Surgery Godfather

Chapter 153: Chapter 0147: Big Scene

Actually, the case discussion started at two o’clock, and around three o’clock they began discussing the cases from the Sports Medicine Center.

This patient with a relaxed tendon is an Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 5,000 meters and is still in her prime sports years, so the hospital is paying special attention.

If they successfully perform surgery on this patient, the Sports Medicine specialty at the hospital may have the potential to reach the pinnacle of the industry just like Spinal Surgery.

After seeing the patient, Su Nanchen brought Yang Ping to the meeting room on the twentieth floor, where weekly orthopedics case discussions are held.

In the second row of the meeting room, there were two empty seats reserved, where Su Nanchen and Yang Ping sat down.

It was indeed a grand event. The first row was seated with heads of all specialties in the Orthopedic Center, all doctoral supervisors, government special allowance experts, and a few were nationally renowned figures.

Such as the director of the Spine Center, Professor Zou – a nationally renowned master in spinal curvature correction. He used to follow Professor Su. After Professor Su became dean, he focused less on clinical work and more on research and administrative work, allowing the majority of spinal surgeries to be performed by Professor Zou. He was the second editor of “Spinal Curvature Surgery” after Professor Su.

Professor Huang, the director of the Trauma Orthopedic Center, is also a nationally known professor and one of the main translators of “AO Principles of Fracture Fixation”.

Professor Guan Sheng, head of the Sports Medicine Center, is a prized student of the big names in Sports Medicine in Beijing’s top three hospitals. Recruited by Su Qingyun, he has made great progress in Sports Medicine in just a few years.

Most doctors would feel awed and intimidated in this meeting room. However, Yang Ping was calm. He had been trained hard in system space.

He sat there calmly, observed secretly by Su Nanchen, his composure was rarely found in people, and Su Nanchen couldn’t help but admire more.

The hierarchy among doctors was embodied to the fullest here. Even if there were empty seats in the first row, no one of inappropriate status would sit in them.

The second row was occupied by group-leading professors who were all heads of departments or associate heads; the third row was taken by other associate heads; the fourth row was reserved for outstanding individuals among the younger generation.

From the fifth row onward, seating was free, but camps were spontaneously divided. For instance, doctoral and attending doctors sat near the front, master’s degree holders and resident doctors sat further back, and those receiving further education or undergoing regular training sat even further back. No one rudely forced their way forward.

In the second row was also the leading professor of Sports Medicine, Chen Ge. He was quite a character, always liking to compete with Su Nanchen. As a doctoral student of Guan Sheng, he stayed at the hospital after graduation. Chen Ge was proud and competitive but always seemed to be overshadowed by Su Nanchen.

He noticed Su Nanchen leading a stranger into the room and sneakily glanced over.

Chen Ge knew Su Nanchen had invited a doctor from another hospital for a consultation and had been wondering who this impressive individual was that Su Nanchen had invited. Now, seeing the person, he thought it would be some professor, but this person looked in his twenties, a young doctor. Coming to this hospital for consultation made things interesting. Chen Ge rubbed his chin, a sneer appearing in his mind.

When Su Qingyun turned his head and saw Yang Ping already seated with Su Nanchen, seemingly steady as a rock, he silently admired him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The case discussion was very heated, people debating fiercely. Despite the loud voices, the debaters were not unruly or personal. They reasoned based on facts in pure academic debates and solved academic problems in academic manners.

Everyone had the right to speak, regardless of their rank. This was a rule set by Su Qingyun. The free academic atmosphere was one of the key elements in the rapid development of the orthopedics department of this hospital.

Generally, normal case discussions are conducted within the department. Cases discussed at this Orthopedics Center level are usually high difficulty, high risk or new surgical methods, or the high-ranking figures who have significant social influence.

Yang Ping also listened to one of them. It was about a spine curvature case where the patient was almost folded in half and his nose almost touched his toes. They planned to perform corrective surgery to straighten the spine.

Finally, it was the turn of the Sports Medicine Center cases. They had two cases for discussion: one about an unstable knee joint and one about a relaxed tendon.

The case of the unstable knee joint was from a professional football player and a famous star. The knee joint dislocation caused the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, and both lateral and medial structures to all rupture. They all needed to be rebuilt, and there were multiple structures in the lateral and medial ones that needed rebuilding. The complexity level was quite high, just like a matryoshka doll.

The surgery was extremely complex; this case’s reconstruction was the top-level surgery for knee joint movement injuries. Nationwide, there are only six hospitals able to perform such surgery well, and the number of doctors capable of doing it can be counted on one hand.

Most surgeries in Sports Medicine aren’t a matter of life or death. The goal points directly to function and focuses on surgery quality, not a matter of whether it can be done, but rather a question of quality. Just like plastic surgeries that point directly at appearance, the results are clear.

“What are your thoughts on this case?” Su Nanchen asked softly.

“Too many structures needed to be rebuilt. The static balance, dynamic balance, short-term balance, and long-term balance all need to be taken into consideration.” Yang Ping lowered his voice too.

“If you were to perform it, would you have it done in multiple operations or one singular operation?” Su Nanchen tried to gauge his thoughts.

