Chapter 391: World-Class

Feng Jiaolian watched Zhao Dali speaking with such high spirits, much like a youth who knows nothing of sorrow, and he couldn't help but feel a bit distressed.

The child was still young; he didn't know how to worry, nor did he understand what an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury meant.

He had already done his absolute best this time; if it didn't work, then it was fate.

It was just Zhao Dali's bad luck.

Injured athletes from the Sheng Ti Dui received designated treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital, which could be reimbursed. But coming to the Second Affiliated Hospital, they could only use medical insurance.

If Zhao Dali hadn't met him, he would have been stuck in the mountain gullies for his whole life; where would he have the money to get surgery?

At the thought of a genius falling, Feng Jiaolian felt a lump form in his chest.

Seeing the coach return, Ji Xiang smiled, "Then I'll be going first. Remember what I told you; don't be nervous."

"Mm!" Zhao Dali nodded vigorously.

Ji Xiang extended his right fist and bumped it against Zhao Dali's.

Feng Jiaolian did not approve of this way young people had of greeting each other. Seeing the young Doctor leave, he asked, "Dali, what were you two talking about just now?"

"Coach!" Zhao Dali's eyes were shining, "That young Doctor just now is also an athlete; he runs marathons."

"..."

Feng Jiaolian really wanted to open up Zhao Dali's head to see if there were sheep droppings inside.

"We exchanged some running experience, it's true! His physical fitness is extremely good; he said he runs a half-marathon every morning before coming to work. He was injured a few years ago too, a cruciate ligament injury, and he got better after having a surgery."

"Uh, really?"

"He knows exactly how the injury feels; it's the same as what I'm feeling. I think it's true." Zhao Dali was a bit excited, clenching his fist, "Coach, really, there are some things I didn't even remember, and it was only when he reminded me that I recalled them."

"Then why doesn't he run marathons?"

"His family made him study medicine, and he came to the First Affiliated Hospital after graduation. Just now, Doctor Xiao Ji even showed me a photo of a certificate he won when he participated in a ten-thousand-person marathon while in school. His time was a bit more than mine, but not by much."

Feng Jiaolian was a bit dazed. He stared blankly at Zhao Dali; could this be what communication between patients was like?

Communicating about a condition required a common language.

From what he'd heard others say—even himself—he had met several athletes with cruciate ligament damage and had communicated with them, but he could never quite comfort Zhao Dali in the right way.

However, a Doctor having been injured had nothing to do with the surgery. Feng Jiaolian saw that Zhao Dali was happy, but he couldn't feel happy at all.

"Xiao Ji, let's go out for a meal before tomorrow's surgery. We need to be full to work hard. What do you like to eat?" Deng Chaohong hadn't left either; he had been waiting for Ji Xiang.

The results of the secondary Rotator Cuff Injury patient were so good that it exceeded Deng Chaohong's expectations. After all, as a veteran Clinical Doctor, he could smell something unusual, so he kept waiting for Ji Xiang to finish his work to invite him to dinner.

"Let's go eat at Peiyang Barbecue," Ji Xiang said.

"Heh heh." Deng Chaohong smiled, "Why do you like eating barbecue too? That stuff isn't healthy if you eat too much of it."

"I've eaten there a few times with Liu Zhuren, Mo Laoshi, and Wang Laoshi from the Urology Department, and I thought it was alright."

Mentioning Peiyang Barbecue reminded Ji Xiang of that patient who had a fish hanging on them.

A trace of a smile appeared on his face.

The two changed their clothes and walked out of the hospital.

The night wind was a bit cold. Deng Chaohong asked, "Xiao Ji, I didn't expect the results of that Rotator Cuff Injury surgery you performed to be so good."

Ji Xiang smiled and didn't speak.

"I've performed many cases of Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury, but just like with Rotator Cuff Injury surgery, the patient's recovery of athletic ability after the operation is always limited to a certain extent."

"What is your take on this surgical procedure?" Deng Chaohong asked.

"Teacher, let me share my perspective," Ji Xiang said, "It seems that the treatment method for cruciate ligament damage decades ago was Suture Technique, but no matter how it was sutured, the results were poor. Later, it was changed to Sartorius Muscle Tendon Grafting to replace the ligament, but the results were also mediocre."

"Mm," Deng Chaohong nodded.

"In the last ten years, there have been Artificial Ligament replacements among High-value Consumables, and the results are not bad."

"Whether it's Sartorius Muscle Tendon or High-value Consumables, the results are average, so foreign doctors started researching Tendon Transplantation Surgery, using tendons from donated bodies to replace them."

"What we are doing is Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery," Deng Chaohong reminded him.

"From the perspective of histology and embryology, there are commonalities," Ji Xiang replied, "Tendons connect bone to muscle, and ligaments connect bone to bone; both are dense connective tissues."

"I know that," Deng Chaohong frowned. Ji Xiang was stating the simplest basic knowledge of Orthopedics; why was he saying this?

"From the perspective of histology and embryology, for example, the round ligament of the liver is formed by the atrophy of blood vessels after embryonic blood vessels are occluded."

"Mm?"

"Setting that aside, many studies abroad show that neither the sartorius muscle nor High-value Consumables can completely replace one's own ligaments and tendons," Ji Xiang said.

"I know that. What are you trying to say?"

"Finding tendons from a body to replace them is the best way, but it still cannot reach a perfect level," Ji Xiang said, "Deng Laoshi, do you watch basketball?"

"I watch it occasionally. I've watched it very little since Kobe retired."

"Stephen Kuri was supposed to have Tendon Transplantation Surgery back then, but the medical team at the University of Southern California used a different method to heal his ankle tendons, turning him from a 'glass man' into an epoch-making superstar who only gets more monstrous with age."

"!!!" Deng Chaohong still didn't understand what Ji Xiang meant.

"According to the Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Zhao Dali's tendons and ligaments have no structural damage and can undergo Repair Surgery," Ji Xiang said.

"The results of Repair Surgery are better than violent replacement, but there aren't many doctors who can perform Repair Surgery. I don't mean just doing it, but doing it perfectly. There aren't many surgeons at the level of... Kuri's surgery."

Deng Chaohong was startled.

What did Ji Xiang mean? Was he considering himself a world-class Doctor?

"Xiao Ji, although the ligament isn't completely torn, some tissue has been absorbed. If it really needs to be lengthened, it will definitely be affected to a certain extent."

"It depends on the repair technique," Ji Xiang hesitated and explained, "The Affiliated Hospital where I studied invited the team that performed surgery on Stephen Kuri to do a demonstration surgery, and I saw a similar situation."

Deng Chaohong was astonished.

Such a major event, and he hadn't even heard of it!

However, in the blink of an eye, he understood. It was normal that he hadn't participated in this area of academic exchange.

The problem was that Ji Xiang had watched it, but it was unknown whether he could actually perform it.

Deng Chaohong asked many technical details, and Ji Xiang answered them one by one.

The barbecue meal was tasteless; although it was said that Peiyang Barbecue used authentic lamb, to Deng Chaohong, it tasted as if it were made from a mixture of miscellaneous meat and lamb.

Nearly two hours later, Deng Chaohong was somewhat dazed.

"Xiao Ji, why don't you give it a try tomorrow?"

(End of this chapter)