Surgery Godfather-Chapter 481 - 438: Aerial Rescue

Since Zheng Baosheng was admitted, Yang Ping had not had a private conversation with Zheng Baosheng’s family yet.

He called Zheng Baosheng’s parents into the meeting room. For such high-risk patients, it’s necessary to have repeated conversations before the surgery, with both the patient and the family.

Zheng Baosheng’s parents, both in their fifties, have graying hair and dark circles under their eyes. They used to run a small restaurant in Qingdao, Shandong, and managed to save a bit of money. They are financially stable. For years, they’ve traveled far and wide seeking medical help for their son.

They’ve visited several big hospitals, where the doctors all told them the same thing: Zheng’s scoliosis was extremely severe and intimidating. His chest and abdominal organs and blood vessels appeared to be affected by some unknowable inflammatory disease causing widespread adhesions, leading to the displacement and deformation of the organs and blood vessels. Moreover, variations in his anatomy made the operation seem impossible.

In the past year, Zheng Baosheng’s abdomen began to bulge, his breathing became laborious, and even slight movements left him breathless. If he slept in the wrong position, he would experience dizziness, chest tightness, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats.

The couple were desperate. They took their son to the affiliated hospital of Qingdao University where doctors informed them that his condition was complicated due to the inferior vena cava syndrome. They dared not drain the fluid from his abdomen, fearful it could lead to a shift in internal organs and result in more severe consequences. They suggested the family go to Beijing.

They had no choice but to close their restaurant, take stock of their savings, and once again embark on their journey for medical treatment for their son.

It was unexpected, Zheng’s father said, that at this time, Professor Liang from Peking Union Medical College Hospital had called him. Over the years, some professors had kept his number. He never dared to change his phone number in fear that someone would suggest a surgical option and wouldn’t be able to reach him.

Professor Liang called him, saying there was a glimmer of hope and suggested they find Dr. Yang Ping of Sanbo Hospital. Among Dr. Yang’s successful spinal correction cases, some were more severe than Zheng’s condition, but he was not sure how to deal with the concurrent chest and abdominal organ problems.

Upon hearing this news, Zheng’s father immediately gathered his wife and son, bought train tickets, and rushed to Sanbo Hospital in Nandu Province.

However, Yang Ping did not see patients directly. So, he made an appointment with Professor Zhang Zongshun. After understanding the situation, Professor Zhang said it would be very challenging but there was hope, and arranged for hospitalization.

Zheng’s parents, with their hospital admission card in hand, were so excited that they couldn’t sleep all night. freewebnøvel.com

"Professor Liang recommended you? I hadn’t heard of you before." Yang Ping heard Zheng’s father say this for the first time.

Zheng’s father blushed, "Since we’ve been in the hospital, every time you, Dr. Yang, come to do rounds, there are a lot of people around. I was afraid that mentioning this would affect Professor Liang’s reputation. He is a highly respected professor and he’s been a big help. We must care about other people’s reputation."

It’s rare for patients to have such considerations. Professor Liang’s medical ethics were indeed admirable. Despite his high position, he always looks out for his patients, even personally calling them and guiding their medical path.

Thinking of the professor’s hurried figure, Yang Ping was deeply moved.

"Doctor, I understand that the success rate of this surgery is very low. If we don’t operate, he won’t live much longer. Our son knows he’s just waiting to die now, and waiting like this is too cruel. If there’s even a slight hope, even just a little bit, we’re willing to take a risk. Even if we fail, at least we’ll have tried." Zheng’s father said passionately, fearful of giving up on this last glimmer of hope.

Zheng Baosheng’s mother nodded in agreement from the side, these were also her thoughts.

As long as they tried their hardest, there would be no regrets. A parent’s mindset is that simple.

All parents in the world worry and try their best for their children.

