It was Zhang Shuping himself pacing in the corridor outside the operating room. Spotting Song Xueling sprinting by and sensing something was wrong, he rushed over.
"Let him wait outside. Close the door. Donât let this affect the procedure," Gao Zhaocheng ordered the nurse.
The nurse rushed over and, without a second thought, pushed the young man lingering at the doorway out and shut the operating room door.
Zhang Shuping, now blocked outside, froze in disbelief. He couldnât understand how someone who usually treated him so well had suddenly become so cold and ruthless. Regaining his composure, Zhang Shuping anxiously called out, "Uncle!"
Uncle? Whatâs with the âUncleâ? Isnât he supposed to be a medical student by now? Zhang Huayaoâs gray eyes flickered coldly, already planning to give his nephew a lesson later.
"Hand it to me." Two concise words issued as an instruction to the nurse, as Zhang Huayao extended his gloved palm.
The nurse immediately placed the puncture needle into his hand.
Lowering his head to look at his motherâs body, Zhang Huayao steadied his breathing, then guided the puncture needle downward. A sharp glint flashedâ
The Bossâs operating speed was swift; with one precise motion, the needle entered the left subclavian vein effortlessly, as if it were as simple as eating or getting dressed.
Itâs worth noting that once the needle enters the subclavian vein, the pacing wire must be guided through the sheath into the apex of the right ventricle. This kind of delicate procedure is typically performed in an interventional suite under X-ray guidance for maximum safety. In contrast, what was happening nowâa blind insertion performed mid-surgeryâwas an emergency measure born of necessity.
Truly deserving of his title as the Boss, Zhang Huayao completed the blind insertion in just one minute. It seemed his technique operated at the peak of muscle memory, requiring no conscious thought.
The surrounding younger doctors watched intently, feeling deeply impressed and educated.
Whoosh, whoosh, whooshâthe temporary pacing wire slid smoothly into the sheath. In no time, Zhang Huayaoâs hands paused.
The nurses here had never teamed with him before and were half a beat slow to respond. Standing beside the nurse, Xie Wanying, quick-eyed and swift-handed, immediately connected the end of the catheter to the pacemaker.
Noticing her impeccable and lightning-fast response to his actions out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Huayaoâs gray eyes narrowed faintly.
The monitor beeped steadily: beep-beep, beep-beep. At last, the patientâs heart rate began to climb.
"Phew!" Zhang Tinghai plopped down onto a stool, relieved that he had made the right choice. If he had gone to call the cardiologists or cardiac surgeons, theyâd have needed time to understand the situation, followed by noisy deliberations. By then, the delay couldâve easily turned fatal.
There was no other way. Given Teacher Luâs prominence, any mishap would have everyone so on edge that decisions might become haphazard.
Thankfully, thankfully, the most critical moment in the operating room had passed.
The surgical team didnât loosen their vigilance just yet. A group of them crowded together, heads bowed, starting to discuss what had caused the patientâs sudden condition.
"Third-degree atrioventricular block. Teacherâs earlier electrocardiograms didnât show any trace of this," Tao Zhijie noted, his usually cheerful, elegant brow now furrowed even more tightly after Teacher Luâs illness. Despite her apparent stabilization, not even a hint of relief touched his expression.
"The medical records." Tan Kelin spoke bluntly, requesting the patientâs prior records for another review, hoping to uncover some clue about the sudden condition.
Flipping through the patientâs records, Zhang Tinghai spoke to the chief surgeons, "Nothing, nothing. Teacherâs heart has always been fragile. Iâve reviewed her electrocardiograms countless times. If she really had a problem like this, the cardiologists or cardiac surgeons wouldâve caught it long ago and inserted a pacemaker beforehand."