Chapter 261

Episode 261. NS Conquest (1)

"…Hmm."

My impressions?

If someone asked for my impressions on saving a person's brain from day one….

'Honestly, did I really do anything that big?'

The brain proxy was left to the ghost, and the hand proxy was left to the professor.

Feeling an inexplicable awkwardness, I opened my mouth.

"I don't think I did much, sir."

It wasn't a lie, and I meant it sincerely, but Professor Park Seung-woo seemed to misinterpret my words as something along the lines of "This kind of thing is easy."

"Huuuh…. Is that so?"

Leaving those words behind, Professor Park Seung-woo fell into deep thought for a moment.

If I were to add my brief thoughts, it would probably be something like, 'What should I do with that genius?'

"For now, I understand."

Hwang Seong-hun raised his head and looked at Park Seung-woo.

"Professor?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"The suturing is finished."

Park Seung-woo stroked his jaw once and then smiled with his eyes toward me.

"For now, Han Hyeonjae? Let's follow the patient to the Intensive Care Unit."

…

…

The Neurointensive Care Unit on the 5th floor of the main building.

Commonly known as the NCU.

Yoon Hee-su, a 2nd Year neurosurgery resident who was waiting for the patient in front of it, was sharing the episode from this morning with his junior, 2nd Year Park Ui-jin.

"So… he directly clashed with him in the open?"

Park Ui-jin paused just as he was about to down his Energy drink.

"That's pretty much it."

"No, wait a second. Did I hear this story right just now?"

Park Ui-jin grabbed the back of his neck.

"So what you're saying is this, right?"

"Yeah?"

"I understand that a 4th-year Emergency Medicine resident came for a rotation."

Park Ui-jin had to stay behind to monitor the ward this morning, so he hadn't been able to participate in the morning Conference.

Therefore, while he knew that an Emergency Medicine resident was coming for a rotation, he didn't know exactly who that person was.

"But what? He helped prepare for the Conference? He pointed out a Criticism?"

"No, well, that Criticism was indeed something that could sufficiently be pointed out regarding the contrast CT. But what was even crazier was…."

Yoon Hee-su had already begun to treat the fact that Han Hyeonjae noticed the bleeding on the opposite side of the brain solely because the brain midline hadn't shifted as just some minor Criticism that could easily be pointed out.

Threshold.

When people see something truly mind-blowing, they treat the moderately mind-blowing things they saw before as insignificant.

They commonly say one's threshold goes up.

And today was precisely the day Yoon Hee-su's threshold had shot up incredibly high.

"Hey. So tell me more about that. What do you mean he clashed with him?"

At those words, Yoon Hee-su made an expression that said, "Oh, crap!"

It seemed he only just realized that the most important fact had been pushed to the back.

"The thing is, we thought it was just a normal SAH (* Subarachnoid Hemorrhage) case, right?"

"But?"

"But it wasn't. Apparently, he suddenly looked at the DSA (* Digital Subtraction Angiography) and 3D-CTA, and then asked to pull up the raw bone Data at the same time."

At those words, Park Ui-jin tilted his head.

"He suddenly asked to pull up the bone data? Why?"

"And then he suddenly asked if the anatomical data matched what we know."

Park Ui-jin began to focus on this story as if he were watching a Hollywood movie.

It seemed he quite liked this rebellion (?) diary of a resident from another department.

"And then, Professor Oh Man-seok was there, right?"

Professor Oh Man-seok.

He used to be the director of education and research, and now he was the chief professor of neurosurgery.

Since he had been in the brain section for a long time, his skills were proven, and his influence was grand accordingly, but he had slipped slightly in the overall hospital politics and ultimately stepped away from the mainstream.

However, he was still a figure whose influence within the department could not be ignored.

Political influence was political influence, but….

"Professor Oh views the brain almost perfectly. He's such a perfectionist that just him raising his hand during a conference gives me PTSD. But why Professor Oh?"

At Park Ui-jin's puzzled question, Yoon Hee-su nodded his head.

"So, Professor Oh said that compared to the left A1, there is a size asymmetry, but blood flow is maintained in both A1 segments. Meaning, even if the bifurcation point is low, there is absolutely no problem with brain surgery using the standard pterional approach! He said something like that."

"Yeah."

"Then do you know what that rotation resident said?"

"What did he say?"

"It seems everyone here is unaware of a fatal anatomical variation."

At those words, Park Ui-jin dropped the empty energy drink can he had finished.

Clang—

Clatter—

This was the Moment the Rumor of the crazy bastard Han Hyeonjae expanded to neurosurgery.

"Even though Professor Oh had immediately figured out that there was a Low bifurcation finding formed right above the origin of the ophthalmic artery!"

It is not an easy thing to just look at a simple 3D-CTA screen and immediately spit out what variation exists.

Because Professor Oh was also highly skilled, he could confidently speak with certainty.

"But the rotation resident said it wasn't. He said that the A1 segment of the Anterior Cerebral Artery runs across the lower part of the Optic nerve, rather than above the Optic nerve and Optic chiasm."

"…Is there even such a thing?"

