Chapter 33

Episode 33 Airway Management is Important (6)

I slumped down on the chair and mused on that title I had received a moment ago from the gallery.

'The doctor whose hands are garbage but is good at airway, who saved the patient but almost killed him.'

Curses naturally spilled out, but at the same time, the fact that it was an undeniable truth made me feel even more miserable. With a rotten expression, I stood up from my seat. I still had to work anyway. At least until the shackles called a salary released me from this hell. I threw off my blood-stained gown and changed into a new gown. My steps were heavy as lead as I walked down the hallway toward the station.

I could feel every nurse and doctor at the station glancing at me because of the commotion from a moment ago. They were probably whispering things like, That's the 1st-year who just caused that massive accident. I tried my best to ignore those stares and attempted to return to my spot.

Just then, a cold, indifferent voice was heard from behind my back. It was the 3rd-year, Han Jae-on. My heart thumped and sank. What was bound to come had come. The sin of a mere 1st-year daring to perform an invasive procedure independently without a senior's permission. Bracing myself for the hellish lecturing time that was about to start, I turned around as politely as possible.

"Yes, Teacher."

Han Jae-on was staring down at me with a completely expressionless face, her arms crossed. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You, that..." Han Jae-on picked her words for a moment. "You actually did well."

...Excuse me?

Thinking I had misheard, I lifted my head.

"You really did well. A 1st-year can't do this. No, seriously. Not to flatter you, but when blood bursts to that extent, usually even 3rd or 4th-years panic and can't use their hands properly. But you pulled it off alone."

My brain stopped at the unexpected compliment. As I blankly stared at her, her voice dropped a tone lower.

"However..."

Ah. As expected. The 'however' that comes after a compliment is the real main point.

"Did you at all fail to think about surgical airway management?"

It was exactly the point where the crazy ghosts in the gallery had bitten into me like dogs. I couldn't say anything and just parted my lips.

"Ah..."

At my reaction, Han Jae-on let out a deep sigh.

"Hyeonjae. Get a grip. Do you know how dangerous of a gamble what you just did was? What do you think would have happened if you failed the intubation?"

...

"That patient would have passed away right before your eyes. Either drowning in blood or having his brain damaged by hypoxia. And what about you? You would be slapped with a medical malpractice lawsuit for professional negligence resulting in death, and your life would be finished right there. No matter how good your intentions were, the result cannot be death. Do you understand?"

"...Yes."

It was all a fact. Because it succeeded, it could be packaged as a heroic decision, but if it had failed, I would have lost everything. I lowered my head deeply. I couldn't make any excuses.

Then Han Jae-on's voice softened again.

"However..." She tapped my shoulder. "You really did well. You saved him."

With those words, Han Jae-on turned around and went on her way. I stood there for a long time as if stamped to the spot. It felt like I had gone back and forth between hell and heaven. Compliments and reprimands, advice and warm recognition. That's what a real senior is like.

While I was standing there blankly, a loud sound of footsteps was heard from far away near Area C's Pediatric Emergency Room.

"Pant... pant... Han Hyeonjae!!! Where are you?!"

When I turned my head, the Head of Doctor's Office, Lee Minjae, was running this way in a rush. Unknown pink character stickers were stuck all over his white gown. He seemed to have been tormented by kids all day long.

"A moment ago!!! Is what I just heard from the nurse true?! Really?!"

As soon as Lee Minjae reached me, he grabbed both of my shoulders and shook them crazily. I felt like I was going to die of dizziness.

"A tonsillectomy patient! Blood burst from the neck like a fountain?! But you did it alone! The tube! You rammed it in?! Is this true, you crazy bastard?!"

At that loud noise, all eyes at the station shifted to me again. Lacking even the energy to answer, I just nodded. Then, a bizarre smile mixed with ecstasy and madness bloomed on Lee Minjae's face.

"Yes! As expected! As expected, EM suits you better than Internal Medicine!"

...Here he goes again.

"This is it! This is exactly it! This boldness to calmly scoop up a patient's life from a shambles where blood is splattering everywhere! This is the true heart of an Emergency Medicine doctor! What do Internal Medicine guys know? They're just snobs who only look at charts and numbers! But you're different! You proved it through action! Your blood is the same hot blood as ours!"

And then, Lee Minjae hugged me with exaggerated gestures like a theatrical actor. Held in his embrace with my face buried in the character stickers stuck on his gown, I thought, I seriously wonder why my shifts keep overlapping with yours. When will this dreadful ill-fated relationship end? I just hoped all this commotion would end quickly.

However, the Head of Doctor's Office, Lee Minjae, seemed to have no intention of letting me go at all. Holding my shoulders tightly, he didn't stop his praises directed at me.

