Chapter 166: Let's Create It (2)

“Uh, Suhyuk.” Shin Hyun-tae hesitantly called out to Suhyuk.

‘Just as you said.’

[There is no way around it. If we had outsourced this project, half of them would have been fired.]

‘Fired?’

[Isn’t that what everyone says?]

‘That…’

Suhyuk wanted to comment on Baruda’s crude vocabulary but decided against it. Regardless, nothing could top spitting in someone’s face.

[First, answer him. He asked if you were ready.]

‘I know, I know.’

Moreover, numerous eyes were now focused on Suhyuk. Not only was Shin Hyun-tae watching him intently, but Taejin Jo and Hong Changgi were also observing him closely. While Taejin Jo had always benefited greatly from Suhyuk’s work, Hong Changgi’s attention seemed unwarranted given their limited interaction.

“Yes, Professor.”

“Firstly, we should be able to secure prospective data from the Internal Medicine intensive care units. That… shouldn’t be difficult.”

It wouldn’t pose much of a problem even if Shin Hyun-tae handled it alone. As the head of the Internal Medicine department, no one would question his request for monitoring materials. Moreover, present at this meeting were the director, as well as professors from respiratory and hematologic oncology departments who frequently visited the intensive care units.

“And I’ve had preliminary discussions with the general surgery and neurosurgery intensive care units, right? However, as you know… their focus differs from ours due to post-surgical management.”

“Yes, I know. Bleeding or…postoperative infections would be mainly observed, right? Or perhaps issues with the surgical wound itself.”

“That’s correct. So we won’t be able to secure much data for this AI development project. Um…”

Shin Hyun-tae paused and looked at Lee Hyunjong. The latter wore a stubborn expression, as if he was the root cause of this problem.

“What?”

“No, no. Well, it’s not about you specifically.”

“They’re just being jerks.”

“Uh…” Shin Hyun-tae debated internally whether blaming the provocateurs was appropriate. However, after decades of discussing this topic with Lee Hyunjong, he realized there was no point arguing further, as Hyunjong’s stance wouldn’t change.

Lee Hyunjong’s unyielding nature was evident to Shin Hyun-tae, so he decided not to push it further and instead turned his attention solely towards Suhyuk.

“Suhyuk-ah. By any chance, do you have connections with thoracic surgery department? Yesterday…what was it again? I heard you entered their operating room.”

As Shin Hyun-tae spoke, he felt embarrassed himself. For several years now, his strained relationship with the crucial thoracic surgery department had been due solely to Lee Hyunjong’s influence.

Despite his friendly personality, which usually allowed him to make friends easily across various departments, there remained a notable absence of connections within thoracic surgery.

‘It’s all because of the rumors about being part of the Lee Hyunjong faction…’

In a way, that explanation held some truth. After all, much of what Shin Hyun-tae learned about writing research papers, among other things, could be attributed to Lee Hyunjong’s guidance.

For various reasons, there was no connection with thoracic surgery. It seemed likely that Suhyuk would also face similar issues. This guy wasn’t just part of Lee Hyunjong’s faction; he was his son.

“Our relationship isn’t bad.”

“Yes, well… What? Not bad?”

“Right. They aren’t asking for big data… I think we can get patient information from those admitted in the future? In return, it might be appropriate to include their professor’s name…”

As Suhyuk spoke, Lee Hyunjong, who had been sulking, suddenly sprang up as if struck by lightning.

“No way am I putting my name on this!”

“Hyung, sit down! Sit! You don’t want your name included?”

However, Shin Hyun-tae quickly overpowered him. Regardless of the outcome, Suhyuk’s proposed research seemed promising. After all, even Taehwa Electronics, known for their high standards, had approached them to collaborate instead of seeking out other partners. This meant not only could this research lead to a publication but also potentially commercialization.

Lee Hyunjong couldn’t hide his discomfort but reluctantly sat back down.

“Hyung, let him be. He wants what? To try it out? Instead of supporting him, you’re trying to shoot him down.”

“Hmph…”

“In any case, Suhyuk, can you handle this?”

“Yes. Well… I cannot give a definitive answer right now, but I believe we have made a good start.”

“Oh…”

Suhyuk wasn’t one to make empty claims. If he said so, it was likely true.

If this guy said so, then it must be true.

“Then I’ll take your word… First, we need to collect our data. Professors Jo and Hong.”

“Yes. We will start gathering today.”

“Our initial goal is detecting sepsis… However, he mentioned that it can’t be done with just sepsis-related data. He requested all intensive care data, stating he would program based on specific criteria. He assured me it wouldn’t be too challenging.”

“Oh, I see.”

In reality, doctors’ knowledge of programming was quite limited. They simply had to trust what the experts claimed.

“Ah, may I quickly visit the thoracic surgery intensive care unit?”

As everyone nodded, Suhyuk raised his hand while pointing at his ringing phone.

“Huh? What? Is there something wrong with the patient?”

“No sir. I asked them to call me when you arrived at the hospital.”

“At the hospital…? Do nurses usually do such things?”

“I requested it yesterday after buying them coffee.”

“Wow… Suhyuk, that’s impressive.” Shin Hyun-tae looked genuinely impressed by Suhyuk.

How did he think of winning over the nurses’ favor even if it meant buying them coffee?

“Well then, I’ll be back shortly.”

“Oh, uh. Sure. No need to rush back. The meeting is almost over anyway. Good luck, Soohyuk.”