Park Ui-jin tilted his head.

He had also seen countless cases while being a neurosurgery resident, and although not as much as the professors, he had seen far more cerebrovascular variation cases compared to residents of other departments at least.

Because of that, it was even more of a question.

'Where on earth did that rotation resident get that knowledge?'

"So I looked it up a bit, right?"

At Yoon Hee-su's words, Park Ui-jin's eyes sparkled as if telling him to give the result.

"It's a variation reported in fewer than 60 cases worldwide."

"…."

"Can you believe it?"

"Would you believe it? If it were you?"

The two burst into a hollow laugh at the same time.

"Hahaha…."

"Hahahahaha…."

"A genius really did exist…."

Park Ui-jin let out a Sigh, trying hard to hide his bitter feelings.

…

…

"Hahahahaha…."

It was while I was heading to the Neurointensive Care Unit with the patient.

Further down the Hallway in front of the intensive care unit, two doctors could be seen laughing.

'What is that? They should do some work instead of laughing.'

I didn't view that sight favorably.

Some people are on rotation and entered the operating room from the morning, staying there for nearly 5 hours before coming out.

Viewing the brain was just a bonus.

Yet some people are laughing so leisurely like that?

Just then, as if they noticed us returning with the patient after finishing the Surgery, they opened the door to the Neurointensive Care Unit.

'They should've opened it promptly from the start.'

That way, we stepped inside the door of the Neurointensive Care Unit, and Park Seung-woo, who had finished handing over the patient to them, came up behind me before I knew it and asked.

"Han 선생?"

"Ah… Yes, Professor."

He cleared his throat with a loud cough.

"You see. Hmm. There is one matter to convey."

…What is it?

I switched to listening mode and quietly gathered my hands together.

I should listen meekly.

"We decided to do the spine part just a little bit."

"Pardon?"

"To make you do the brain part a bit more."

At his words, my brain froze for a moment.

Wasn't the original neurosurgery rotation schedule a total of 2 weeks, with 1 week for the brain and 1 week for the spine?

But suddenly increasing the proportion of the brain?

"Well… it might be baffling. But you're here to train on how to view patients initially in the Emergency Room, right?"

His words were correct.

The rotation to other departments I am receiving now for the establishment of the acute care department is mostly about patients I will urgently encounter in the emergency room.

Therefore, the brain emergency often had a higher level of urgency than the spine.

"The most important thing is. I don't think the professors on the spine side like you very much…."

I paused at those words.

"Ah… I see, I understand what you mean very well."

Factions or hospital political battles.

It must be something like that.

"Anyway, it would be good to understand it around that level…."

Professor Park Seung-woo turned his gaze elsewhere.

'Where is he looking?'

With that thought, looking at where Park Seung-woo's gaze was headed, it was toward the Bed where the patient who finished surgery earlier was lying.

He soon stepped a bit closer to the bed and gestured for me to come.

Oh.

I should go quickly.

Since the professor is calling.

"We succeeded in the clip ligation. The surgery itself finished successfully and well for now, but…."

What is this.

Is he bragging about himself?

"We've only come exactly halfway through the entire subarachnoid hemorrhage treatment."

I wanted to slap my forehead at those words.

So that's what he meant.

'Then you're going to ask me about the remaining half now, right?'

I decided to strike first in advance and turned on the Window in the Void.

Pop—

Korean Slave 1 (Male): He says surgery is half the treatment, what's the rest?

Let's Pop the Head open: It was Fisher grade 3, wasn't it?

Korean Slave 1 (Male): Fisherman grade 3?

Latte is Mine: Stop making weird jokes.

'It was a joke from the bottom of my heart, though.'

Let's Pop the Head open: Anyway, between 3 to 14 days, Cerebral Vasospasm (* Blood vessel spasm) or Delayed Cerebral Ischemia (* Delayed brain ischemia) can break out.

Blood vessel spasm.

A disease where oxyhemoglobin and inflammatory substances, emitted as red blood cells that were pooled in the cisterns break down, irritate the cerebral blood vessels and block them.

Let's Pop the Head open: You need to give a calcium channel blocker in advance. Nimodipine 60mg PO.

PO?

Oral administration?

This patient is an intensive care unit patient.

'Ah, then I can just give it through the Levin Tube (* Nasogastric tube).'

Nodding my head like that, I decided to strike first.

"So what I want to say is…."

"I believe we need to give Nimodipine."

At my words, Park Seung-woo furrowed his brows.

Ah, is this not the correct answer?

"Huh?"

"Ah, that, I thought you were trying to ask about the post-operative management of this patient."

At those words, Park Seung-woo burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha… No, no. I thought it would be too harsh to ask even that… but Han 선생 got it right again."

"Is that so?"

Damn it.

He wasn't trying to ask this.

Then what is it?

"Han 선생."

Is he perhaps scolding me?

"Yes, Professor."

He crossed his arms and opened his mouth.

"I rarely say this to a rotation resident… no, in my life, I have never once said this to a resident from another department."

"Yes, Professor."

What kind of words could it be.

"Do you want to write a paper as the first author?"