A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

Dili and her son looked even more nervous. Zhou Yi pulled up a chair and sat down, trying to keep his tone calm and slowing down his speech: "I know you're worried, and I understand Director Nurbahati's concerns. He's afraid that if there are problems with the surgery, it will ruin the hospital's reputation."

But I must tell you the truth: I worked in the cardiac surgery department of Dalian for fifteen years, specializing in this kind of right-sided small-incision mitral valve repair. I've performed hundreds of these procedures, with a success rate of over 98%, which is much safer than traditional surgery.

Amanjiang interrupted him with a troubled expression: "But the director said that the conditions here can't compare to those in Dalian. The doctors and nurses aren't familiar with this kind of surgery. What if something goes wrong during the operation? My dad..."

He started to speak, but his eyes welled up with tears, and he choked up, unable to continue. "Dr. Zhou, we're really at our wits' end. On one hand, we're worried my dad can't afford the delays, and on the other hand, we're afraid of complications during the surgery. It's a dilemma!"

"Sister Dili, Amanjiang, I understand your difficulties."

Zhou Yi's heart sank. Sure enough, the director had already poured cold water on the family's hopes. He composed himself and spoke calmly yet with full confidence, "But you have to understand that with Ameldan's current condition, every day we delay increases the danger. Traditional surgery is about toughing it out, while new technology is about skillfully saving her."

Traditional surgery is highly invasive and has a slow recovery time. His body may not be able to withstand postoperative infection. In the end, he'll have spent money, suffered a lot, and there's no guarantee he'll recover.

As he spoke, he took out his phone and showed them the similar surgical cases he had performed in Dalian, one by one. "Look, this patient is older than Amardan and in more serious condition. He was able to get out of bed and walk three days after the surgery."

And this patient was discharged a week after surgery, with hospitalization costs more than 30% lower than traditional surgery. I performed all of these myself, and every single case is absolutely true.

Dili leaned closer, squinting at the smiles of recovered patients in the photos, her fingers trembling slightly. "Dr. Zhou, are these... are these all real? You've really done so many successful ones?"

"Absolutely true. This kind of surgery has long been a routine procedure in Dalian. I can do it with my eyes closed. I came to Xinjiang this time to bring these mature techniques so that our patients here can suffer less and spend less money. I didn't come here to cause unnecessary trouble."

Amanjiang was still hesitant. "But the director said that none of our doctors and nurses have ever performed this kind of surgery before. What if they pass the wrong instruments or don't coordinate well during the operation? That could be..."

"You have absolutely nothing to be afraid of!"

Zhou Yi immediately interrupted him, his tone resolute: "I will personally train the surgical team. I have already contacted the surgical team in Dalian. They will provide remote guidance throughout the entire process. Before the surgery, we will rehearse repeatedly, practicing how to place the instruments, when to hand them over, and how to connect the steps until everything is foolproof."

Since I dared to propose this surgery, I'm 100% confident I can do it well. Amardan's life is more important to me than my own!

He patiently explained for almost two hours, covering everything from the principles of the surgery to postoperative care, from successful cases to risk contingency plans, addressing all the concerns the family members might have had, and even those they hadn't considered.

Dili wiped away her tears, turned to look at her husband, who was breathing weakly on the hospital bed, then at her son. Her voice was trembling with tears, but unusually firm: "Amanjiang, Dr. Zhou is a good doctor who came to help us. He's right. Your dad... your dad really can't take any more time. We trust him!"

Looking at her father's pale face, Amanjiang finally gritted her teeth and nodded firmly, "Dr. Zhou, we trust you! We're willing to take any risk as long as it saves my dad. Please go ahead and perform the surgery!"

Zhou Yi finally felt relieved. "Don't worry, I promise you I will do everything in my power to ensure Ameldan's safe and sound recovery. I'll go coordinate with the operating room now and schedule the surgery as soon as possible."

After saying that, he picked up the test report, turned around and walked out the door, his steps even more hurried than when he came in.

Although the family situation has been resolved, the challenges of coordinating with the operating room team seem to lie ahead.

Zhou Yi didn't go back to his office; he went straight to the head nurse's office in the operating room and found Reziwan.

Reziwan is in his fifties, with some gray hair. He has worked in the hospital for thirty years and is a veteran in the operating room. He is experienced but also extremely conservative, always seeking stability in everything he does.

"Head Nurse Reziwan, I need to speak with you urgently."

Zhou Yi pushed open the door and got straight to the point: "For Ameldan's surgery, I plan to use a right-side small incision mitral valve repair. You and the operating room nurses will need to practice a few times to familiarize yourselves with the procedure."

Reziwan was busy organizing the medical equipment list, and without even glancing at Zhou Yi, she shook her head and said, "Dr. Zhou, it's not that I'm not cooperating, it's just that it's impossible."

"We've never even heard of that small incision surgery on the right side you mentioned. Where to place the instruments, when to pass them, what to pay attention to during the operation—it's completely different from traditional surgery. We've never had any experience with it, so how can we practice?"

"I'll teach you!"

Zhou Yi quickly said, "I'll break down the surgical procedure and teach you step by step. The surgical nursing team in Dalian can also provide remote guidance, sending you operation videos and explaining precautions in real time. You'll definitely be familiar with it after three or four practice sessions at most."

"it's useless."

Reziwan looked up, her face full of difficulty. "Dr. Zhou, our team of nurses have been trained according to the traditional surgical procedure for more than ten years. They have long been used to it. It's not so easy to change it on the spot."

There's only so much time on the operating table. If we get nervous and hand over the wrong instrument or delay the procedure, it could be fatal! I can't bear that responsibility, and neither can our team.

Zhou Yi continued to persuade him, "Head Nurse Reziwan, the patient's condition is truly critical. He needs surgery within the next two days; he can't withstand traditional surgery. Please give him a chance, let's give it a try. With the Dalian team overseeing things, there won't be any problems."

Reziwan's tone was resolute: "Dr. Zhou, please stop talking. I would never joke about a patient's life. Either you proceed with the traditional surgery, and our team will fully cooperate; we'll do whatever it takes. Or you'll have to find someone else who can cooperate with you on this surgery."

Having said all that, Zhou Yi knew that further persuasion was useless.

The family finally relented, and the patient was racing against death every second, but the surgical team was holding them firmly in check, making the surgery impossible to perform.

What was even more worrying was that around 10 p.m. that night, an emergency call suddenly came from the ward. When Zhou Yi arrived, Ameldan was already experiencing acute respiratory distress, his lips had turned blue, and his heart rate had soared to over 140.

Zhou Yi quickly took action to save him, administering oxygen, medication, and monitoring his vital signs. After nearly an hour of this, Amardan's condition finally stabilized.

The situation had become so critical that there was no time to lose. Zhou Yi had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to Dean Zhang Jianguo.