System Came When the Doctor was Thirty

The hospital is fine too, but it’s definitely not as quiet as home.

The first chapter is pure theoretical explanation, basically a discussion: Hu Cong asks questions and Professor Lan Hualuo answers, pushing the theory out bit by bit.

Lu Cheng’s current foundation is already quite solid. Maybe he can’t match the depth of an associate professor at a top hospital, but he’s definitely not worse than any attending at an ordinary hospital.

His basic skills pool is also deep enough.

So, after Lu Cheng finished watching the first video, a Skill naturally flashed onto his panel.

[Limb Preservation Surgery for Mangled Limbs (Beginner 0/5)]

Huh?

Seriously?

Lu Cheng was quite surprised, but soon felt it was only logical.

Limb Preservation Surgery for Mangled Limbs is a theory and technique that’s already been created by others; it’s not something Lu Cheng developed himself.

As long as Lu Cheng has enough knowledge stored up and his basic operative skills are sufficient, getting familiar with this surgery is something he can pick up very quickly.

[Current Skill Points Balance: 23.8]

Yesterday he only had 12 Skill Points. Today, because he participated in an emergency resuscitation, he got a big single-item gain, so his Skill Point balance came up to 23.

With higher income, Lu Cheng didn’t have to pinch and scrape when spending. He immediately burned through them all.

[Limb Preservation Surgery for Mangled Limbs (Skilled 13/20) (Skill Points -23)]

The familiar split of cool and warm flows: the warm current returning to his hands, the cool current entering his brain.

Once the theory and technique of Limb Preservation Surgery for Mangled Limbs fused in an instant, Lu Cheng couldn’t help sighing: ”This Professor Lan Hualuo really is a genius.”

”Using the Wound Cleaning Skill and Vascular Reconstruction Surgery as the breakthrough points, he actually carved out a limb-preservation path from this kind of mangling injury that used to require amputation no matter what.”

”This is way harder than developing my own Suturing Technique.”

”Eating what others have already cooked is still more comfortable.”

Lu Cheng stood up and shouted, ”Xiao Shu, I’m taking the iPad!~”

”Okay, remember to get some proper rest. Tomorrow at noon, I’ll see if I have time to come over and feed you.” Mu Nanshu said with a smile.

April 3rd is Sunday, today is April 2nd. Mu Nanshu had set herself the task of writing a paper—no coming out of seclusion until it’s done.

Lu Cheng left.

The reason he and Mu Nanshu could get along so comfortably is that, for now, both of them have their own directions and work, can find things to do on their own, share common goals, and share a common past.

It might not be earth-shattering, and there aren’t any strong, flashy memory points, but feelings are really just like water in daily life—plain yet self-consistent.

By comparison, Lu Cheng isn’t fond of that kind of love-you-can’t-have, the earth-shattering, or so-called unforgettable romances.

…

”Brother Chen, do me a favor…” When Lu Cheng rushed to the Trauma Center, Trauma Surgery’s Liang Shuhao was just handing out cigarettes to Chen Fang.

Chen Fang saw Lu Cheng and said, ”Can’t be done, Shuhao.”

”If you don’t believe me, ask Director Lu.”

Lu Cheng was the leader, so Chen Fang directly tossed the trouble over to him.

Liang Shuhao had come specifically to find Lu Cheng. Knowing that Lu Cheng had gone home, he’d gone to look for Chen Fang first.

After Lu Cheng refused the cigarette, Liang Shuhao lit one for himself. ”Brother Lu, seriously, please, help me out.”

”The hospital administration is doing inhuman stuff. They threw down a task without caring about anything: they want our Trauma Surgery amputation rate to be five percentage points lower than last year.”

”This year, just in the first quarter, our amputation rate has already exceeded the target.”

It’s not the doctors who injure the patients. Whether a mangling injury needs amputation isn’t something Xiangzhou People’s Hospital’s Trauma Surgery gets to define on its own.

The hospital leadership doesn’t care about that, they only care about the figures. So then the only options are to push patients away or go down some crooked path.

Even the department-level directors haven’t considered going to learn Limb Preservation Surgery; it has nothing to do with attendings like Liang Shuhao.

”I mean it, Brother Lu.” Liang Shuhao’s tone was earnest.

Lu Cheng had previously worked in the Orthopedics Department of Long County People’s Hospital, but Long County People’s Hospital would never assign a ’task’ of reducing amputation rate to a specialty department!

What more can a County Hospital ask for?

Lu Cheng had also been primary surgeon on amputations.