“Yes, Professor.”

With that, Suhyuk left the manager’s office and headed towards the thoracic surgery intensive care unit.

In reality, it was not a phone call but just an alarm on his phone.

[Why is your acting improving day by day?]

‘Well… It’s partly true, isn’t it?’

[I see.]

When Suhyuk asked while buying coffee earlier, he learned that Shin Hyun-tae always arrived at a fixed time for rounds on outpatient clinic days. Therefore, Suhyuk set an alarm fifteen minutes prior, but due to the prolonged meeting, it rang inside the conference room.

By framing it positively, Suhyuk managed to impress all the Internal Medicine professors, including Shin Hyun-tae, who couldn’t help but admire him.

Anyway… Is the patient doing alright?

[Last I checked early this morning, she was stable. Perhaps with the main source of infection removed… her fever has also subsided.]

‘Although it is concerning that he is still unconscious… Well, we can wait since he’s asleep anyway.’

“Yes. It might be due to the medication. Although there may be some residual effects… Considering his multiple embolisms caused by endocarditis, this outcome is remarkably good.”

Leaving behind the professors, Suhyuk reached the intensive care unit while discussing Baruda and the patient with him.

The scene in the intensive care unit had changed slightly from yesterday. Unlike Internal Medicine’s ICU, where patients often remained unchanged for almost a week, this cardiac ICU was more dynamic.

“Huh? The bed next to ours is empty?”

“Ah… They were moved to a regular hospital room.”

“What about that one over there?”

“Ah.”

Since thoracic surgery dealt with heart-related issues and often required dramatic surgeries, it seemed to be constantly changing. On either side of Suhyuk’s patient, one had improved enough to move to a regular hospital room while the other had passed away. Thoracic surgery was undoubtedly intense.

Drrr…

As he pondered this, the door to the intensive care unit opened again, accompanied by multiple footsteps approaching. The person leading the group appeared to be quite exhausted.

Here they come.

[Now open your mouth wide.]

Gotcha.

Suhyuk waited for the footsteps to get closer before clearing his throat and tapping on the specialized chart placed at the patient’s bedside.

The chart recorded vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and body temperature every fifteen minutes.

“It would be great…if there was artificial intelligence that could detect when these vital signs transition from normal to abnormal ranges.”

He muttered quite loudly to himself. Naturally, his words were overheard by the thoracic surgeon heading straight towards a patient who had undergone surgery yesterday.

“If this chart is linked with an app… I can roughly monitor the patient’s condition no matter where I am. It would be fantastic if alarms could alert me immediately when any changes occur… This particular patient seems fine for now, but…”

Anyone listening would recognize these comments as purposeful monologues.

‘Wow, it would be really great if such a feature existed.’

Despite these suspicious circumstances, there was something truly appealing about this situation. For surgeons like thoracic specialists, being able to monitor their patients remotely from anywhere held significant allure. Unlike doctors in Internal Medicine, surgeons often find themselves moving between operating rooms and various locations. This mobility can inevitably lead to limited time spent directly with their patients.

“We’ve secured funding for development, but…there’s insufficient data on rapidly changing cases like those in thoracic surgery… Huh? Professor! You’re here! Hello!” Suhyuk acknowledged the thoracic surgery professor almost as he could feel his breath nearby, bowing deeply, perhaps excessively so.

The thoracic surgery professor naturally felt pleased with Suhyuk’s attitude. His performance had been almost perfect since yesterday. How could someone be so diligent and sincere?

Moreover, Suhyuk was currently at the patient’s bedside. It was hard to believe he was Lee Hyunjong’s son. With these thoughts, even Soohyuk’s recent ramblings sounded better to him.

“Oh, yes. That… By the way.”

“Yes, Professor?”

“I accidentally overheard you mentioning…an app for monitoring patients’ conditions? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh…that…” Embarrassed, Suhyuk scratched the back of his head. His cheeks flushed subtly, eliciting admiration from Baruda for his delicate reaction.

[I am genuinely amazed. Even though I know what you’re talking about, it still leaves me speechless.]

If machines react like this, how would humans respond?

“What is it? What?”

“Ah… Recently, I received funding from Taehwa Electronics for my research. It’s around five billion won.”

“Five billion? From their headquarters?”

“Yes.”

“Woah…”

This was truly astonishing news. Securing funding from Taehwa Electronics’ headquarters wasn’t easy, especially not for a resident rather than a professor.

“It’s not that impressive… Just developing artificial intelligence to better monitor patients by integrating with intensive care unit monitors.”

“Artificial intelligence?”

The mention of artificial intelligence almost made the thoracic surgery professor faint on the spot.

Suhyuk wasn’t sure about all the details, but artificial intelligence was currently one of the hottest topics. Suhyuk had been contemplating if there were any other areas he could explore within thoracic surgery, and here came Baruda with this proposal.

“Yes… For example, it can predict factors for sepsis. Taking the heart as an example, there is heart rate and blood pressure trends.”

“Right.”

“The AI calculates these values and provides alerts. Additionally, you can view patient data anytime through an app.”

“Oh…”

“But there’s a problem.”

“What? What is it?” Baruda sounded excited, as if they were close to achieving something significant.

Suhyuk agreed with Baruda’s enthusiasm and decided to take a bold approach.

“We don’t have enough data. As you know, Internal Medicine cases aren’t always dramatic. With thoracic surgery data, we could develop the system much faster.”