The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 392 Race Against Time

"Liu Banxia, what’s the situation?"

Liu Banxia was still contemplating when Li Mingwu walked over.

"The situation is somewhat complicated. One of these two metal pieces has severed a blood vessel. We also don’t know how deep it’s embedded, so we don’t dare try to cut the protruding part," Liu Banxia said.

"Blood was seeping out when they were cutting the car roof just now. If the movement is any larger, he’ll bleed out in less than half a minute. An artery must have been hit."

"The other patients have been rescued and triaged. Can we perform an exploratory laparotomy on-site?" Li Mingwu asked with a frown.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "The contamination at the scene is too severe; performing a laparotomy here is too risky. The internal bleeding is severe, and we don’t have enough plasma or adequate space."

"What if we insert a balloon catheter into his aorta? Would that buy us some time?" Li Mingwu asked.

Liu Banxia thought for a moment, still shaking his head. "Inserting a balloon catheter also requires operational space, and we don’t know the full extent of the patient’s injuries. We need to come up with a quicker, more effective method."

"If we were in a hospital operating room, we could do anything. We’d have the tools, the equipment... Vice Director Li, I’ve thought of something."

"Quick, tell me," Li Mingwu urged.

"Currently, we don’t have enough medical equipment and resources here, and the patient cannot be removed from the car. So how about we just haul the entire car to the hospital entrance? Would that buy us more time?" Liu Banxia asked.

Li Mingwu nodded emphatically. "Yes, let’s do that. I’ll find a tow truck right now. You monitor the patient’s condition."

After speaking, Li Mingwu broke into a run.

Liu Banxia’s idea was a desperate measure, as moving the patient also carried significant risks. But they truly couldn’t afford to consider that much; saving the person was paramount.

If they didn’t take this risk, the patient would undoubtedly die. By taking the risk, there was at least some hope, right?

There was a tow truck at the scene, but with nearly twenty cars blocking the tunnel, those vehicles had to be moved first.

There wasn’t enough time to wait for the tow truck to move all the other vehicles. The surrounding doctors, civilians, traffic police, and firefighters all pitched in, quickly clearing a path.

For the tow truck to proceed smoothly, car debris on the road was swept aside by people using their own clothes.

"Hang in there, buddy. There will be vibrations soon, and your wound will hurt. I’ll give you a small dose of painkiller first. Even if it hurts, you have to hold still," Liu Banxia said.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone," the patient whispered.

"Did you hear that? Everyone is helping you. The traffic police have already left to clear the road and block traffic. So you must hold on; you absolutely cannot give up. Let the tow truck start. I’ll be right here," Liu Banxia continued.

"Don’t be afraid. I’ve treated many emergency patients. The patient’s perseverance is the most important thing. If you hold on, we can succeed."

The patient nodded, then raised his left hand and pointed to Liu Banxia’s waist.

Liu Banxia looked down and saw blood seeping from his own wound.

"It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Attention, they’re about to start towing!"

Before Liu Banxia could finish, the entire vehicle lurched into motion. This towing wouldn’t be as careful as in an operating room; after all, it was machinery at work.

As the first pull came, Liu Banxia’s body swayed, and another gush of blood came from the patient’s wound.

Seeing that it didn’t continue to gush, Liu Banxia, who was intently watching the wound, let out a sigh of relief and managed a smile. "Very successful. It seems this level of vibration won’t affect your injuries."

"Don’t worry, we’ll be in the vehicle soon. Everyone else, don’t just stand there watching. It’s going to be cold in the car. Those who will be taking a car back later, throw your coats and padded jackets over to us."

His shout had an immediate effect; people nearby started taking off their coats and padded jackets. The weather was already cold enough, and it would definitely be colder in the vehicle.

In no time, the wrecked car Liu Banxia and the patient were in was piled high with padded jackets and coats. Liu Banxia carefully tucked these around the patient, then put one on himself.

"Get me another walkie-talkie; leave one in the driver’s cab. A flashlight with full batteries. And give me the remaining plasma. Also, a debridement kit and an intubation kit, one of each, for backup," Liu Banxia continued.

"Teacher Liu, let me stay up there. You’re still injured," Su Wenhao said.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "If there’s an emergency, I can still handle it. It’s fine; the wound doesn’t hurt. Once I’ve covered us with the padded jackets, help me secure the outside."

"Otherwise, I’m worried the cold plasma and saline will cause the patient’s body temperature to drop too quickly. Also, tell the driver not to just go for speed; it needs to be fast but also steady."

Su Wenhao glanced at him and nodded firmly.

Liu Banxia didn’t waste any more words. He ducked under the pile of clothes, which formed a sort of makeshift tent, making sure it was sealed tightly all around. He also held the saline bag to his chest to warm it.

