Chapter 2129: 2056 Zheng Lao Ban's Days Are Not Easy Either

Lao He finally found Xie Ning in the last 5 minutes before the surgery live broadcast began.

Zheng Lao Ban's future father-in-law and Lao He were roughly the same age, refined and elegant, with a faint smile, his hair, tie, and attire impeccably neat, showing mature steadiness in his refinement.

"Uncle Ning, Yun Ge'er said I'll explain the surgery to you," Lao He said, bowing slightly and speaking politely.

Xie Ning found it both funny and exasperating that an older man only slightly older than him called him Uncle Ning.

This was out of respect for Zheng Ren; although Xie Ning knew it, he still found it absurd.

But he didn't correct it, instead making a gesture and saying, "Thanks."

"You're too kind, too kind," Lao He said with a somewhat humble smile; thinking that he was facing Zheng Lao Ban's father-in-law made him inexplicably feel guilty.

Offending Zheng Lao Ban might be overlooked due to his magnanimity, but offending his father-in-law, Lao He knew he would surely be kicked out of the medical team.

In the future, if I encounter any difficulties, Zheng Lao Ban not throwing me into a well would already be righteous, let alone drawing his sword to help.

Even if I didn't do it so obviously, I would still be marginalized.

That meant I was already done for.

"Uncle Ning, are you watching the live broadcast on your phone or a pad?" Lao He asked.

"Next door there's an LED screen; let's go over and watch." Xie Ning smiled and chatted with Lao He: "Are you also a member of the medical team?"

"Well… I suppose so," Lao He said. "This surgery involves the fetus and requires general anesthesia preparation; I lack similar experience, so I didn't go."

"Yeah, the first case in Asia; aside from this kid Zheng Ren, nobody else has experience." Xie Ning chuckled and said, "Please explain the surgery process, sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble, no trouble," Lao He repeatedly said, his impression of Xie Ning growing better and better.

"This time Zheng Lao Ban is performing a left heart system aortic valve balloon dilation procedure." Lao He had crammed some knowledge, and thanks to his solid clinical foundation, he could say a thing or two about it.

In 1991, Yingguo's Maxwell first reported two cases; from 1991 to 1997, there were 12 similar cases reported worldwide. In 2004...

Lao He began by explaining the history of intracardiac intervention surgery; Xie Ning listened attentively, not feeling that these were unrelated to the surgery.

Accordingly, Lao He still made detailed and meticulous preparations, since this was a business negotiation; all this belonged to the background, and Uncle Ning naturally would want to know as much detail as possible.

Fetal aortic valve surgery began in 1991, and pulmonary artery surgery started having reports in 2002.

Just memorizing these data in a short time pushed Lao He's hairline back by 1 mm.

"What about the necessity?" After Lao He finished speaking, Xie Ning asked.

"For fetuses with congenital heart disease, postnatal treatment outcomes are poor and mortality high; if intervention could be performed in utero, it could correct the congenital heart defect or mitigate its progression, improving postnatal treatment outcomes."

"The necessity is great; after all, it's a little life. Before this, most problematic fetuses were aborted." Lao He said.

"Yeah, continue."

"This time we are treating a fetus with congenital aortic valve stenosis; according to medical ethics, we must prioritize the mother's safety." Lao He said, "I just asked Yun Ge'er; the Women and Children's Hospital has already prepared neonatal surgical treatment."

"If the interventional surgery fails, we must ensure the mother's safety—can we understand it that way?" Xie Ning also spoke bluntly, asking if he didn't understand.

"Right, if the interventional surgery fails, we proceed directly to a cesarean section, terminating the pregnancy." Lao He said, "The newborn would then be sent straight to the adjacent operating room for open-chest surgery."

"How high is the success rate?"

"I estimate it won't succeed." Lao He said solemnly.

Speaking among our own people, even in casual clothes, Lao He spoke frankly without hiding anything.

Xie Ning nodded to indicate he understood. These little thoughts couldn't be hidden from an old fox like him.

"The procedure is……"

Just as he said that, Xie Ning glanced at the time and said, "The live broadcast is about to start; let's go next door to watch."

Lao He nodded and smiled, wiping sweat in his heart.

This Uncle Ning appeared gentle, yet for some reason I felt he imposed tremendous pressure on me.

It seems Zheng Lao Ban's days aren't easy either, having such a sharp father-in-law.

Lao He thought that, then followed behind Xie Ning's assistant to the next-room.

Four large LED screens were pieced together into a huge screen on the wall, and the assistant handed over a laser pointer.

"Would you like tea or a drink?" the assistant asked.

"Water will do."

"Okay."

On the screen, the live broadcast room hadn't opened yet, with countless bullet comments scrolling nonstop.

Xie Ning sat on the sofa, looking at those bullet comments, and smiled: "Teacher He, most of these bullet comments probably can't perform this kind of surgery."

"Nobody can do it." Lao He said, "Worldwide there have been over 200 such surgeries, with a failure rate reportedly over 50%. And even that figure contains some moisture."

"Oh?"

"Doctors who intend to prepare for intracardiac intervention surgery must strictly screen, whether it's the mother's physical condition or the fetus's condition, both must meet the standards." Lao He was well versed in these matters.

"Exploratory surgery—if you don't screen patients and just operate on whoever you catch, that kind of doctor would have died long ago. Even abroad, lawsuits would have ruined him financially."

"Even with layered screening, the surgery success rate is under 50%. When called in emergently to save the situation, with no prior assessment, and given that I know pregnant women tend to undergo conservative treatment for a relatively long time, switching any doctor would give an estimated success rate of only 20-30%."

"What about Zheng Ren?"

"Zheng Lao Ban definitely has 100% confidence."

Upon saying that, Lao He's face lit up with a strange aura of admiration.

Xie Ning blinked in surprise; he knew this kid Zheng Ren was highly skilled, but for peers and anesthesiologists to give such a high evaluation was somewhat unbelievable.

Could he really be even more formidable than I imagined?

He pondered, staring at Lao He as if trying to see through him.

The image on the screen flickered suddenly, and the surgical picture appeared above.

The sterile sheet had already been laid, and the ultrasound probe was preparing to position.

"This surgery, Zheng Lao Ban uses ultrasound positioning to locate the fetus's aortic valve stenosis, then uses a balloon to open the narrowed part." Lao He quickly explained, "After the operation, the fetus's narrowed aortic valve position will reach or approach normal fetal levels after about 4–6 weeks of growth."

"Currently the pregnant woman is at 32 weeks of pregnancy, which is almost the final period. If the growth time is insufficient, it will cause the Shou Bing effect to greatly diminish."

"Here, Zheng Lao Ban is searching for the fetus's heart." Lao He turned on the laser pointer, the red dot wobbling on the LED screen.