"This was exactly the sight I saw in you! The Internal Medicine guys will sit at their desks rolling pens for the rest of their lives. But us? We rescue lives with our own hands in this shambles where blood splatters and bones break! You're not just a doctor. You're a warrior! A warrior fighting for the patient on the frontlines of this Emergency Room!"

Warrior, my foot. I'm just a salary slave who wants to go home after work.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lee Minjae was making a whole scene by himself.

"I misunderstood you for a moment! I thought you were a petty coward thinking of running away to Internal Medicine! I'm sorry! This older brother apologizes! But now I know! Your heart, your soul is right here! Right here with us in this hellish Emergency Room!"

No. My soul already left shift and is lying down on my bed.

With empty eyes, I watched the one-man musical Lee Minjae was putting on. How can that gentleman talk like that without ever getting tired? Just as I was beginning to feel a sense of awe toward his lung capacity, Lee Minjae's eyes suddenly flashed. Like a person who had realized a tremendous mission.

"This won't do. I have to report this."

...Report what?

"I must report this fact to the Professor! That we have such a talented individual in our Emergency Medicine department! We can't live being ignored by those Internal Medicine bastards anymore!"

"What? Oh, no, wait? Just a moment, Teacher?"

My restraint did not reach his ears. Lee Minjae began to shout to the point of ringing through the Emergency Room.

"Professor Cheon!!! This guy is crazy!!!! He just saved a person's life, but it's not just at a normal level of saving!!!"

"Argh, please be quiet, Teacher Lee Minjae!!! Please!!!"

I held his arm, almost on the verge of crying, but the milk was already spilled. All the medical staff at the station were staring at us with shocked expressions. I felt like my face was going to explode from embarrassment. At that moment, I wanted to just sink into the ground and disappear.

Whether it was good luck or bad luck, Professor Cheon Eun-jeong, who was in charge today, didn't seem to be nearby. After shouting for the professor a few more times, Lee Minjae lost his steam and said, "Ah, she must have gone somewhere. I should tell her later," before giving my shoulder one last powerful pat and returning to the Pediatric Emergency Room.

My strength was completely drained. My soul had left my body. Adrenaline or whatever, it felt like the shame from a moment ago had burned up every single bit of my energy without leaving anything behind.

As I stood blankly leaning against the wall, someone tapped me.

"Hey."

It was the 3rd-year, Han Jae-on.

"The guardian of that post-op bleeding patient arrived just now. Go and explain to her."

"Ah? Oh, yes!"

Only then did I return to reality. Right. My work wasn't finished yet. Giving strength to my limp legs, I headed toward the consultation room.

Sitting on the chair in the consultation room was a woman who looked to be in her 50s, her face pale white. She was the patient's mother. I swallowed my dry spit and sat opposite the patient's mother.

"You're the patient's guardian, correct? I'm Han Hyeonjae from Emergency Medicine, the one who just treated the patient."

I tried my best to speak in a calm and confident voice. Of course, it probably trembled.

"To give you the conclusion first, he is fine now. Your son's life is out of danger."

"Is that true? Is he really okay?"

"Yes. He is currently stable. However, up until a moment ago, it was a truly critical situation."

I began to explain the situation as easily as possible for her to understand.

"Your son underwent a tonsillectomy a week ago, and today, a blood vessel at that surgical site burst, causing a very large hemorrhage all of a sudden."

I decided not to use stimulating expressions like blood spurting like a fountain. I had at least that much tact.

"The blood clots from that hemorrhage blocked his airway, making breathing impossible. If a person cannot breathe, brain damage occurs within a few minutes, and that leads to cardiac arrest. In your son's case, it was a very urgent situation where his heart could have stopped."

The patient's mother was listening to my words, biting her lip.

"So we performed an emergency procedure called endotracheal intubation. By inserting a tube through the mouth to the airway, we secured a path so he could breathe through a ventilator. Fortunately, the procedure finished successfully, and he is now breathing stably through the ventilator. His vital signs are also fine, and the bleeding that burst urgently has stopped for now."

A tear finally rolled down from the patient's mother's eyes.

"Thank you... Thank you so much, Teacher..."

"No problem, mother. He has probably been moved upstairs by now, and later, the nurse will connect you with the Ear, Nose, and Throat department. You can listen to the explanation there again."

The explanation was all finished. The patient's mother kept bowing her head and saying thank you. Receiving those greetings, I felt that strange weight once again.

The person who pronounces a hellish despair to someone, and a heavenly hope to another.

Carrying all that weight, I walked out of the consultation room. It felt like every single drop of strength in my body had drained away.