Surgery Godfather-Chapter 570 - 518: Dangerous Dissection

In this period, Robert was working hard to improve his Chinese. He had been putting in a lot of effort, memorizing a large number of idioms, verses, and good words and phrases.

However, he was merely mechanically remembering these words and the situations they were used in, unable to apply them flexibly.

For example, Robert initially intended to use the idiom "meeting an old friend in a foreign place" to describe the chance encounter with Yang Ping in Saudi Arabia.

But in his excitement, he ended up blurting out a whole sentence.

The idiom "standing in the snow to seek instruction" was what Robert had in mind to express his respectful student-teacher relationship with Yang Ping.

Robert knew the phrase had this meaning, but didn’t know how to use it, so he just blurted it out bluntly.

In recognition of Robert’s dedication to learning Chinese, Yang Ping gave him a big thumbs up.

This made Robert even happier. He had made such an effort memorizing these idioms just to express himself in Chinese with a touch of literary grace, not just dry simple combinations of words.

"After the surgery is done tomorrow, we can chat freely, I happen to have a few questions to ask humbly," he said.

Yang Ping’s encouragement gave Robert more confidence in the use of idioms.

Li Zehui who was standing next to them was very envious of Robert because he spoke Chinese so well. At the very least, he wasn’t just speaking in monotone but could differentiate and produce four different tones in Mandarin.

For an American to speak Mandarin with the correct four tones, they were not a common person.

This guy seemed to be there for comic relief, his Mandarin was so entertaining, even more so than a stand-up comedy act.

Seeing that Robert seemed to be enjoying himself more and more, he even seemed like quite a cultured person to Yang Ping.

The meeting naturally came to an end. Upon seeing Yang Ping, Robert naturally lost interest in having a fencing match with Dodge.

In the evening, Yang Ping had dinner together with Li Zehui and Robert.

This time, Li Zehui didn’t invite anyone else, it was just the three of them.

Robert, this fellow, was even more familiar with Saudi Arabia than Li Zehui was. When he heard that Li Zehui was organizing a caravan to go camping and have a picnic in the desert, he was very excited. He had often done this before and had even done more thrilling things, like riding camels across the desert.

Li Zehui apologized to Yang Ping for Dodge’s actions, but Yang Ping really didn’t care too much. In regard to people like Dodge, he couldn’t bother to argue about meaningless things. He came to Saudi Arabia solely for the purpose of surgery, not to compete with Dodge. There was no intersection between them, and Dodge could do whatever he pleased.

Robert was very familiar with Dodge. He told Yang Ping that Dodge was a decent guy who had achieved a lot in his profession. He just had a narrow mind and wasn’t accepting of others.

After dinner, accompanied by Li Zehui and Robert, Yang Ping went back to the hospital to check on the Yemeni baby. The baby’s breathing had become more rapid, his abdomen bulging severely, all a result of heart failure.

The small heart could collapse under the pressure at any moment.

Yang Ping was relieved that he had not waited until after the Spring Festival to come, this little guy may not have lasted till then.

The frail little boy was still wrapped in a blue cloth, lying quietly on the bed.

His father was kneeling in a corner of the room, eyes closed. Perhaps he was praying, hoping for some divine favor to ensure a smooth surgery the next day.

Yang Ping didn’t disturb this Yemeni man. With the help of a nurse, he undid the swaddling cloth and examined the baby before wrapping him back up again.

Sometimes Yang Ping thought, the world was truly wonderful.

If he hadn’t met this child, he might have quietly left this world just like the previous "Mirror Man".

He would only have been in this world for six months. In that brief six months, he wouldn’t have left anything behind. Things would have ended before they had even begun.

Now, assuming the surgery succeeded, what would his future look like? Could he grow up healthy and get married and have children?

Yang Ping realized that he was thinking too much, too far ahead. His mission was simple - to keep the boy alive for now.

At night, Yang Ping didn’t go anywhere else.

To ensure that he could rest well, Li Zehui and Robert sent him back to his hotel early, without arranging any activities.

In his hotel room, Yang Ping chatted with Xiao Su via WeChat. Xiao Su repeatedly reminded him to drink more water and to return home quickly after the surgery.

Tomorrow would be New Year’s Eve.

Performing surgery on New Year’s Eve must be the normal routine for a surgeon.

Xiao Su told Yang Ping that she would be making many dumplings the next day for him to enjoy when he returned.

Yang Ping calculated the time, even if he caught a plane immediately after the surgery was completed, he would only be back in China on the first day of the New Year.

---

The next day, Yang Ping arrived at the IMC hospital full of energy.

The surgery was proceeding as planned. When the nurse brought the baby to the operating room door, the baby’s frail hands swept around, and he began to cry. He seemed to be looking for his father.

The anesthesiologist was nearby, preparing to administer a sedative through the scalp needle to allow him to enter a state of sedation.

At this moment, the baby’s father grabbed the baby’s tiny hands.

The little one seemed understanding, and stopped crying.

Yang Ping asked the anesthesiologist to hold off on the sedative for a moment as he wanted to perform a final preoperative auscultation of the heart.

"Give his hand to me,"

Yang Ping instructed.

