"The lead surgeon for this operation was Dr. Wu Ting from City First Hospital, and he designed the entire surgical plan."
Jiang Feng sounded a little incredulous himself as he explained.
"City First Hospital, Dr. Wu?"
Cai Dongbao and Dean Wang were both puzzled.
Only then did Jin Yu step forward, looking triumphant. "I was the one who invited Dr. Wu. Originally, I had planned to wait for Director Jiang to arrive so we could hold a consultation and discuss a plan together. I never expected Dr. Wu to give me such a pleasant surprise. After reviewing the patient’s condition, he immediately came up with the optimal treatment plan."
"So, after obtaining the consent of the patient and his family, we began the surgery within the optimal treatment window. Fortunately, the surgery was a complete success."
Hearing Jin Yu’s explanation, everyone’s eyes turned to the unassuming young doctor, Wu Ting.
"Dr. Wu, I never imagined someone so young could possess such incredible medical skills. I am so, so grateful to you."
Cai Dongbei thanked him sincerely. After all, Wu Ting had saved his son’s future.
Cai Dongbao also gave Wu Ting a surprised look, his mind already turning. ’It just so happens that *Path to Health* is planning to invite an expert from City First Hospital. When the time comes, I should have a good chat with Director Huo about Wu Ting.’
’Besides his medical skills, Wu Ting’s good looks were also a major plus. If marketed properly, he could become a huge draw for the show.’
Of course, there was no rush to make specific arrangements. Cai Dongbao had something more important to attend to in the coming days.
Besides getting *Path to Health* off the ground, he was also producing a documentary about Fan City’s urban development and industrial reforms. With the current focus on ecology and environmental protection, they were investigating and documenting some of the city’s aging factories.
A few days ago, the director of the film crew had reported to him that the chemical plant for the next shoot had many safety hazards, especially regarding fire safety. They had even received several complaints in the past.
Since the film crew was preparing to go shoot, Cai Dongbao needed to hold a meeting with them to emphasize the importance of their methods and, above all, their safety.
With so much on his mind, Cai Dongbao didn’t immediately bring up *Path to Health* with Wu Ting. He simply expressed his gratitude as the patient’s great-uncle.
"Thank you, Dr. Wu. Thank you."
Cai Dongbao extended his hand to shake Wu Ting’s.
Dean Wang naturally expressed his thanks as well, thinking to himself with a sigh, ’City First Hospital is truly full of hidden talents.’
After another round of pleasantries, everyone prepared to go their separate ways.
Before leaving, Jiang Feng swallowed his pride and asked, "Director Jin, would it be possible to get a copy of the recording of Dr. Wu’s surgery? I’d like to take it back for the doctors in my department to study."
Jin Yu deferred to Wu Ting, who naturally agreed. It was an opportunity to boost his reputation and influence, so why not?
’Who knows,’ he thought, ’these recordings might help me make new friends in the medical field, or even lead to more surgical opportunities.’
"Dr. Wu, our dean just mentioned that he’d like to share the video of your surgery with the doctors in our hospital’s relevant departments for them to observe. If you have time, you should come over for an exchange of ideas."
Jin Yu extended the invitation, and Wu Ting gladly accepted.
"It would be my honor to learn and exchange ideas with my peers."
The senior doctors present were all deeply impressed by Wu Ting’s open, humble, and low-key attitude.
His task complete, Wu Ting headed straight back to City First Hospital.
The next few days passed as usual, with Wu Ting continuing his observations and making his rounds.
On Wednesday, Cheng Feng, sporting dark circles under his eyes, submitted the revised case file to Wu Ting.
"Brother Ting, I finished the task ahead of schedule! Take a look, and if everything’s okay, you can submit it to Director Huo."
Wu Ting was surprised by Cheng Feng’s diligence. ’As expected of a top student,’ he thought. ’Such dedication and self-discipline.’
"Alright, thanks a lot."
"Brother Ting, don’t be a stranger. Just treat me to a great meal after it gets approved, and we’ll be even."
"I have to scrub in for a surgery soon, so I’ve got to go."
After saying goodbye to Cheng Feng, Wu Ting began to look over the case file he had written. Sure enough, it was far superior to his own work in terms of formatting and detail. After a quick review revealed no issues, Wu Ting submitted it directly to Director Huo.
It wasn’t long after he sent the file that Director Huo replied, saying it was very well done.
Director Huo was also very pleased with Wu Ting and Cheng Feng’s dedicated teamwork.
After the preliminary selection, the three cases chosen from the Emergency Department were announced:
The first case was Wu Ting’s: the "Combined Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine Treatment for Tracheotomy." It was a joint submission with the National Medical Department and was praised for its originality and potential for widespread application.
The second case was from Jiang Ming: a rare case of appendicitis complicated by an internal hernia (a mesoappendix slit hernia). It was a classic case, and the surgery was performed jointly with doctors from the General Surgery department, making it highly representative.
The third case, submitted by another associate chief physician from the internal medicine group, was a rare case of Kimura’s disease. Also known as eosinophilic hyperplastic lymphogranuloma, it is a benign chronic inflammatory disease of the immune system with an unknown cause.
The disease was first discovered by a Japanese medical scientist named Kimura, and Kimura’s disease was named after him; it is also known as KD. It is not contagious and is clinically rare. Currently, documented cases are seen more frequently in males from Jinzhou, with the age of onset typically between 20 and 40.
In selecting these three cases, Director Huo naturally considered not only the merits of the cases themselves but also the various medical groups and teams within the department. After all, Wu Ting was still a newcomer; it was impossible to give him two slots.
The good news, however, was that the case study for Officer Liu’s severed limb reattachment surgery, which Wu Ting had performed, was submitted by Lu Xiong on behalf of the Orthopedics Department.
As the central figure in that surgery, Wu Ting was also listed as a collaborating physician from the Emergency Department.
Without a doubt, Wu Ting was the big winner in this preliminary round of the provincial case competition!
Looking at the final list of cases selected by the hospital, Wu Ting was filled with a multitude of emotions.
’Medicine really is a profound and boundless field, full of all kinds of strange diseases and patients.’
It was no wonder a heavyweight in the medical field had once lamented something.
It concerned a misconception held by both doctors and patients. Doctors say, "If you’re sick, you need treatment." Patients say, "Sicknesses are things that are cured."
That’s wrong!
Of human diseases, one-third get better without treatment, one-third get better with treatment, and one-third don’t get better even with treatment.
Take the common cold, for example. Do we cure it? Every cold gets better even without treatment.
There are 7,000 rare diseases in humans for which there is still no cure; the only option is terminating a pregnancy. For example, tumors account for a quarter of all human deaths, and for many, treatment is worse than no treatment. Then there’s ALS... It’s a harsh, helpless reality.
However, Wu Ting believed that medicine would inevitably continue to advance, and all kinds of complex and difficult diseases would be conquered in the near future.
After the preliminary round of the provincial case competition was over, Wu Ting returned to his daily work.
And Qin Donglai was ready to give Wu Ting a brand new opportunity.
"Wu Ting, there are two appendectomies tomorrow morning. I’ll demonstrate one, and you can try to take the lead on the other!"
An appendectomy!
Wu Ting couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement. This was a true rite of passage for a surgeon, the surgery that would mark the official launch of his surgical career.