"The reason I wanted to talk to you today was about the surgery. There are no references for this kind of operation because Zheng’s anatomy has completely changed, and the location of many blood vessels is uncertain. There is a risk of rupture during the separation of the large vessels, and all the organs need to be repositioned. I have never performed such a surgery before and no one else in the world has either. There are no reference cases. However, after carefully analyzing Zheng’s case, I think the operation is feasible. The risk is high, but there is hope. I cannot guarantee how much hope there is. But if you’re willing to take this risk with me, I’m willing to give it my all." Yang Ping spoke slowly and deliberately. Whether it’s legally or ethically, good communication before any operation, other than emergency surgery, is crucial.

Beware of doctors who can confidently guarantee a 100% success rate in surgery.

"I know, one doctor once said this surgery would be like rebuilding from a heap of ruins," said Zheng’s father.

Zheng’s mother sat by his side without saying a word. Obviously, she was going to follow her husband’s decision on this matter.

"Today, I wanted to talk to let you know, and to help you prepare mentally: there’s a chance his heartbeat could stop during the surgery." Yang Ping finally got to the main point.

After a brief silence, the mother sobbed. The father lowered his head, wiped away some tears, then looked up, "Understood, we’re prepared."

"Good, then let’s join forces, share the risk, and give Zheng a glimmer of hope. Right now, we need to further investigate his chest and abdominal organs and blood vessels. We also need to prepare blood for him before the surgery, not only heterologous blood, but also his own blood for storage in case it’s needed during the surgery. His situation is a bit special because he has RH-negative blood type, which is quite rare. In China, only about 0.34% of the population have RH-negative blood and only 0.034% of the population have AB-type, RH-negative blood like him. We need to contact the blood bank and arrange for volunteers to donate blood in advance to increase the supply. If large amounts of blood are lost during this surgery, a large amount of blood will be needed. Once everything is ready and conditions are suitable, we will arrange for surgery."

Regarding surgery, Yang always tried to be as thorough as possible.

A mentality of blind luck is an invisible killer!

"I know there will be a lot of blood loss. He has donated a lot of blood before, saving many people. Now that they know he needs surgery, a lot of people have asked when the surgery is so they can come here anytime to donate blood." Zheng’s father’s eyes glowed as if he believed that as long as there was enough blood, his son’s surgery would be successful.

If that’s the case, arranging for blood would be much easier.

"How many people with AB-type, RH-negative blood can you call in to donate blood?" Yang Ping needed to be sure.

"We should be able to get dozens of people."

If there are dozens of people, and each person donates around four hundred milliliters, we can collect over ten thousand milliliters of blood.

"Can these people be notified to come now?"

"Yes, some people have already arrived. They’re staying nearby the hospital, waiting until after his surgery to leave."

"I am for everyone, and everyone is for me."

Yang Ping was deeply moved: "How many people have arrived?"

"There are fourteen here, and over twenty more. If the blood draw time is confirmed, they will rush over immediately."

"With the support of these people, the likelihood of a successful surgery will greatly increase. Ask them to come as soon as possible to make a preemptive extraction for blood storage. We need a lot of blood." Yang Ping felt a boost of confidence inside.

One can never predict what unexpected situations might arise during the surgery. All preparations are made in anticipation of uncertainties. It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

"You all can go back now. I will keep you updated on the preparations." Yang Ping began preparing for the surgery.

When Mr and Mrs Zheng heard from Yang Ping that there was hope, they were so overjoyed that they kept bowing.

Disease is a perpetual threat to humanity. From ancient times to the present, with the advancement of science, diseases continue to be overcome, but new ones keep emerging.

Therefore, humanity is always on the path to conquering diseases.

This threat, once it descends upon an individual, can sometimes be a calamity.

Just after sending off Mr and Mrs Zheng, Yang Ping received a call from Huang Jiacai. Gan Fengyi’s mother was ill, seriously ill! The case data has been sent to Yang Ping’s mailbox, requesting Yang Ping’s help.

Yang Ping quickly opened the mailbox on his mobile phone. Inside, there was a file with many attachments. It was difficult to examine the contents on the small screen of his phone, so Yang Ping transferred the data to his office computer and then examined the scans on his specialised electronic screen connected to the computer.

