Chapter 1008: 987 Surgery That Cannot Be Done

The whole surgical process went smoothly, Su Yun played with her phone the entire time, and Zheng Ren also didn't know why this guy couldn't put down his phone.

Aren't you afraid of cervical spine problems?

Before he had finished changing clothes, a WeChat notification sounded from his phone.

It must be Xiao Yi Ren, Zheng Ren thought, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"What are you smirking at?" Su Yun glanced at Zheng Ren's smile, pursed her lips, and asked disdainfully.

Zheng Ren didn't speak, hurriedly changed his clothes, then picked up his phone.

【Zheng Lao Ban, Operating Room, Urology Department patient can't get off the table. Yu Zong asked me to tell you, if you have time please come take a look.】

It was Lao He's voice message, low, suppressed, hurried, somewhat flustered. Over there it was chaotic; he probably wanted to make a call but was summoned to join the rescue, so he only left a message.

Zheng Ren froze.

Because it was played aloud, Su Yun also heard it.

He jumped to his feet, frowned, and asked, "Something happened?"

"Maybe." Zheng Ren replied in a low voice, then responded "OK" to Lao He, went to change shoes, and quickly walked out of the changing room.

Su Yun followed behind Zheng Ren, the two jogged all the way, and arrived at the Big External Operating Room.

He hastily changed clothes, grabbed a sterile cap and clipped it onto his head, while tying the straps of the sterile mask with one hand and walking inside.

Possibly a psychological effect, Zheng Ren felt that the air in the operating room today was especially heavy.

He walked in quickly and saw people going in and out of an operating room with its door open, all silent, without communication, just busy.

Zheng Ren guessed that this must be the place.

He walked straight in and saw that resuscitation was underway. The patient lying on the operating table had a system panel with a bleak white background and no system diagnosis at all.

He was already dead, there was no hope…… Zheng Ren felt a chill in his heart.

Director Miao personally performed chest compressions, with standard form and appropriate force. However, the waveform shown on the ECG monitor was typical of chest compressions, with no trace of spontaneous movement.

Zheng Ren knew that everything Director Miao was doing was futile.

Lao He stood at the outer position, looking around.

"Lao He, what's the situation?" Zheng Ren leaned over and asked in a low voice.

"Zheng Lao Ban, you've come." Lao He exclaimed happily: "Take a look, is there still hope?"

Zheng Ren remained silent and slowly shook his head.

Lao He's expression darkened; he didn't speak, tugged at Zheng Ren's shirttail to signal him to follow, and then walked out of the operating room.

Zheng Ren felt something was odd, but under the circumstances it wasn't good to ask, so he followed Lao He downstairs to the anesthesiologists' lounge.

At this time, it was the busiest period, and the lounge was empty.

"Zheng Lao Ban, want a cigarette?" Lao He took out a pack of Yuxi and handed Zheng Ren one.

"What's going on?" Su Yun asked.

"Ah, Director Miao is probably in trouble; I just don't know if he can get out of it." Lao He lit the cigarette and sighed.

"Hurry up and speak, stop beating around the bush." Su Yun was very impatient.

"Wasn't it just a few days ago that Director Miao admitted a patient?" Lao He said: "A 22-year-old girl with late-stage kidney cancer, a huge tumor enveloping her kidneys."

Zheng Ren frowned, his brows knit tightly together as if water could be wrung out.

For such a patient, should surgery be performed? Late-stage tumor inherently has no surgical value.

"Yesterday Lao Sui went to see the patient, came back and we chatted a while." Lao He said, "They said this female patient discovered the tumor was already late-stage, went around several big hospitals, and was told surgery was impossible."

Zheng Ren and Su Yun both remained silent, picturing the situation in their minds.

"Later one day Director Miao was seeing patients as an expert, the girl's father brought her in and barged straight in. Upon entering, he immediately knelt before Director Miao, saying he had kowtowed until his forehead bled."

"Kowtowing? For surgery?" Su Yun raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Well, the girl's father said he only wanted the surgery; success or failure is fate, nothing to do with Director Miao. The girl also said, if the surgery succeeds it's best; if not, death is just death, better than suffering." Lao He's voice was a little hoarse; even though he was just stating the facts, his heart was in turmoil.

"And then?" Zheng Ren and Su Yun asked in unison.

Such incidents happen, or rather they've become commonplace. Since healthcare entered the market over a decade ago, doctor-patient conflicts have sharpened, physicians' social status has declined, and the old practices have gradually faded from doctors' minds.

If this were twenty years ago, such a patient would be easy to handle: family approval meant go ahead, life and death are destined, wealth and rank are from heaven.

But in today's environment, almost all doctors would refuse treatment.

The surgical risk is enormous; once a problem occurs, the consequences are unimaginable. Moreover, it's not just a one-time chance; failure is almost inevitable.

Zheng Ren felt this especially deeply; last night he had just performed a surgery to dissect the renal artery and renal sympathetic nerves, and a slight mistake would have killed an unknown number of experimental subjects.

This surgery truly cannot be done.

"Later Director Miao softened his heart and admitted her." Lao He silently puffed on a few cigarettes, smoke billowing out, his expression growing much darker: "Yesterday Lao Sui went to see the patient pre‑op, felt it wasn't feasible, and chatted a few words with Yu Zong. Yu Zong said the patient's family looked problematic and advised against the surgery."

"And then?" The question remained unchanged; whether it was Zheng Ren or Su Yun, both could already see a tragedy unfolding.

"Nothing much after that; the urology side already knew. After further examination, they found the tumor had grown again, and Director Miao personally informed the patient's family that the surgery should be canceled. Afterwards the patient and her father knelt at the door of Director Miao's office, refusing to get up unless the surgery was called off. It's said they knelt all night long, until Director Miao went to work the next day."

"…"

"You think, with patients coming and going in the ward, who wouldn't find this news fresh? Everyone's talking about it, the pressure is immense." Lao He said: "Later Director Miao personally handled the communication, obtained preoperative signatures, saying the patient and her father had agreed, knowing this surgery was a nine‑deaths‑one‑life gamble, and they also agreed."

Zheng Ren and Su Yun are also old hands; they clearly understand that consent is consent. But once you can't get off the operating table, things aren't necessarily as they seem.

"How did the surgery go?"

"They opened her up, the tumor had just been removed when breathing and circulation stopped." Lao He shook his head and said: "I took a look; there's nothing to consider—the chance of this surgery succeeding is not high, and the likelihood of not being able to get off the table I'd put at ninety percent."

"It's not just pondering a slim possibility; Yu Zong said something to me, and I left you a message." Lao He also felt regretful; after speaking, he silently smoked.

Three cigarettes later, the room quickly filled with blue smoke, eyes stinging so they could barely stay open.

But no one paid attention; each had their own thoughts, all estimating Director Miao's situation from their own experience, hoping he was alright.

In the silence, a phone ringtone sounded.

Zheng Ren took out his phone and glanced at it.

It is an unfamiliar number.