The Enhanced Doctor

Even though Liu Banxia had pushed himself to the limit, his agility boosted by more than just additional points but also glittering gems, he was panting heavily by the time he reached the operating room.

He promptly put on a mask to cover his nose and mouth, and charged straight in.

Qi Wentai was standing at the operating table, staring at Liu Banxia just like everyone else in the room.

"Stop the surgery immediately! The patient may not have colon cancer, but intestinal tuberculosis!" Liu Banxia yelled out.

"Liu Banxia, who do you think you are? Who gave you the audacity to run amok in the operating room? Out with you!" Qin Hai's face fell.

Qi Wentai returned his gaze to the task at hand, ignoring Liu Banxia. He lifted his scalpel, preparing to dissect the patient's tissues.

"Qi Wentai, if you have misdiagnosed the patient, do you realize the risks of operating on someone with intestinal tuberculosis?" Liu Banxia hollered.

Liu Banxia's voice boomed, echoing throughout the relatively small operating room. At his outburst, Qi Wentai faltered, looking to Qin Hai for guidance.

"Liu Banxia, you're disrupting the order in the operating room. Can you bear the consequences?" Qin Hai roared back.

"I can handle it. If you misdiagnosed the patient, can you? If you can, I'll leave right away. If you even utter another word, I'm not a Liu anymore." Liu Banxia did not back down.

"What's all the commotion about? Are we competing about who can shout louder?"

The operating room door opened and Zhou Shuwen walked in, followed by Xu Hui and Liang Xiaolin.

"Director Zhou, this is a patient we received in the emergency department," Qin Hai said with a grimace.

"An emergency patient? Not one from the second hospital?" Zhou Shuwen glanced around casually.

"Qi Wentai, since you are the lead surgeon now, state the patient's symptoms and treatment plan. Liu Banxia, get back!"

Facing Zhou Shuwen, Liu Banxia could only keep quiet and retreat to the back.

"Director Zhou, the patient's CT and colonoscopy results are consistent with the symptoms of colon cancer. Although the biopsy showed normal tissues, there might have been an error when collecting the specimen. We are currently considering removing the right half of the colon and conducting an anastomosis," Qi Wentai explained.

"Are you confident about this surgery?" Zhou Shuwen asked.

"I..." Qi Wentai hesitated, unsure how to answer.

"What has your exploratory surgery revealed?" Zhou Shuwen continued.

This time, Qi Wentai did not dare to say a word and instead looked at Qin Hai.

"Director Zhou, during exploratory surgery, we found extensive adhesions in the patient's abdominal cavity involving the large intestine, small intestine, liver, and anterior abdominal wall," Qin Hai reported.

"However, I don't think this is a problem. With Qi Wentai's skill level, he can definitely clear all these adhesions without significantly increasing the anesthesia time. The surgery should proceed without any issues."

When Qin Hai finished, Zhou Shuwen, who had previously appeared cool and indifferent, showed the faintest flicker of anger. "In my entire medical career, I've never seen a patient with colon cancer having such severe adhesions within the abdominal cavity, unless it's already at stage four."

"Director Qin, let me ask you the same question. If this patient turns out to have intestinal tuberculosis instead of colon cancer, are you prepared to bear the responsibility? As the lead surgeon, is Qi Wentai ready to accept this responsibility?"

Although Zhou Shuwen's question was the same as Liu Banxia's earlier, the impact it had was incomparably stronger.

No one dares to confidently claim full responsibility for a surgery, because patients' physical conditions can vary widely. Even a seemingly minor appendectomy can lead to life-threatening complications.

"Director Zhou, if we stop the surgery now, will you be able to handle the repercussions from the patient's family?" Qin Hai asked hesitantly.

"I can," Zhou Shuwen replied calmly. His simple two-word response exuded an air of confidence and dominance, making Qin Hai's argument seem insignificant by comparison.

"Make a record. The patient, Xu Deyou, will be transferred to the care of General Surgery Director Zhou Shuwen and emergency doctor Liu Banxia. Qi Wentai, step down," Qin Hai ordered grimly.

No matter how this situation turned out, Qin Hai had undoubtedly lost this round. If the patient indeed had intestinal tuberculosis as speculated by Liu Banxia and the others, Qin Hai would lose not only his face but his reputation as well.

His only way to regain standing was if the patient did not have intestinal tuberculosis. In that case, regardless of the actual diagnosis, his decision to perform a right hemicolectomy would be justifiable.

"Xu Hui, Liu Banxia, Liang Xiaolin, scrub in," Zhou Shuwen ordered after Qin Hai and his team had left.

The three of them didn't hesitate. As Zhou Shuwen had spoken, even Xu Hui, who specialized in internal medicine, had to comply. Moreover, after taking part in the recent confrontation inside the operating room, a sense of exhilaration filled Xu Hui, so he stepped forward energetically.

He wasn't very adept at scrubbing in, though. He had forgotten most of what he'd learned back in his student days. Even though he was mostly there to join the fray, he knew he had to take it seriously. So, he decided to carefully observe how Liu Banxia and Liang Xiaolin did it and follow their lead.

But why did he feel there was something off between these two? Shouldn't they be focused on scrubbing? Why were they exchanging glances?

Actually, it was simply a misunderstanding. When Liu Banxia glanced at Liang Xiaolin, his eyes were asking, Did you bring Old Zhou here?

And the glare Liang Xiaolin returned was her silent reply, Just focus on scrubbing. We still have to perform the surgery.

This could be considered a rare moment of tacit understanding developed between them during their time together. Of course, it was still worlds apart from the rapport Liu Banxia shared with Shi Lei.

Standing next to the operating table, Liu Banxia noticed the severity of the patient's adhesions, something he had never encountered in his limited medical experience.

"What do you think?" Zhou Shuwen asked.

"Director, I still suspect the patient has intestinal tuberculosis," Liu Banxia said after a careful examination.

"Although stopping the surgery could risk some complications and potentially lead to the patient's family's misunderstanding, I still believe it's worth it."

"That's right, Director Zhou. It is indeed too risky to proceed with the colectomy without a confirmed diagnosis. And the fact that the patient has been sweating profusely, a symptom that was overlooked during the consultation, could be a significant clue."

"What should we do next to confirm intestinal tuberculosis, Liang Xiaolin?" Zhou Shuwen asked.

"Further tests are needed...uh..."

Liang Xiaolin knew her answer was insufficient, but she blanked out under pressure.

"What Doctor Liang means is that we need a barium meal X-ray and paraffin sections. Biopsy sections don't always show the complete picture, but they are time-efficient. While paraffin sections take longer, they provide a more comprehensive view," Liu Banxia quickly supplemented.

"Then let's proceed with these tests. Handle the communication with the patient's family and close up the patient yourselves." Leaving these instructions behind, Zhou Shuwen exited the operating room.

"My goodness, I didn't dare to breathe heavily just now. What was I so afraid of?" The anesthesiologist, Li Liwei, grinned ruefully once Zhou Shuwen was gone.

"Brother Li, same here. Sigh, just when things had calmed down, I've stirred up trouble again," Liu Banxia added, sighing deeply.

The anesthesiologists chuckled. True enough, Liu Banxia had indeed started another uproar just as things had quieted down.