This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

The autumn rain fell all night.

The next morning, just before seven o'clock.

In the cardiologist's office, Zhou Cheng had already begun reviewing the day's new admission medical records.

On the table were three revised research plans from students.

Just then, the landline on the table rang; the ringing was urgent.

Lin Feng was about to go check on the patients when he answered the phone.

"Cardiology."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Hello, is Director Zhou here? I am Liu Tao from the Interventional Center of Linjiang People's Hospital."

Lin Feng's expression turned serious upon hearing the name.

Linjiang People's Hospital is one of the earliest grassroots hospitals in China to learn Zhou Cheng's calcification release technique.

Last year, they specifically sent two doctors to come for further training.

Later, Zhou Cheng even went there in person to demonstrate the surgery, and the two sides have maintained contact ever since.

"Director Zhou is here."

Lin Feng handed the phone over.

Zhou Cheng answered the phone, "Director Liu."

There was no small talk on the other end of the phone.

His voice was much lower than usual.

"Director Zhou, there might be a problem on our end."

Zhou Cheng put down the medical record in his hand. "Go on."

Liu Tao paused for a few seconds, as if organizing her thoughts.

"In the past two months, we have treated 28 cases of severe calcification lesions using your calcification release technique, among which... four cases of serious complications occurred."

The office suddenly fell silent, and Lin Feng subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

Four cases, twenty-eight cases.

As an interventional physician, he realized almost instantly what this number meant.

It's not surprising that a certain percentage of complications occur in complex cases if it's just a routine PCI.

However, if all four cases are serious complications resulting from the same technique, this proportion is already significantly high.

Liu Tao's voice continued to come through the phone.

"Two cases of vascular perforation, one case of severe aortic dissection, and another case where postoperative IVUS indicated poor stent apposition, requiring subsequent return to Taiwan for treatment."

"At first we thought it was an isolated case, but it's been happening repeatedly lately, so everyone's a bit unsure."

"That's why I contacted you immediately."

Zhou Cheng remained silent.

The incidence of complications is too high!

perforation?

Poor adhesion to the wall?

Lin Feng stood to the side, his brows furrowed.

After hanging up the phone, his first question was, "Was it a problem with their operation?"

This is the most intuitive judgment!

Grassroots hospitals have limited experience, and learning a new technology always involves a learning curve.

In particular, this new method for complex calcified lesions has higher requirements than ordinary PCI.

If complications occur, people's first thought will naturally be of the operator.

Zhou Cheng did not answer. He opened his computer and said, "Pull out all the cases in our center that have used calcification release surgery since last year."

Lin Feng paused for a moment, "Now?"

"Now."

Lin Feng didn't ask any more questions and immediately contacted the data analyst.

In less than half an hour, the relevant cases were retrieved from the entire catheterization lab's database.

Li Mingyuan and the other two were also summoned to the office.

They didn't know what had happened yet; they only noticed that the atmosphere in the office was completely different from usual.

……

On the computer screen is an Excel spreadsheet.

Case number, lesion location, degree of calcification, instruments used, postoperative results, and finally, complications!

Li Mingyuan was the first to notice, "Teacher, this is..."

Zhou Cheng did not hide anything, "Reports from grassroots hospitals indicate that the complication rate increases after the application of calcification release surgery."

The three people were stunned at the same time.

Zhao Sisi's first reaction was: "Is there a problem with the statistics? Or is the sample size too small?"

Twenty-eight cases, four cases.

Statistically speaking, the sample size is indeed small, and random fluctuations are not impossible.

Chen Yu also said softly, "Is it possible that the cases are all particularly complex?"

Zhou Cheng did not answer; he simply printed out the medical records that Liu Tao had just sent.

"Put everything else aside this morning and look at the medical records first."

……

Then, the office fell silent.

Each of the four people picked up a medical record.

Time passed little by little.

Sunlight streamed through the window into the office, and people passed by in the corridor, occasionally accompanied by the sound of nurses pushing treatment carts.

But the people inside the room hardly spoke.

Around 10 a.m., Lin Feng was the first to put down the medical record.

"The first case was a 75-year-old man with severe ring-shaped calcification."

