A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

The murmurs of opposition were still throbbing in the department, and Zhou Yi was about to offer further explanation when Nurbahati suddenly stepped out from the crowd.

I support the I Ching.

Nurbahati's resounding words instantly silenced most of the noisy department.

Everyone was stunned, even Zhou Yi looked at him with some surprise.

It's worth noting that Nurbahati had always maintained a wait-and-see attitude towards both the integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine approach and the proposal for this minimally invasive surgery.

Nuerbahati continued calmly, "The results of the combined Chinese and Western medicine treatment for Tong Guoliang were evident to everyone. This approach completely shattered my prejudice against traditional Chinese medicine."

As for the techniques of the I Ching, I have observed and memorized them during this time. He is not the kind of person who acts impulsively or rashly.

He paused, a firm sense of responsibility in his eyes: "The fact that he dared to propose this surgical plan means that he has made sufficient preparations."

Regarding the risks everyone is worried about, I will take full responsibility for overseeing the entire process. No matter what unexpected situations arise during the surgery, Zhou Yi won't be held accountable; I will handle everything!

With the director personally taking the lead and even voluntarily accepting the risks, the initially fierce opposition immediately subsided. Dr. Chang, who had been the most vocal in the argument, opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed his words.

The other doctors and nurses exchanged glances, their doubts slowly turning into worry, but no one dared to openly oppose them anymore.

Zhou Yi felt a warmth in his heart and nodded solemnly to Nurbahati.

With the director's support, Zhou Yi no longer had any concerns and immediately began to assemble the surgical team, saying decisively, "Time waits for no one, let's divide the work now."

I will be the lead surgeon, responsible for the core mitral valve repair procedure. Doctor, I would appreciate it if you could be my first assistant, primarily responsible for handling any unexpected situations during the operation. With you there, I feel much more confident.

Nurbahati agreed in a deep voice: "No problem, I will keep a close eye on all the data, and we will make adjustments immediately if there are any abnormalities."

Zhou Yi then looked at the most experienced head nurse in the department, "Head nurse, I'm entrusting the instrument transfer to you. This surgery requires meticulous procedures, and the instrument connection must be precise to the second. Please take good care of it."

Although the head nurse was nervous, seeing the director's full support, she immediately straightened her back and said, "Don't worry, Dr. Zhou, I'll go and organize the equipment right away, and I'll make sure it's accurate."

After arranging the core members of the Western medicine team, Zhou Yi specially invited Zhou Hongmei and Ayiguli from the Traditional Chinese Medicine department to come over.

"The cooperation of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners is crucial for this surgery. We need to trouble the two of you to join the team and be on standby outside the operating room at any time."

He specifically pulled Aygul aside for a detailed discussion, explaining the potential risks: "During the surgery, the patient is likely to experience fluctuations in blood and qi due to surgical trauma. Once the blood and qi become disordered, it can easily lead to an unstable heart rate, which will directly affect the progress of the surgery."

Therefore, you need to monitor the data closely, and if any abnormalities occur, immediately use traditional Chinese medicine to stabilize his qi and blood.

Aygul was prepared and immediately nodded upon hearing this. "Dr. Zhou, please rest assured. We have already prepared three complete protection plans based on Tong Guoliang's pulse and physique."

She pointed to the first prescription and explained, "Half an hour before the operation, we will give him jujube seed soup, mainly to help calm his nerves and relieve his preoperative tension, so that he can enter the operating room in a stable state."

During the procedure, we prepared ginseng and aconite injection solution, which is for emergency use. In case of a drop in heart rate or unstable blood pressure, it can be administered intravenously immediately to quickly stabilize the heart and provide emergency relief.

After the surgery, I will treat him with a modified Bazhen Decoction to focus on replenishing his qi and blood, helping him recover his strength as quickly as possible.

She added, "Moreover, all the medicinal herbs are authentic herbs that we specially source from the local Gobi Desert and regular medicinal herb bases. The Codonopsis and Astragalus are all of sufficient age, and their efficacy is absolutely guaranteed."

You just focus on the surgery; we'll take care of everything else, from the traditional Chinese medicine aspects of ensuring your Qi and blood supply!

Zhou Yi looked at the densely written prescription in Ayiguli's hand, and then at the team members around him who were focused and each doing their own job. His previously anxious heart was completely relieved.

Once it was decided to perform this right-side small incision mitral valve repair surgery, the entire surgical team was like a clockwork toy, entering a full-sprint state from the second day onwards.

The laboratory door was opened precisely at nine o'clock the next morning.

Zhou Yi and Nurbahati, along with their team of nurses and anesthesiologists, went inside and never came out, even taking turns eating a few bites of lunch inside.

On the simulated operating table, animal heart specimens and a full set of laparoscopic instruments were neatly arranged. Under the cold white light, everyone's attention was focused on that small space.

"One more time! The location of the small incision on the right side must be precise, in the fourth intercostal space, two finger-widths from the sternum, with absolutely no deviation!"

Zhou Yi held the laparoscopic instruments and reminded him in a serious tone.

Everyone practiced the incision positioning and the angle of instrument entry repeatedly. They spent the whole morning practicing just this one basic movement.

In addition, emergency treatment for sudden massive bleeding is a key focus. Everyone practiced until their hands and arms ached and went numb, but no one called for a stop.

Nurbahati voluntarily shared his ten years of experience in open abdominal surgery, teaching the young doctors step by step.

Holding the hemostat, he demonstrated to the simulated heart: "A small incision is different from an open abdominal surgery. The field of vision is very narrow, and you can't see the whole chest cavity."

When stopping bleeding, never panic, and do not apply extensive pressure as you would with an abdominal incision. You must use hemostats to precisely clamp the bleeding point with steady pressure; otherwise, you can easily damage surrounding blood vessels and tissues, which will only make things worse later.

After sharing his experience, he even moved closer to Zhou Yi and learned how to perform laparoscopic procedures.

After all, I'm getting old, and my hands and feet aren't as nimble as those of a young person. At first, the equipment in my hands was like it had rusted, and I couldn't control it at all. Several times, I even punctured the simulated heart.

But he was not discouraged at all, and followed Zhou Yi's instructions exactly.

After repeated practice, he was able to skillfully cooperate with Zhou Yi to complete basic actions such as separating adhesions and exposing vision, and the two of them became more and more in sync.

Practicing hands-on skills alone is not enough. The team also held three preoperative discussion meetings. Everyone broke down the entire surgical procedure into more than 20 steps, from preoperative disinfection and anesthesia induction to incision preparation, laparoscopic insertion, valve trimming, suturing and shaping, and finally abdominal closure and bandaging. Every step was meticulously refined.

Even more meticulously, they also mentally prepared for ten possible unforeseen circumstances that might occur during the surgery.

"What if the camera suddenly goes blurry during surgery?"

How to quickly replace malfunctioning equipment?

What should you do if a patient suddenly experiences a sudden drop in heart rate?

……

Every problem was raised and discussed repeatedly. Finally, detailed solutions were developed for each situation, down to the smallest action, to ensure that no matter what unexpected events occurred, we could react immediately and not panic.