21st Century Necromancer

Chapter 229 Numb Flipping the Sawed Bone

Chen Yu's surgeries had almost settled into a fixed team pattern, with him as the chief surgeon, Jounouchi Hiromi as his dedicated anesthesiologist, and the second assistant role alternated between Doctor Higashiyama and the Glasses Doctor. As for the third assistant, that role was almost invariably filled by the lucky trainee doctor, Nakagawa Susumu.

As for the first assistant in surgery, Chen Yu didn't mind having Jounouchi Hiromi assist him, but most of the time Jounouchi Hiromi was just his dedicated anesthesiologist. In most cases, it would be Doctor Higashiyama and the Glasses Doctor, the pair serving as second assistants, who would step in as the first assistant.

After all, if the surgery wasn't too difficult, it wasn't necessary to have all three assistants present.

Of course, for major surgeries like the one today, Chen Yu would also invite Daimon Michiko to be his first assistant.

The surgeries that Chen Yu personally invited Daimon Michiko to assist with were naturally not easy. For Daimon Michiko, who had interests and specialties in certain surgeries, these were naturally very tempting, and Chen Yu's invitations were always smoothly successful, securing Daimon Michiko as his first assistant.

However, even so, this time the surgery for Higashiyama Keika was still understaffed.

Major surgeries like this one typically require more personnel. Under normal circumstances, two chief surgeons would rotate, with numerous assistants aiding them to avoid fatigue.

Of course, for surgeons of the caliber of Chen Yu and Daimon Michiko, they were capable of supporting the entire surgery and did not require replacements. It was based on their surgical capabilities that Chen Yu proposed simultaneous reconstruction of the spinal cord and cauda equina nerves. He and Daimon Michiko would operate at the same time to save surgical time.

Although this surgical plan was good, it was not easy to implement.

An operating table is only so big, and after a patient is laid upon it, at most five or six people can stand around the edges. Apart from the chief surgeons, Chen Yu and Daimon Michiko, there was the surgical nurse responsible for passing the instruments, leaving room for at most two more assistants.

Under these conditions, the now-cleaned Higashiyama Keika was wheeled into the operating room, and after Jounouchi Hiromi had put her under anesthesia, the surgery began.

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"Tsk tsk, who performed the original surgery? The skill level is truly appalling. If the surgery had been performed with a bit more care, this abnormal vertebral fusion would not have occurred." As Higashiyama Keika's back was opened up to reveal her spine, Chen Yu and Daimon Michiko could tell at a glance where the problem lay.

Higashiyama Keika's spinal deformity was due to poor postoperative repositioning leading to abnormal vertebral fusion. However, there were many factors contributing to the poor repositioning. Keika's own decision to lie on her side was among them, but the failure of the original surgeon to place enough fixation screws was also a contributing factor to her poor repositioning.

Although the fixation screws had already been removed, the scars from the surgery still revealed clues to the trained eye.

This was why, upon opening up the site, Daimon Michiko could assert that a little more attention during surgery would have prevented such a severe outcome. After all, the internal fixation screws had been placed with subpar skill, which even made Chen Yu think that the surgeon might have been performing this type of surgery for the first time.

"Stop the chatter and move faster," urged Jounouchi Hiromi, observing Daimon Michiko and Chen Yu chatting while looking at Keika's spine, "Aren't we supposed to finish this surgery within ten hours?

I have a reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro tonight, and I do not want to be late." As an anesthesiologist, she had to control the duration of the patient's anesthesia, as needing to administer it a second time due to a prolonged surgery would be quite the trouble.

"Understood, Anesthesiologist," responded Daimon Michiko before looking over at Chen Yu, "Lead Surgeon, what's the plan?"

"Let's do what we discussed. First, we'll cut the spine, then implant the 3D printed support to replace the original vertebrae, followed by support fixation, and finally, we'll reconstruct the spinal cord and cauda equina nerves," said Chen Yu. He then turned to the instrument nurse and ordered, "Bring the wire saw."