Chapter 162: Who You Are With Matters (2)

The patient was quickly transferred from the intensive care unit to the operating room after the decision for surgery was made. Naturally, An Dae-hoon and Suhyuk accompanied him as his primary physicians.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh? No, no, Doctor. This is my duty, of course.”

Suhyuk’s physical condition made it difficult for him to push the bed or administer the ambulance during transportation. He was preoccupied with managing his own movements, so he simply followed behind using his staff for support. The rest of the tasks were handled by An Dae-hoon and the transfer team member.

“Ah, you’re here.”

Upon entering the operating room, they were greeted by an anesthesiologist who had been preparing. Although wearing a surgical cap, their mask hung below their chin, which was understandable since they weren’t yet inside the sterile surgical area.

As a result, Suhyuk could clearly see his face. Naturally, Baruda’s analysis followed immediately after:

[A resident has arrived.]

‘A resident? He looks quite old.’

[Based on appearance alone, An Dae-hoon seems older.]

‘Ah.’

Suhyuk quickly accepted Baruda’s observation. Even An Dae-hoon, standing right next to him, appeared to be in his late thirties at first glance. It always came as a surprise when he mentioned being only in his first year of practice, not yet thirty. Similarly, although the anesthesiologist looked experienced enough to be a professor, he was indeed likely just a resident.

[Judging from the list of questions, it seems like they’ve just completed handover and induction. They don’t appear to have much experience with anesthesia for thoracic surgeries.]

‘Then I should intervene.’

Most people believe that doctors of anesthesiology only administer anesthesia. In fact, many individuals might not even be aware of their existence since anesthesia is rarely highlighted in any media.

However, anyone who has undergone surgery, especially one involving critical vital signs, would immediately understand the crucial role played by anesthesiologists.

This particular operation was extremely challenging, bordering on the most complex cases, making the importance of the anesthesiologist’s expertise significantly higher.

[Weren’t you brought in to assist with this very purpose?]

‘I’m actually feeling nervous now, realizing I have to do it.’

The operating room itself felt unfamiliar territory. Since completing his internship, he hadn’t set foot inside one even once. Just entering the room made his heart race, let alone being responsible for monitoring patient vitals during surgery.

Just entering the operating room made his heart race, and now he was responsible for monitoring the patient’s vital signs during anesthesia and surgery.

“Don’t worry. Think about who I am, Suhyuk. For the past two years, I have been continuously studying without rest.”

The last two years with Baruda were fresh in his mind. There was no need to recall slowly as he had fallen asleep while studying just last night.

Honestly, doctors sacrificing sleep to study during their residency seemed like something out of a drama. Most could manage one or two nights a week, but studying daily for nearly two hours like Suhyuk was truly unheard of. It felt absurd amidst the relentless demands of their work.

Doctors were already working themselves to death, so studying was out of the question.

However, Suhyuk managed to accomplish this feat.

‘Hah. Damn.’

[Why are you cursing?]

‘No, it just slipped out.’

Indeed, the situation warranted such language.

[Anyway, among the topics I taught you is anesthesia-related knowledge. I will retrieve the data.]

After receiving more curses, Baruda forcibly stirred Suhyuk’s mind and retrieved long-forgotten memories.

‘Oh… When did I study this?’

[While writing Lee Hyunjong’s research paper. Since cardiovascular issues involve thoracic surgery content, I needed to include it.]

‘Ah, Professor Lee Hyunjong had a strained relationship with the thoracic surgery department, so he asked me to handle that section myself.’

Typically, it was common to request assistance from professors specializing in the relevant field. There is no need to struggle when there is a thoracic surgeon available at the hospital. On one hand, Suhyuk had to study extensively regardless of the amount needed, while on the other, knowledge could be easily obtained from the thoracic surgeon like items popping out of a vending machine with just a push of a button.

However, Lee Hyunjong, although highly respected by internal medicine doctors, had a strained relationship with thoracic surgeons. This caused significant difficulties for him when writing related research papers, but Suhyuk managed to resolve this issue.

[Yes, and once again, you have been helpful.]

‘Even after reading it as a reference, I remember it so vividly. Indeed, I am a genius…’

[It’s not about being a genius; it’s because I’ve effectively databased the information.]

‘Isn’t it amazing what my brain can do?’

[Hrmm.]

Baruda was about to disagree but closed his mouth. Currently, Baruda might be the only case of artificial intelligence residing within a human brain. If there were other instances or if he could examine another person’s brain, the original volume of the brain would become apparent. However, at this moment, such actions were almost impossible.

“Okay… let’s proceed.”

Meanwhile, after completing the patient chart and checking vital signs, the anesthesiologist questioned Dahoon, the primary physician. The anesthesiologist nodded, with desperation clearly visible on their face.

“Hey, don’t worry too much. The professor will be here soon. Just ensure a proper induction. We’ll handle the rest.”

Suddenly, someone nudged the anesthesiologist’s side. It was the third-year thoracic surgeon whom Suhyuk had previously spoken with. Despite facing an extraordinary surgery, he appeared quite relaxed. This might be due to his training at Taehwa Medical Center. In other hospitals, this type of surgery might occur only once a year, but here, it was almost routine—performed weekly. In fact, it would have been more unusual if he seemed nervous before such a procedure.

