"Dr. Luo, if we don't perform a tracheotomy now, the patient will die! Trust me, I'm a doctor too. I wouldn't joke about my career or a patient's life."
Wu Ting took over Luo Ming's position without leaving any room for argument.
"The patient is in critical condition. There's no more time to waste!"
"Nurse... scalpel... rubber catheter... petrolatum gauze..."
Wu Ting gave the orders directly. Under his composed demeanor, the nurse immediately complied, handing him a small utility scalpel used for everyday clinical purposes.
"Wu Ting, you haven't sterilized or administered anesthesia!"
Luo Ming watched from the side in disbelief. He knew, of course, that in a critical situation where a tracheotomy kit wasn't ready in time, it was possible to proceed without sterilization or anesthesia—but that required an extremely high level of surgical skill!
Moreover, it carried an unpredictable risk of postoperative infection!
But he also knew that, at this moment, the patient was on the verge of death. There was no better way.
"Dr. Qin, why isn't Director Huo here yet?!"
Luo Ming was incredibly anxious, but he could only choose to trust Wu Ting.
On the emergency gurney, Wu Ting used the scalpel to slice through the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and the linea alba of the neck in front of the trachea. He then directly probed for the tracheal rings with his finger and, astonishingly, used his finger as a guide to incise them.
Then, everyone present witnessed an unbelievable sight.
Wu Ting seemed to have transformed into the battle-hardened Director Huo. He inserted the scalpel handle into the trachea, twisted it, and forcibly held the incision open.
"...Nurse, rubber catheter..."
The nurse immediately handed the rubber catheter to Wu Ting, her eyes filled with admiration.
Luo Ming had now completely ceded the surgical position to Wu Ting. Watching from the side, he felt a dawning realization. Wu Ting's technique was simply too practiced.
'How can he be this skilled!'
Before Luo Ming could even react, Wu Ting was already working without pause. He cut the outer end of the rubber catheter into two flaps, snipped holes in their ends, attached fixation ties, and spread them apart to substitute for a proper tracheostomy tube.
After finishing, Wu Ting padded the area around the patient's wound with petrolatum gauze and secured the fixation ties around the neck.
In just over five minutes, Wu Ting had completed the emergency tracheotomy.
Just then, Qin Donglai also rushed over.
He was met with a scene that he found hard to believe.
In the emergency room, a nurse exclaimed excitedly:
"It worked, it worked!"
"The patient's dyspnea is easing, consciousness is returning, blood oxygen saturation is rising, and vital signs are gradually stabilizing!"
Hearing the nurse's words, Wu Ting finally let out a sigh of relief.
Luo Ming, at the side, felt his entire body relax.
"Wu Ting, you're really something else!"
Seeing Dr. Qin walk in, everyone felt a sense of reassurance.
"Dr. Qin, you're here. The patient's condition has stabilized. Dr. Wu performed an emergency tracheotomy on the patient immediately."
Hearing the emergency nurse's explanation, Qin Donglai looked at Wu Ting, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He quickly got a clear picture of the entire procedure:
"Wu Ting, when did you learn to do a tracheotomy? And an emergency one at that, using just a scalpel and a rubber tube, guided by your own finger. That's incredible. If I didn't know your background, I'd have thought you were a retired army medic straight from the battlefield."
Given Qin Donglai's high praise, everyone in the emergency room also found it quite amazing.
"Yeah, Dr. Wu, how did you do that?"
Wu Ting chuckled lightly. "I've seen videos of similar procedures before. And I also personally observed a tracheotomy once during my studies."
'Just by watching a surgery and observing it once, he can reach this level?'
Luo Ming suddenly began to doubt himself.
Qin Donglai was also at a loss for words. Perhaps this was just pure talent?
However, this wasn't the time to exchange insights. After praising Wu Ting, Qin Donglai began to manage the patient's follow-up care.
When Qin Donglai personally examined the patient's throat where Wu Ting had operated, he was shocked.
"The patient's condition has temporarily stabilized. We now need to proceed with the next stage of treatment. Prepare to transfer him to the emergency operating room."
With his expertise, Qin Donglai understood perfectly how perilous the patient's situation had been. Even he couldn't have done a better job.
However, while the artificial airway had been successfully established, it didn't mean everything was fine. Wu Ting's unsterilized and unanesthetized procedure still posed a huge risk.