“Once! That’s the only way to truly achieve balance,” Yang Ping readily responded.

Once? To achieve balance, the difficulty is huge, Su Nanchen felt embarrassed.

The second case is a female long-distance runner with loose tendons. Dr. He stepped onto the stage to report the case, with the chief doctor assisting and adding details as needed; the imaging data, marked clearly with dates, were shown on a large high-definition screen.

“The patient is a professional athlete, and the state of her tendons affects her athletic performance and future career. We plan to perform a tendon shortening surgery, using the classic method of cutting the tendon in a Z-shape or horizontally and then shortening and suturing it. This solves the problem of looseness, but introduces a new issue – the rejoining of the cut tendon involves a certain amount of scar tissue. Though only a small amount, it’s nonetheless there, and a small amount of scar tissue affects the strength and endurance of the tendon. The patient sought medical treatment in the United Kingdom before, and they followed the same treatment plan. Hence, I’d like everyone to discuss if there are any better treatments.”

Once the case report was finished, Su Nanchen outlined the discussion’s purpose as a leading professor.

“As for suturing the tendon, any orthopedic resident doctor can do it skillfully. The crux of the matter is determining how much to shorten. Too much would result in tight tendons; too little, and the tendons would still be too slack. As for scar tissue formation, it’s unavoidable. Surgery can be performed under a microscope, and sharp knives can be used for swift tendon incisions to minimize tissue damage, thus reducing scar tissue formation,” Chen Ge contributed eagerly.

“So, how do you decide how much to shorten the tendon?” asked Guan Sheng, the director of the Sports Medicine Center.

“Each millimeter we shorten the tendon, the tension increases by a corresponding amount. I’m conducting an animal experiment about this and am currently gathering data,” Chen Ge replied with pride.

“Apes are quadrupeds, and humans are bipeds. The structure of ape tendons differs from humans, so data from animal experiments can’t be directly applied to humans,” an opposing professor from the Sports Medicine department retorted.

“Why must we rely on animal experiments? Can’t we get reliable data from the patient’s healthy side?” a postdoctoral fellow who was standing offered his opinion.

“During the surgery, incise the skin on the healthy side, expose the tendon, measure the tension under the same posture, and then apply this data to the afflicted side, shortening step by step until the tension matches the data from the healthy side!” The postdoc continued to explain.

He was sitting in the fourth row, looking somewhat sloppy. The buttons on his white coat were off by one, and he held a bottle of milk in his hand, the straw chewed to a pulp.

Eating and drinking were permitted as long as it wasn’t too noisy. Afternoon case discussions often involved many doctors who had just stepped out of surgeries and probably had not had lunch.

“The tension adjustments you’re all talking about are static, but the patient’s running motion is dynamic. We must analyze the patient’s state of motion. After all, the patient’s tendon and triceps experienced a relative shift. Do we still determine the tension according to the previous standards? These data must be obtained dynamically,” Su Nanchen offered his opinion.

The debate waged on fiercely. Opinions rose and fell from different corners of the room, each with its unique perspective showcased. Those speaking were animated while those listening were engrossed. No one was checking their phones and not a single phone rang.

“Everyone’s very active in this discussion, with opinions that are more or less unified. Our surgical approach involves shortening the tendon, with the difficult part lying in exactly how much to shorten. We need exact numbers, otherwise, the surgery will fail and the patient’s athletic performance could even downslide pre-surgery. We’ve just mentioned several methods including animal experiments, referencing the healthy side, and analyzing the state of motion. So, our next step is to find out the precise length to shorten the tendon. Professor Su, how does that sound to you?”

Professor Su stood up and said, “All your suggestions are good. The uniqueness of everyone’s perspective shows that everyone is thinking meticulously. This is how academic discussions should be—a dialogue based on equality and freedom! We have the privilege today to invite Dr. Yang Ping from Sanbo Hospital for a consultation. Dr. Yang has a distinctive experience in sports medicine, shall we see what he thinks?”

Following Professor Su’s clapping, everyone else joined in applauding. Everyone knew about Sanbo Hospital—an institution at the city level that.

But, who was Dr. Yang Ping? They didn’t know him! Never even heard of him! He was actually invited over to Beijing First Hospital for a consultation?

Su Nanchen stood up, “Dr. Yang, please!”

A flinch in this environment would cool down Su Nanchen’s enthusiasm and disappoint everyone’s expectations.

Yang Ping, as usual, maintained his composure. He stood up and greeted everyone.

“Xiao Yang, go up to the podium and share your thoughts,” encouraged Professor Su.

“Who is he? Where did this amazing person come from!” Everyone looked around, hoping someone recognized him and had some information.

Those who had just made the rounds with him said, “He’s Dr. Su’s classmate, and he truly is amazing!”

One of them who seemed very sincere had already taken out a notebook, ready to take notes, “Brother, take good notes. Earlier, we were seeing patients with him, and he said something. After listening, I doubted whether my doctorate degree was genuine.”

The one who asked the question also took out his notebook and found a pen.

“Is he a classmate of Young Master Su from his studies in the United States?”

“Most likely so!”

Calm as ever, Yang Ping approached the podium and slightly bowed to the audience.