“The professor just went into surgery; how do we know when he’ll return?”

“Well… I mean… can’t we manage somehow once the extracorporeal circulatory system is set up?”

“B-but…if it were that simple…”

“Anyway, please keep her alive during the surgery. The patient is too young.”

“Hah.” His words meant to comfort only increased my burden. As I sighed deeply, another person approached and tapped me on the shoulder. Turning around, I saw a young doctor with a cane.

“Hello, Doctor. I am Lee Suhyuk from Internal Medicine, second year.”

“Oh, yes.”

Lee Suhyuk, the internist with a cane. If you didn’t know his name while working at Taehwa Medical Center, people might suspect you were a spy. No, even spies would likely be aware of him. He was probably top priority for recruitment or kidnapping attempts.

“But what brings you here…? I’m quite busy as I have to go into surgery.”

“Ah, yes. I will also be present during the surgery since I am his primary physician.”

“Oh… That’s good to hear.”

The presence of the primary physician would be a significant help for both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. In case of sudden vital sign fluctuations, having the primary physician available ensures immediate access to information about current medications or underlying conditions.

‘I’ve heard…he’s quite skilled.’

Moreover, he is an internal medicine specialist, known for their expertise in managing vital signs. Of course, it’s uncertain how well-versed Lee Suhyuk might be in critical care given that he’s only in his second year. However, with such abundant rumors surrounding him, expectations were naturally high.

“I’ll see you in the operating room.”

As the anesthesiologist mentally processed this information, Lee Suhyuk nodded, heading towards the changing room.

As his primary physician, he had permission to enter the operating room, but shouldn’t he at least change into scrubs first? Once inside, there was no telling when he would emerge.

“Dahoon, you stay here. Who is on call today?” asked Suhyuk while changing clothes, noticing Dahoon’s presence.

“Ah…yes. It’s Dr. Yoo Jisang.”

“Oh, it’s Ji-sang.”

To be honest, Jisang didn’t have the best reputation. While not outright chaotic, he wasn’t known for genuinely caring for patients either. Thankfully, An Dae-hoon was the primary resident. Although they didn’t study together daily, Dae-hoon never missed their weekly conferences.

“For now, observe carefully. Keep a close eye and provide thorough updates.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“If you cannot manage the patient, please call me. I think…I will be here for about eight hours. Even if I can’t come personally, I’ll answer your call.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you, Doctor!” An Dae-hoon deeply bowed, seemingly appreciative of these words.

He waited until Suhyuk changed his clothes and headed towards the entrance to the operating room before leaving himself.

“He is well-mannered, which is commendable.”

‘Yeah, he seems alright.’

“It would be great if he focused more on patients though.’

‘Well, among first-year residents, he stands out quite significantly.’

“Anyway, let’s hurry to the operating room. Since intubation has already been done, we should proceed with induction immediately. Move quickly!”

‘Okay, okay!’

When is flying most dangerous?

During landing, isn’t it?

Most accidents occurred during anesthesia induction. Usually, it was due to sudden drops in blood pressure or shock caused by such incidents. Thus, Suhyuk moved diligently with his staff. He had come this far and didn’t want to lose the patient because of slow movements.

“Have you transferred all the monitors?”

“Yes!”

“Then count down before moving. One, two, three!”

“Three!”

Upon reaching the operating room, they were in the midst of transferring the patient onto the surgery table. Due to the patient’s poor condition, numerous medical devices were attached to their body, which seemed to be taking some time.

[We’re fortunate. It hasn’t reached the induction phase yet.]

‘There is slight arrhythmia though…’

[It is fluctuating… No, it seems quite irregular. Well, his heart is damaged, so this is inevitable.]

Initially, Baruda shook his head at Suhyuk’s words, thinking it was just noise from moving the patient. However, upon closer inspection, he realized the rhythm was genuinely chaotic. It wasn’t immediately life-threatening, but the issue arose because it wasn’t isolated. The reflux had already been causing significant problems.

‘If we had delayed the surgery any longer…’

[He might have died due to heart complications.]

Despite being an internal medicine specialist and typically vigilant about infections, it became apparent that Suhyuk had underestimated the situation. Chills ran down his spine as he contemplated the heart melting in real-time.

“Well then… I’ll start the anesthesia now.”

The doctor from Anesthesiology looked down at the patient who had been transferred and opened his mouth. As Baruda mentioned earlier, intubation was already done, so they were ready to begin induction immediately.

“Wait! Just a moment!”

Suhyuk needed to stop them right away.

The thoracic surgeons, already on edge due to the upcoming major surgery, turned sharply towards Suhyuk.

“What?”

Some of them glared at him fiercely. However, Suhyuk had faced worse hostility before, and moreover, the patient’s life hung in the balance now. With determination, he proceeded to explain:

“If you proceed with induction as is…the patient’s blood pressure will drop dangerously low, leading to death. The atria are under severe stress…and there’s also arrhythmia present. First, we need to stabilize the arrhythmia. Once that’s controlled, we can continue with the induction.”