How to put this kind of surgery… To save someone’s life, you can’t say it’s immoral, but when you do too many, you’ll still develop psychological barriers.

Especially that despairing, innocent look on the elderly and children after amputation, and the dazed helplessness of middle-aged and young patients.

Liang Shuhao is even younger than Chen Fang. Previously, when Lu Cheng was on duty in the resuscitation room, he’d met Liang Shuhao a few times and they’d introduced themselves.

Lu Cheng said, ”Liang Shuhao, our Trauma Center has just been set up. We’re really not keen on picking up this kind of junk.”

”I know, Brother Lu.”

”I’m not asking you to do this every day, just a few cases!~ There really is no other way.” Liang Shuhao’s expression was sincere.

”They’re going to dock our pay; that’s practically killing us.” Liang Shuhao gave a bitter, awkward laugh.

The administration of State People’s Hospital is both good and not good.

The original intention of forcing specialties to bring down their amputation rate is to make you go study and improve yourselves—for the sake of patients. But if they disregard reality and just reverse-pressure you, that’s like forcing a rooster to lay eggs, just to cook the numbers for the higher-ups to see.

”What’s the situation?” Lu Cheng asked.

”It’s a right-foot, foot-sole crush-mangling injury. The amputation level is at the distal tibia-fibula. It’s not a difficult operation.”

”Brother Lu, I’m sure I don’t need to explain too much to you.” Liang Shuhao gave a simple explanation.

”The patient’s lying over in the surgical clinic area, currently undergoing pre-op tests, no underlying diseases.”

”Would you come take a look?”

Lu Cheng nodded. ”Let’s go have a look…”

”Thanks, Brother Lu!~” Liang Shuhao knew that since Lu Cheng had agreed, at least the team could cut one amputation from this month’s tally.

That amputation rate is built up one surgery at a time.

Lu Cheng took a look. The patient was quite young, just a thirty-something young mom. She’d been in a rush to buy groceries and get home, and at the intersection, a big truck ran over her foot.

Right now she was full of remorse and regret, crying her eyes out, while the driver kept apologizing, ”I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I really didn’t see you.”

”The light ahead was green. I never imagined someone would suddenly dash out. I’m really, really sorry.”

”For the medical costs, you can just talk to my insurance company.”

The driver’s attitude was fairly sincere.

”Did I ask you for money? I’m about to get my leg chopped off…” the woman shouted and cursed.

Just then, the traffic cop was also there, and chimed in, ”You ran the red light for no reason. Not ruling you fully responsible is already being lenient.”

”The other guy was driving through on a green. If you hadn’t run the red, would this have happened?”

The woman was scolded into silence, but she still covered her face, aggrieved.

Amputation isn’t just some small surgery that leaves a scar, nothing that simple.

Her right foot was basically a pulp—skin flayed back, the tarsal bones shattered… Most importantly, the skin and associated soft tissues were pale and necrotic-looking, with that obvious swollen, waterlogged feel of a crush injury.

”Brother Lu, the wound surface is actually fairly regular.” Liang Shuhao said in a low voice.

Seeing the doctors come over, the woman’s husband asked again, ”Doctor, does she really have to be amputated?”

”If we don’t amputate and let this area become necrotic and the infection spread upward, it won’t just be amputation then—people can die!” Liang Shuhao’s tone was firm.

Lu Cheng didn’t say anything. His Skill Level for Limb Preservation Surgery wasn’t that high, and at the moment he didn’t have absolute confidence.

At best, he could say he’d first take the patient to the OR and give limb preservation a try. But when they talked to the family, they still had to talk as an amputation, with limb preservation as a backup.

”There really is no other way?” the man asked.

Liang Shuhao shook his head. ”There’s definitely no other way. Even if you go to Xiangya in Sha City, most likely they’ll still amputate.”

”In this kind of situation, there aren’t many people in the whole country who can preserve the limb.”

Lu Cheng interjected at the right time, ”Hurry up and talk it through and sign. Don’t waste time. Otherwise, if she starts bleeding too much and goes into shock later, that’ll be trouble.”

”Or you can transfer her, but transferring is very dangerous too.”

The man took a deep breath. ”Where else can we transfer her to? It’s five or six hours from here to Sha City.”

”Honey, let’s do the surgery.”

”Wuu wuu wuu… wuu wuu wuu…” The woman just kept crying.

She knew there was no other way. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to face it. But to give her verbal consent herself, she felt wronged.

She’d just gone out to buy some groceries, and now she was going to leave her foot behind?