The Enhanced Doctor
Chapter 62 - 062 Super Wound Cleaning

Chapter 62: 062 Super Wound Cleaning

"Doctor, are you serious? Can you save the finger?" The patient’s wife rushed up to Liu Banxia.

"I can’t be completely sure, but I will do my utmost. Amputating the finger is my last resort," Liu Banxia said seriously.

"Director Xu, any further delay could threaten the patient’s life. Compared to life, isn’t a finger less important?" Qi Wentai was getting anxious.

Xu Peichen’s expression was calm. He looked at Liu Banxia. "What is your suggested surgical plan and the reason for taking such a risk?"

"Director Xu, let me start with the reasons," Liu Banxia said. "The patient is newlywed, with a child to take care of. I won’t even mention how expensive it is to raise a child these days. The patient is so young; losing his index finger, while it might not affect daily life, will definitely impact his work and income.

"My surgical plan is to do everything possible to eliminate every cell infected by the flesh-eating bacteria. If, despite our efforts, the infection still progresses, that’s when Doctor Qi can amputate the patient’s finger.

"The patient’s finger has been abnormal for several days. The fact that it hasn’t degenerated into necrotizing fasciitis during that time proves the patient has a good constitution, and this has bought us some time."

"Can you estimate the duration and risks of the surgery? Clearing the infection could take several hours or even longer, despite it being just a finger," Xu Peichen continued.

"Director Xu, I don’t know if I can succeed, but I’ll persist to the very end, doing everything I possibly can," Liu Banxia spoke earnestly.

"Director, how can we gamble with the patient’s life like this?" Qi Wentai interjected.

Xu Peichen glanced at Qi Wentai, then looked back at Liu Banxia. "Are you willing to take responsibility?"

Liu Banxia nodded decisively.

"Okay, go ahead. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you outside," Xu Peichen said, his expression also turning serious.

"Mascot, scrub in, join me at the table!" Liu Banxia shouted.

Just as he was about to leave, he felt a bit awkward. "Which operating room is it?"

"Number 2," a doctor who had just assisted him with a reduction procedure reminded him.

Liu Banxia nodded and, dragging the still somewhat dazed Liang Xiaolin with him, bolted off.

He was really going for it this time. After being bullied by Qin Hai and Qi Wentai repeatedly, he finally had a chance to formally fight back. This decision was indeed risky, but he truly had his own confidence. The debridement process, on one hand, required intense mental concentration, and on the other, demanded meticulousness. Anyway, I still have attribute points and Glory Points. I can use them to make up for whatever I lack!

Liang Xiaolin had been in a daze the entire time. It wasn’t until they started scrubbing in that she snapped back to reality. Oh no, I’ve muddle-headedly followed Liu Banxia into trouble again! And he even dragged me all the way here, hand-in-hand!

But there was no time for blame now, as Liu Banxia had already scrubbed in and entered the operating room.

Seeing the change in the attending surgeon, the anesthesiologist was taken aback.

"Banxia?" Anesthesiologist Li Liwei asked tentatively.

"Yes, Brother Li, it’s me, Banxia," Liu Banxia said hurriedly. "There’s been a change in the surgical plan. We’re temporarily not amputating the finger. I need to do my utmost now to eliminate the cells infected by the flesh-eating bacteria."

Li Liwei nodded. "Operate with peace of mind. I’ve got the patient’s condition under control."

"Thanks, Brother Li, and thanks, everyone!" Liu Banxia replied cheerfully.

The reason flesh-eating bacteria are so terrifying is their extreme lethality. In many cases, the mortality rate within 24 hours post-infection is exceedingly high.

The infected area on the patient’s finger had already extended 1.5 centimeters past the second knuckle. Qi Wentai and his team’s assessment wasn’t wrong; amputation was indeed the most prudent approach.

There isn’t much fat on a finger, and some of the fat on this one was now showing clear signs of cellulitis, resembling a honeycomb. Liu Banxia took a deep breath and began to debride the area meticulously.

Only after he truly started the debridement did he realize just how high the difficulty level of the task he had undertaken today was.

This was not a normal surgery. In a typical operation, many procedures are routine, requiring intense focus only at critical points.

But now? I have to maintain peak concentration at all times and make my hand movements even more efficient and faster. After all, these are flesh-eating bacteria, and they spread rapidly. If my movements are too slow, another area might get infected.

After thirty minutes, beads of sweat appeared on Liu Banxia’s forehead. Liang Xiaolin quickly wiped them away to prevent them from dripping into his eyes and obstructing his vision.

Liu Banxia quickly assessed the situation in his mind. My hand speed is adequate for now. However, maintaining such high concentration is draining my stamina significantly.

Without further hesitation, he directly pulled up his attribute panel and allocated 5 points to his Stamina.

DING! Acquired 5 points of Stamina, now 44 points. Endurance and physical strength increased by 12.82%.

As the system prompt appeared, Liu Banxia felt his body lighten. The fatigue he’d felt moments before significantly diminished, and even his heart rate seemed to stabilize.

Time ticked by, second by second. Xu Peichen, who was waiting outside the operating room, couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Initially, I thought Liu Banxia made this proposal purely out of youthful bravado. But he’s been in there, operating with intense concentration for over an hour now. That level of focus has certainly earned my respect.

"Loupes."

Liu Banxia put down his instruments and stretched his neck and hands.

Liang Xiaolin quickly helped him put on the head-mounted surgical loupes that had been prepared nearby. The next step was debriding the margins, as the naked eye was no longer sufficient for accurate demarcation.

Moreover, this is a finger, not a thigh or an arm. Minimizing tissue removal here will significantly aid future recovery.

Indeed, not much flesh remained on the finger that Liu Banxia had just finished meticulously debriding. However, the results so far looked promising: at the very least, the patient’s vital signs hadn’t deteriorated, and the infection hadn’t spread further.

This time, Liu Banxia’s debridement was even more meticulous.

After another thirty-odd minutes, his previously steady frame swayed slightly. He quickly put down his instruments and stretched on the spot. This is no time to be stingy with Glory Points! He immediately exchanged 10 Glory Points for a bottle of Vitality-Boosting Concoction.

DING! Consumed Vitality-Boosting Concoction. Stamina fully restored.

Then, under everyone’s astonished gazes, he picked up a fresh set of surgical instruments and resumed the debridement.

What was the standard for this debridement? There was no standard. It required repeated observation, clear marking of the original extent of the infection’s spread, and then taking tissue samples to send to pathology for biopsy.

This particular phase of the operation continued for another 56 minutes, with Liu Banxia persevering, before he finally paused.

"We’ll observe for another hour and await the latest pathology results. It should be completely clean now," Liu Banxia said softly.

Although Liu Banxia could move his body, he still needed to maintain his concentration, observing the patient’s freshly debrided wound.

The one-hour wait was agonizing. Even when the latest pathology report came back, confirming no flesh-eating bacteria remained, Liu Banxia didn’t relax.

DING! Qualified Surgeon Task (2/3) completed.

Successful debridement: +500 experience points, +500 Wound Dressing Skill proficiency, +200 Diagnostics Skill proficiency.

Rating: Perfect. Awarded: +1,000 experience points, +500 Wound Dressing Skill proficiency, +500 Diagnostics Skill proficiency, +5 Glory Points.

The moment he saw the system prompts, Liu Banxia finally relaxed and pumped his fist triumphantly.