"The perforation occurred after the secondary dilation."

"Pressure of 18 atmospheres."

Zhou Cheng nodded.

"Second case," Li Mingyuan continued, "Proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery, calcification length 22 mm, guidewire position is correct."

"A cutting balloon was used during the operation, and it was later released, which eventually led to perforation."

Zhao Sisi flipped through the documents, "The third case."

"Postoperative IVUS indicated poor wall apposition, which improved after posterior expansion."

Chen Yu was in charge of the last case, "the interlayer, and finally a stent was added."

After reviewing all the case files, the office fell silent once again.

Raymond Lam was the first to break the silence, saying, "I still think... there might be something wrong with their operation."

Li Mingyuan nodded: "The cases themselves are complex, and there is a lack of experience at the grassroots level."

Zhao Sisi also said, "Moreover, there are only 28 cases, which is too small a sample size."

None of the people in question were wrong.

Any interventional physician who sees this data would probably make a similar judgment.

Zhou Cheng, however, did not offer any opinion. He simply rearranged the four medical records, picked up the phone, and dialed Liu Tao's number.

After the call connected, Zhou Cheng's first words were: "Director Liu, I need your help with these four cases."

"Do not organize any original data, including imaging videos, IVUS recordings, stress records, and surgical records."

"Keep it as it is."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Director Zhou?"

"In addition," Zhou Cheng continued, "send me all cases of patients who underwent calcification decomposition, including those without complications."

Liu Tao asked instinctively, "Should we separate those cases of complications and not include them in the center's case list?"

"No need, send them all at once."

There was another moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a reply, "Understood."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to reanalyze everything again?"

"Um."

"Actually..." Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, "There are a few special cases that, if strictly following the inclusion criteria, could also be considered excluded cases."

He put it very tactfully.

In scientific research, this situation is not uncommon, for example, when the lesion is too complex, when special instruments are selected, or when other procedures are combined.

Excluding these cases as long as pre-set criteria are established is not considered a violation.

Zhao Sisi nodded, "If it's a special case, it can be analyzed separately."

Several people in the office were waiting for Zhou Cheng's reply.

Zhou Cheng raised his head and glanced at the three people.

"What was the first rule mentioned in yesterday's group meeting?"

The group froze at the same time, but Li Mingyuan was the first to react: "We can't modify the data."

"Be more precise."

"Original data cannot be deleted or modified."

Zhou Cheng nodded. "The first thing to do now is not to prove that there is no problem with the technology, nor to prove that others are operating it poorly."

"The first thing is to admit it."

As he spoke, he pushed the printed statistics table to the center of the table.

On the white paper, four cases of complications were circled in red.

"Before the data is correct, any explanation is meaningless."

No one spoke in the office.

Zhao Sisi suddenly felt that this sentence and the first rule written on the whiteboard at the group meeting a few days ago seemed to have truly come into reality at this moment.

If it were someone else, their first reaction might be to explain.

There are many reasons, and they all make sense.

But Zhou Cheng didn't say a word.

He acknowledged the data first, and then prepared to find the reasons.

Just then, the data clerk walked in carrying a computer.

"Director Zhou, we've also retrieved the data from our center. To date, we've completed 312 calcification release surgeries, with six cases of serious complications."

Lin Feng immediately stood up. "The incidence rate is 1.9 percent."

This figure is far lower than that of grassroots hospitals.

The atmosphere in the office eased up a bit.

Just as Lin Feng was about to speak, Zhou Cheng continued, "When did all six cases occur?"

The data clerk flipped through the data and said, "There were four cases in the first three months, but only two cases in the following year and a half."

Lin Feng suddenly froze.

The first three months were when they were just starting out with this technology.

In other words... they themselves also experienced a learning curve.

As people became more skilled, the complications gradually decreased, so everyone almost forgot about the very beginning.

Zhou Cheng looked at the curve on the screen without showing any sign of relaxation.

Because he suddenly realized that if it was just a learning curve issue...

The Linjiang City Hospital has been operating for six months.

Why have complications increased in the last two months?

The real problem may be hidden behind this!

This is the latest chapter.