"Wu Ting, you did very well today. But you must remember that a tracheotomy, especially an emergency one like yours, carries significant risks because it wasn't sterilized. We absolutely cannot get complacent!"
"Nurse, immediately administer treatment to resolve phlegm, relieve spasms, and provide oxygen support. At the same time, use ambroxol, doxofylline, and antibiotics for anti-infective therapy!"
Qin Donglai didn't dare to be careless. After all, Wu Ting's procedure had been audacious; it was imperative to immediately provide Western medicine's anti-infective treatment.
Still, he was worried and couldn't guarantee that a serious infection wouldn't develop later.
But he knew this was the best possible outcome under the circumstances. He couldn't ask for more from Wu Ting.
Hearing Qin Donglai's concerns, the expressions of the medical staff in the emergency room turned grave.
This was what Luo Ming had been most worried about from the beginning.
While everyone else was heavy-hearted, only Wu Ting remained relaxed, speaking calmly:
"Dr. Qin, I've already thought of a countermeasure for this problem. In addition to conventional modern drug therapy, I also have a formula that's perfect for dealing with subsequent pulmonary infections."
"I call it the Clearing Heat, Dissolving Phlegm, and Promoting Bowel Movement Method!"
"The formula consists of: 20g of Phragmites root; 15g each of winter melon seed, coix seed, Houttuynia cordata, honeysuckle flower, and Szechuan lovage root; 10g each of peach kernel, platycodon root, Baikal skullcap root, bamboo shavings, rhubarb root, magnolia bark, immature bitter orange, and Glauber's salt; and 6g of licorice. One dose per day, decocted into 200 mL of medicinal liquid. Administer 100 mL via nasal feeding in the morning and evening, continuing treatment for 7 days."
As he spoke, Wu Ting glanced at a nearby nurse, who understood immediately and wrote down the entire prescription.
Qin Donglai was a bit surprised. He had never heard of this formula and didn't understand where Wu Ting had come up with such a plan.
'National Medicine combined with a tracheotomy? If this succeeds, it would have incredible significance and promotional value.'
"Dr. Qin, if you feel it's not safe enough, you can invite Deputy Director Huang Hong from the National Medical Department to come for a joint consultation. This formula is designed to clear heat and dissolve phlegm, and it has an excellent therapeutic effect on the patient's infection symptoms."
Listening to Wu Ting's confident introduction, Qin Donglai felt he couldn't quite see through this young doctor before him.
'Could it be that he was influenced by a great physician in his family? An ordinary doctor would never come up with such a concept.'
"Alright. Luo Ming, go contact Director Huang Hong right now and ask him to come to the ER. If Wu Ting's plan is confirmed to be effective, implement it immediately. Make sure to properly record the subsequent data; this integrated National Medicine therapy has major clinical significance."
Back in the emergency room, Wu Ting's performance left everyone in a state of disbelief.
This was especially true for a young doctor on his first day of rotation, who looked at Wu Ting as if he were looking at a god.
"Dr. Wu is so amazing! Directing the attending physician, commanding the situation in front of Dr. Luo... Oh my god, one day I want to be an ER physician as incredible as Dr. Wu!"
With the arrangements made, Qin Donglai personally took the patient to the emergency operating room for the next stage of surgical treatment—a cranial procedure. A surgery of this level was not something Wu Ting was qualified to participate in.
Forty minutes later, Qin Donglai had completed the patient's surgical treatment.
Thanks to Wu Ting's timely rescue earlier, the patient had passed the greatest crisis. His cranial trauma was very minor, and now, after the surgery, his condition was stable.
The next, most important step was to address the hidden danger of post-tracheotomy pulmonary infection.
Director Huo Yun had also rushed back to the Emergency Department.
Deputy Director Huang Hong of the National Medical Department had also arrived. He was astonished to hear that a doctor in the ER had used a National Medicine formula to treat a pulmonary infection.
In the Emergency Department's conference room, Qin Donglai, Huang Hong, Huo Yun, Wu Ting, and Luo Ming began their discussion on the anti-infective treatment for Old Luo following his tracheotomy.
Looking at the plan Wu Ting had proposed, Huang Hong examined it carefully, growing more and more shocked the longer he looked.
Seeing the change in Huang Hong's expression, Qin Donglai couldn't wait to ask:
"Director Huang, what do you think of this formula?"