The tumor of the ependyma of the upper cervical spinal cord was located at the base of the skull, already causing quadriplegia. Due to paralysis from the respiratory machine, she was now relying on a respirator to breathe. An urgent operation was needed - to remove the tumour and alleviate the pressure on the neural tissues.

This was much easier compared to Old Feng’s tumour.

"Urgent! Transfer to Sanbo Hospital as soon as possible!"

Yang Ping immediately called Huang Jiacai. Such a case, even if he flew over, without a cooperative team in place and without sophisticated equipment to assist, there would be no way to perform the operation. The patient had to be transferred here, but the risk during the transit was also very high.

"I’ve contacted Old Cheng, and asked him to have President Zhu step in, help to arrange a medical plane to come to Chengdu. We will have an ambulance from the hospital take her to the plane, and when it arrives at Nandu airport, can you arrange for an ambulance to meet us?" Huang Jiacai had started arranging for the transfer while contacting Yang Ping.

If they could arrange for a fixed-wing medical-plane transport, the safety factor will increase significantly.

"Alright, make it quick! When you arrive, I’ll arrange a helicopter to pick you up from the airport. Keep me posted at all times."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Ping immediately dialed Old Cheng’s number: "Old Cheng, how is the preparation of the airplane going?"

"President Zhu has stepped in and arranged a medical plane through Anning Insurance. I am rushing to Nandu airport now." Old Cheng was hurriedly leaving for the airport.

Old Cheng and Huang Jiacai had a particularly good relationship, and they had all gone to the United States with Yang Ping previously.

"Come to Sanbo Hospital first. I have a few people for you to take with you." Yang Ping planned to send a few people along with Old Cheng on the plane.

Anning Insurance has a collaborative relationship with China’s Red Cross 999 Professional Air Medical Rescue Fleet. One of the 999 planes had just completed a task and was temporarily stationed at Nandu airport. The plane Zhu arranged for was this one, a Gulfstream G550 adapted for air ambulance service.

This professional air medical rescue fixed-wing aircraft had a maximum range of 12,501 kilometers, with a cruising speed of 980 kilometers per hour, and could make a round-trip to Chengdu in just a few hours.

The plane’s cabin was divided into four compartments: service cabin, medical cabin, family exclusive cabin, and captain’s resting cabin, with a total of thirteen fixed seats and one multi-purpose medical stretcher bed.

The plane was equipped with four full ICU rescue transfer units, including an infusion pump, micro pump, ventilator, suction machine, defibrillator monitor, vacuum negative pressure forming stretcher, blood gas analyzer, and other medical equipment, along with four sets of general patient transfer equipment. It could simultaneously transport eight patients at most, four lying down and four sitting.

The plane was also equipped with an ECMO extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system, airborne blood bank, baby incubator, temperature-lifting blanket, medical viewing light, testing operation table, remote consultation wireless WIFI digital image transmission system, and other medical equipment.

The multi-purpose medical bed in the medical cabin could be moved horizontally to the middle of the cabin during flight, ensuring that medical rescue personnel can attend to patients at any time.

At the same time, the top of the medical bed could be switched out for an onboard baby incubator or negative pressure isolation cabin to meet the needs of newborns and patients requiring negative pressure isolation. The plane was equipped with four large-volume oxygen cylinders of 21.5L and four portable oxygen cylinders of 8.4L, to provide uninterrupted oxygen supply to patients during transit.

The plane was also accompanied by several professional doctors and nurses and stocked with routine emergency medicine.

This plane could be said to be equivalent to a small ICU ward, and was currently the most powerful medical transfer vehicle.

Yet Yang Ping was still worried. He immediately took along Song Zimo and borrowed a doctor and nurse from ICU, letting Song Zimo lead the ICU’s doctor and nurse to accompany Old Cheng onto the plane.

Once the plane picked up the patient and returned to Nandu airport, Sanbo Hospital’s helicopter would pick them up.

Yang Ping roughly calculated the time and immediately called Xiao Su to prepare the surgical instruments.