The Surgeon's Studio

Zheng Ren busied himself with the patients that came into Sea City General Hospital, the small hospital that was insignificant in the world of academic medicine.

At the same moment, something was about to transpire in the Mayo Clinic Headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota.

The 38-year-old Mu Tao was flipping through articles and writing up his daily surgical journal.

After leaving Imperial Capital and returning to Shenzhen City, he felt incompetent.

To be the best surgeon, he had to go to the best hospital and receive the most advanced medical training the world had to offer.

He still had the fiery passion of youth in him.

Mu Tao had spoken to Old Wu about his aspirations and the old professor was supportive.

Old Wu had friends in the international medical community. He managed to obtain a six-month international exchange program for Mu Tao in the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.

It was only six months but Mu Tao was very thankful for the opportunity.

When he first arrived at the Mayo Clinic, he began learning enthusiastically despite the jetlag.

Canada’s Montreal General Hospital was in the top five hospitals, but Mayo Clinic was ranked first worldwide.

They could compete with Montreal General Hospital in any field, even neurosurgery.

Here, Mu Tao was exposed to all sorts of advanced medical facilities and medical theories. The doctors were knowledgeable and the surgeries they performed were complex and holistic.

In the field of interventional surgery, Mayo Clinic was also ranked first.

They were especially well-known for their TIPS procedure for the treatment of decompensated cirrhosis-induced gastric varices, portal hypertension, and ascites.

One of the best minds in the field of interventional surgery once said the techniques used in Mayo Clinic were five to ten years ahead of time.

After witnessing first-hand, Mu Tao concurred with the assessment.

Sometimes he even believed five to ten years was an understatement.

Mu Tao was regarded as China’s best technical interventional surgeon and he carried that reputation with pride.

When he saw the TIPS surgery performed at Mayo Clinic, his pride and ego were shattered.

In Shenzhen City, Mu Tao’s TIPS puncture attempts were always limited to a dozen or so and the success rate of the surgery was as high as 85%.

Even Wu Haishi was amazed by his disciple’s accomplishment.

With a stellar track record in performing TIPS surgery and his sharp instincts, Wu Haishi had called Mu Tao a prodigy.

Mu Tao was a talented surgeon, no doubt.

Here in Mayo Clinic, the TIPS surgeries that Mu Tao witnessed all had less than ten puncture attempts.

The challenging blind puncture was also an aspect Mayo Clinic was looking into in hopes of a swifter and less damaging TIPS surgery.

The current procedure in all Mayo Clinic branches was to place a specialized guide wire in the portal vein to map out the general area. This reduced the chances of a total miss when performing the puncture.

The method had already been discussed publicly in a journal article.

Reading it in an article was nothing compared to witnessing it live. The additional guide wire significantly improved workflow efficiency.

The TIPS procedure could be completed with five or fewer puncture attempts and the surgery success rate was as high as 95%. The post-surgery hepatic encephalopathy incidence rate was as low as 30% with this method.

These statistics were unbeatable.

Mu Tao believed the crown jewel of interventional surgery had been cleanly plucked by Mayo Clinic.

Learn, research, operate. Mu Tao kept a steady pattern every day while he was in America.

He had even forgone sleep, taking only 4-hour daily naps.

Mu Tao only had six months and found himself running out of time. There were too many things to learn and too many surgeries to perform.

Every day, there were countless dignitaries and rich businessmen who stopped by Mayo Clinic for a consultation or check-up.

A referral letter from a specialist cost USD7,000.

The figure was shocking.

However, Mu Tao truly believed the price tag was worth the service. Even if the price was doubled, it would be worth it because life was precious.

For interventional procedures, the were many patients who were available. Although Mu Tao could not perform the surgeries, he could assist and learn.

Whenever fatigue caught up and threatened to drown him, Mu Tao recalled the situation back in Imperial Capital.

Mu Tao wanted to be the best in the country! Anything less was not acceptable!

For this goal, he would push himself to the brink of exhaustion.

Mu Tao embraced each second he spent in Mayo Clinic.

…

…

Back in Sea City General Hospital’s emergency ward, Zheng Ren was performing a physical examination of the patient who was stabbed in the heart.

His recovery was swift. The patient was able to go to the bathroom unassisted while carrying the chest drainage system.

Cardiac stab wounds and cardiac tamponades required emergency medical attention. Time was the main factor in these rescues as once the window of opportunity had passed, there was a high risk of brain damage.

This patient was incredibly lucky.

During the transport of the patient from the ICU, he and his lover had thanked Zheng Ren profusely.

After the initial shock, his lover’s mental state had finally returned to normal. She was no longer wailing and sobbing as she had during the emergency response.

The woman seemed to have forgotten what had happened that day.

Zheng Ren watched his words as he spoke to the couple. He did not want to jog her memory lest she remembered how he kicked her aside that day. Had he not brought her lover back from the dead, the woman would likely sue him for assault.

Zheng Ren checked the patient’s temperature and listened to his chest sounds. No fever, no signs of infection. Everything was going well for him.

One more week of observation would do before discharge.

As for the sutures on his chest, they could be removed in a few more days.

The other patients were all in stable condition. Under Zheng Ren’s management, the emergency wards were orderly and proper.

The key was in the quality of surgical procedures as it dictated the post-surgery care, which was resource-intensive.

Needless to say, the medical staff was essential in maintaining the emergency wards’ smooth operation.

Professor Rudolf Wagner had gotten used to the workflow in the emergency department. To end up here in a small general hospital in Northeastern China, the professor believed it was God’s will.

He was able to witness Zheng Ren complete a TIPS surgery with a single puncture attempt.

The professor had faith he could practice and master the technique.

On the other hand, the patient with prostatic hyperplasia was on his way to China.

Professor Rudolf Wagner did not forget his initial goal of winning a Nobel Prize. It was his life goal.

With the help of a magnificent East Asian surgeon like Zheng Ren, Professor Rudolf’s hopes soared.

This was a sign from God.

After making his rounds, Zheng Ren headed back to his office and picked up on his reading.

He was glad the activity boosted his skills in the System and gave him an edge.

He had no idea why the System had chosen him or when It would desert him but he now had the ability to save lots of people and that was enough.

Zheng Ren treasured every second he had with the System.