The baby’s father seemed to understand Yang Ping’s request, and he carefully released his grip, then smiled at his baby.

Yang Ping took the baby’s hand, and the little guy didn’t cry anymore, he just opened his eyes and stared at Yang Ping.

This was the second time Yang Ping had been stared at.

The father of the baby clutched Yang Ping’s hand, not saying a word, his eyes only filled with anticipation.

Yang Ping patted his hand, saying: "We will do our utmost!"

The interpreter passed along the message.

Letting go of Yang Ping’s hand, the father retreated a few steps and a nurse picked up the baby, placing it on the operating room’s gurney, marking it ready for transfer.

Accompanied by Li Zehui and Robert, Yang Ping changed into his sterile scrub gown and gloves before entering the operating room.

A frail little fellow lay bare on the operating table. The anesthesiologist had already intubated him and initiated general anesthesia.

The artificial heart-lung machine was already set up in the operating room. Once the baby’s heart was removed, this machine would be his lifeline.

The perfusion physician, along with his assistant, stood by the heart-lung machine, while the anesthesiologist slowly administered the anesthesia to the baby’s lungs.

The attending nurse, who was from Australia, had previously assisted Dodge in a "mirror man" surgery.

Li Zehui was tasked with sterilizing the drapes personally, while Robert, as an outsider, sat in a corner of the operating room to observe.

Marshall was the second assistant. The young man was a bit excited, having anticipated participation in this surgery for a long time.

By the time Yang Ping was ready to intervene, the little one’s body was completely covered with blue disposable sterile drapes, with only the chest and upper abdomen exposed.

Under the surgical lamp, the baby seemed too small and too thin.

After completing the preoperative check, Yang Ping, with his number 15 round scalpel, cautiously made the first incision on the skin.

In order of better exposure, he chose a large median sternotomy.

The scalpel made a vertical incision through the skin of the baby’s chest, slicing straight down to the sternum. Her thin, edematous skin was cool to the touch. Subcutaneous fat was virtually non-existent, so the scalpel swiftly made contact with the surface of the sternum.

Adhering to the periosteum, the skin was parted to either side, and some cool fluid oozed out, which was promptly suctioned by Li Zehui’s aspirator.

The thin tissues under the knife were soaked, indicating that heart failure was severe.

Next, he needed to split the sternum in the middle, effectively bisecting the chest.

All the surgical instruments were specifically designed for pediatric surgeries. The micro-sterna saw was excellent, drawing a straight line down the middle of the sternum.

With the sound of bone dust being sucked out, a mist of particles formed. His protective glasses prevented any foreign bodies from reaching his eyes.

The sternum was split wide open and the saw was perfect, cutting through the bone but not a millimeter more.

The sternum was pried open, revealing the entire thoracic cavity.

The bright pink lungs, due to edema, were unusually inflated. They adhered to the inner wall of the sternum, and a single millimeter of depth would have caused injury during the previous sawing.

The aspirator was plunged deep into the chest cavity and a large volume of fluid was drained.

The diaphragm was raised, compressing the organs within the chest cavity. Yang Ping made a small incision in the abdomen using a lancet and used an aspirator to drain the accumulated fluid from the abdominal cavity. Slowly, the diaphragm returned to its original position.

Thus, the space within the chest cavity looked a little larger, and the lungs, mediastinum, and heart didn’t seem so cramped anymore.

That frail little heart lay on the right side of the chest, rhythmically pulsating. It was warm and always enduring, enduring long enough to arrive on the operating table.

This heart, grappling with dextrocardia.

The heart sac and surrounding blood vessels were densely adhered to one another, obliterating any space that was once present, making everything appear blurry and unfathomable.

Perhaps it was the inflammatory response, developmental defects or another reason, but the adhesion was present before us.

Dextrocardia, malformed heart, extensive adhesion; all these factors made the surgery viciously hazardous.

Li Zehui raised his head, and what met his gaze was Yang Ping’s confident eyes.

Facing the sight before him, Li Zehui began to sweat, but Yang Ping remained composed.

"I am about to separate the heart and large blood vessels, then sever the blood vessels to remove the heart. Are you ready?"

Yang Ping prompted the assistants and the anesthesiologist.

Next, he would continue to operate in this perilous dissecting environment.

---

This rare surgery attracted a significant number of doctors; almost all doctors from the Cardiac Surgery Department gathered in the meeting room, watching the surgery via live video feed.

The operating lamp in the operating room was equipped with a camera, which could directly capture the surgical area.

He was truly going to remove the heart, incised tumor in a heart-lung machine, correct malformations?

Currently, the heart and large blood vessels in view were riddled with adhesions, making the job even more challenging than previous surgeries.

Dodge fixated on the screen, swallowing hard. If he were the chief surgeon, he would have no choice but to press on.

As a world-class cardiac surgeon, he was, in fact, very interested in the operation itself. However, his arrogance and prejudices clouded his judgment.

"Bro, is this dude really going to do it?"

Odd Orelli had also noticed something.

Dodge nodded: "It seems he is on that path!"

"The inside is riddled with adhesions? Malformation plus adhesion, extremely dangerous dissection."

"Like navigating through a minefield in the dead of night."