"

"Thanks to my daughter's concern, I'm fine."

I headed to the ward, listening to the mother-daughter conversation.

My steps felt light, as if I had wings.

* * *

'Ah... What the hell.'

Kim Seulgi trembled, sensing the ominous atmosphere.

Following the instructions of the department head, Choi Hosub, all the staff working in the cardiology department gathered in the conference room.

The staff lined up along the wall, and Choi Hosub stood opposite them with a fierce look.

In fact, the department head was not the type to interfere much in departmental affairs.

The first reason was that fourth-year residents were busy with exams and thesis preparation.

The second reason was that the department head had a laissez-faire attitude towards residents.

Yet, he had called the residents and interns to a meeting in the middle of the night?

This was no ordinary serious matter.

"While I wasn't paying attention, there's a leech that has turned the department into a mud pit."

"..."

"Kim Seulgi."

"Yes, Chief."

Kim Seulgi felt fear when her name was called.

She was cornered, unable to say a word about the transmural myocardial infarction patient.

She had almost caused the patient's death.

"You're worse than I thought. A greenhorn drinking soju at night and harassing nurses, that's what you're doing."

"Huh?"

Kim Seulgi was startled by the unexpected information from the chief.

Only her classmate Oh Hyun-joon knew about the drinking, and only the nurses who were harassed knew about the harassment.

How did the chief know about it?

And it wasn't just about the myocardial infarction patient.

The situation was much more serious than she had anticipated.

Her legs felt weak.

"Chief, what do you mean?"

The third-year resident, Bae Tae-gon, asked in surprise.

"I thought you didn't know either. After all, I only recently found out how much of a troublemaker Kim Seulgi is."

"..."

"See for yourselves."

The department head handed a soda bottle containing soju to the third-year resident.

He also showed the CCTV footage of Kim Seulgi harassing a nurse at the station.

The evidence of her blatant misconduct was too clear.

No matter how cunning Kim Seulgi was, it was impossible to escape this situation.

Her vision went dark.

She had always been confident in her ability to manipulate her seniors, but she couldn't understand why this was happening.

"Hey, Kim Seulgi! Are you crazy? You only did foolish things when we treated you well?"

"Is this kid even human?"

"Raise your head and show us your shameless face."

The harsh words and glares from the second and third-year residents poured onto Kim Seulgi.

She couldn't regain her composure.

"You guys haven't done well