He could feel the vehicle vibrating but had no energy to focus on anything else. He kept up a stream of quiet chatter with the patient, his eyes fixed on the wound.

This, too, was a measure born of necessity. How could a patient’s willpower be so easily maintained? Talking to the patient was a way to distract him, to keep him more conscious.

Otherwise, with excessive blood loss and dropping body temperature, the patient was highly likely to go into shock. Rescuing him then would become even more difficult.

To Liu Banxia, every second felt incredibly long. Moreover, one of the two metal pieces was very much in the way, forcing him to twist his body to avoid it.

This movement pulled at his wound again. The pain was real, but did he have any other choice?

The vehicle jolted again and then stopped. Liu Banxia was so tense that a fine sheen of sweat broke out on his skin. The surrounding padded jackets and coats were pulled away, and a circle of people formed around them.

"The patient is relatively stable for now. Quickly hang a blood bag and run instrument checks!" Liu Banxia shouted.

"The operating room is ready. What’s the next step?" Zhou Shuwen asked.

"Director, let’s examine him first. I think we should perform an on-site exploratory laparotomy, find the bleeding point to achieve rapid hemostasis, and then transfer him to the operating room as quickly as possible," Liu Banxia said.

"Alright, I’ll go to the operating room to prepare. Keep all passages clear and all doors open," said Li Mingwu, who had been waiting nearby.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Shuwen asked after climbing into the car, noticing the bloodstain seeping from Liu Banxia’s side.

"I’m fine," Liu Banxia shook his head.

Zhou Shuwen didn’t press further and began to carefully perform an ultrasound on the patient. The image was very poor; there was too much fluid in the abdominal cavity.

"Based on my experience, there’s damage to the spleen and kidneys, and also to the lungs. However, I don’t see any pericardial effusion, so the heart should be fine," Zhou Shuwen said after careful observation.

"Banxia, there will definitely be multiple bleeding points once we open the abdomen. Shi Lei and I will assist you. Can you perform a rapid exploration in this situation?"

"Director, I can only try my best. I’m not in top condition today," Liu Banxia said, gritting his teeth.

DING! Powerful Soothing Elixir successfully exchanged. Cost: 50 Glory Points.

DING! Gained 8 Mental Points. Comprehension, memory, and concentration increased by 14.28%. Duration: 3 minutes.

DING! Gained 8 Agility Points. Stability, speed, and tactile sensitivity increased by 14.81%. Duration: 3 minutes.

He was really reluctant to use this dual-effect elixir; the Glory Points it consumed were painful to part with. Normally, he wouldn’t bear to use it, but now he couldn’t afford to be stingy. He needed to perform a manual exploration to find the bleeding points, so he boosted his mental and agile attributes.

His current physical state wasn’t good to begin with. Even the slightest improvement could make a significant difference.

"Wang Lei, begin anesthesia."

Seeing Liu Banxia nod, Zhou Shuwen ordered in a solemn voice.

Once the anesthesia took effect, Zhou Shuwen picked up a scalpel and made an incision in the patient’s abdomen.

There was no time to consider the length of the incision now. With three people operating in such a tight space, they absolutely needed an adequate surgical field.

Blood immediately gushed out, but the three experienced individuals remained remarkably calm. Shi Lei, perched on what was left of the car’s roof, inserted the suction tube, and Liu Banxia quickly thrust his hand inside.

"The splenic artery. I’ve got it clamped. It was severed by this metal piece," Liu Banxia said.

"The kidney is severely damaged; no vascular abnormalities found for now. The pulmonary vein is partially damaged but not severed. Hmm... there are other bleeding points. I’m still looking."

The onlookers listened to Liu Banxia, their hearts in their throats. They couldn’t see the operation clearly, only the patient’s blood flowing out as if it were free.

Moreover, the injuries Liu Banxia had just reported were already horrific.

The reason he could find them so quickly was also because Zhou Shuwen, relying on experience, had made a perfect prediction, giving Liu Banxia a general direction for his search.

Actually, the patient had several minor bleeding points, but those weren’t critical. The priority now was to find the major vessels that were bleeding heavily.

"Found it! The right colon is ruptured, arterial bleeding! Intestinal clamps!" Liu Banxia shouted excitedly after about another half minute of feeling around.

The reason he hadn’t found it earlier was that he had mistaken the enteric contents for blood clots. Otherwise, such a large wound couldn’t have been missed initially.

Xu Yino, assisting by his side, quickly handed over the intestinal clamps. Liu Banxia clamped both ends of the severed artery.

DING! Emergency Quest Completed.

Rewards:

Liu Banxia had just straightened up and hadn’t yet seen the system rewards when he felt a wave of dizziness. Everything went black, and he fainted.