Zheng Ren ignored the hostility in Cen Meng's words and pushed the transport stretcher trolley into a treatment room.
After reading through the patient's details and various investigative reports in the upper right corner of his vision, Zheng Ren came to a conclusion—it was troublesome!
Even so, he performed a simple physical examination on the patient not to confirm the diagnosis, but to locate the most ideal location for an incision.
The patient was a nineteen-year-old female at twenty-eight weeks of gestation with mild vaginal bleeding and tenderness at the right umbilical region of the abdomen. No rebound tenderness or muscle guarding were noted.
Her acute appendicitis was relatively mild, but she had other, more serious issues that complicated surgical treatment.
He sent someone to invite the chief resident of the obstetrics department to consult this patient while venous catheterization was being done. This was a complicated case and he desperately needed some luck in order to complete the surgery perfectly.
The obstetrics department chief resident was soon at the first general surgery department. This was an emergency that involved two precious lives, so the sense of urgency was felt by all.
Zheng Ren invited the patient's family members to the office for preoperative informed consent as the chief resident examined the patient.
"Clear evidence of the risk of miscarriage. The precipitating factor, an inflamed appendix, needs to be dealt with as soon as possible to save the fetus," said the obstetrics chief resident.
"Will the surgery affect the baby?" asked a middle-aged man anxiously.
Zheng Ren felt helpless. In the family's opinion, the child was of utmost importance, but what about the pregnant woman? Perhaps medical personnel were the only people empathizing with her.
Clearly, none of these people gave a damn if the pregnant woman died during the surgery, as if she was merely a disposable childbearing machine for them.
Zheng Ren tried to comfort the man. "Usually, no."
However, a middle-aged woman slumped against the wall and began to wail after hearing Zheng Ren's answer.
It was a dry wail.
She was also mumbling something incomprehensible.
Zheng Ren, who had no intention of humoring her insincere theatrics, hardened his expression and asked every family member, except for the decision-makers, to leave the office immediately. Those who wanted to cry could do so outside and those who were needed to deal with procedure would proceed as planned.
Irresolution would be unacceptable as it would delay the patient's treatment.
The patient was his primary concern. Her family members had no direct relation to him in any aspect and were ultimately irrelevant.
After the office regained its peace and quiet, Zheng Ren earnestly began explaining everything regarding the surgery to the patient's husband, parents and in-laws.
Whenever Zheng Ren clarified a procedure, the patient's husband and in-laws would inquire about the baby's safety without giving the slightest concern for her. Meanwhile, the patient's parents merely stood in one corner of the room with dark expressions and sealed lips.
Sea City General Hospital had the best medical facilities in the area and the patient required surgery to save the fetus. This was the best chance they had to save the baby.
However, the family members were unwilling to sign the informed consent documents and wanted to shirk their responsibility.
Vexed, Zheng Ren rebuked them, "Do you still want to save the baby?!"
Finally, one of the family members reluctantly signed the informed consent documents under the threat of the fetus' demise and Zheng Ren's smoldering gaze.
The hospitalization procedure had completed at the same time. Zheng Ren then provided them some medical advice and contacted the operating theater before changing into surgical attire.
Normal people encountering such apathetic family members would feel cold and hopeless, even scrub nurses like Xie Yiren and medical personnel who did not have much contact with the patients' family.
However, Zheng Ren had seen too many cases like this in his career and had adapted to the harshness of reality.
He could not guarantee the safety of the fetus. In fact, the adult's well-being was the main priority on his list.
The fetus or the adult… Was it a tough choice?
Their future… Well, that was none of his concern, right?
He pondered the patient's surgical site and the best location for an incision as he walked toward the operating theater.
Every case of acute appendicitis during pregnancy had an inflamed appendix in an ectopic position due to compression by the gravid uterus. It was much more complicated than the misdiagnosed acute appendicitis with an ectopic appendix this afternoon.
Right after Zheng Ren had changed into surgical attire, the anesthesiologist on duty angrily pushed open the door, causing a loud bang as it hit the wall.
He roared at Zheng Ren, "How did you inform the patient's family members just now? They didn't even agree to general anesthesia. Talk to them again."
"..." Zheng Ren was dumbfounded.
They did not even want general anesthesia? What the hell was going on? Were they expecting the patient to go through agonizing pain throughout the entire surgery?
Were they here to cause trouble or seek treatment?
Zheng Ren, wearing his surgical gown, put on a white coat and stormed out of the operating theater.
The patient's husband noticed Zheng Ren's stiff expression and instantly begged, "Doctor, the anesthetic will make my child an idiot even if you save him, so please don't use any anesthetic."
"What the f*ck! I'll cut you up without anesthesia and see how you like it!" reprimanded the exasperated Zheng Ren.
"Who the hell do you think you're raising your voice against?!" howled one of the family members in frustration.
"Do you still want the surgery to proceed? If not, the baby will not survive!" Zheng Ren knew that he had no choice but to firmly reason with the unreasonable.
Besides, the unborn child was clearly at the top of their priorities.
"You'll pay for his life if you can't save him!" roared the patient's father, who had remained quiet all this time at the back of the crowd.
He looked like an honest man with a weather-beaten face, but his current ferocity numbed Zheng Ren's heart, as if he had been electrocuted and his heart had gone into asystole.
Zheng Ren had seen countless people with this attitude in the emergency department, but as a doctor, he had to protect the patient's well-being no matter what.
However, he was powerless against accusations and threats like these. What was he supposed to do when even the patient's biological parents no longer cared for her safety?
Some things would never change even when he had the power of the System.
"Doctor…" Someone grabbed his arm.
Zheng Ren turned around and noticed that the trembling hand and sweaty palm belonged to the quiet, nineteen-year-old pregnant woman, who was powering through her agony on the stretcher trolley.
"Doctor, you don't need to anesthetize me. I can endure the pain."
Her bangs were drenched in sweat and glued to her forehead. There was an unhealthy redness to her features from the pain, but her eyes were bright and alert, which made Zheng Ren wonder if this was terminal lucidity.
"Why don't we just leave and visit another hospital?" asked one of the family members.
"Good idea. The rural hospital can perform the surgery with local anesthesia but the doctors here can't. What a low standard."
"Let's go to another hospital."
A few family members, the closeness of their relation unclear, were causing an uproar.
Zheng Ren was stunned. The patient risked a potential miscarriage and an intrauterine fetal death would be inevitable if there was any further delay in surgical treatment.
Moral coercion was indeed useful at times.
Zheng Ren gritted his teeth, frowned, and finally let out a sigh.
After repeatedly using the System to check the patient's status and confirming that she did not suffer any form of mental disorder, Zheng Ren frowned and said, "Your body will respond to the intense pain with uterine contraction, which will increase the risk of miscarriage."
"I can and will endure it." Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Please, doctor…"
Local anesthesia. That was the only choice.
"Fine, we'll proceed with local anesthesia."
Zheng Ren wanted to glare at her family members but it seemed pointless.
He also wanted to comfort the patient, but had no idea what to say.
Sighing heavily, he pushed the patient's family members aside and wheeled her into the operating theater.
"Chief Zheng, is everything settled?" asked the anesthesiologist after noticing Zheng Ren and the patient enter the operating theater.
"Local anesthesia will be used," said Zheng Ren.
"You're crazy!" The anesthesiologist was shocked. "Who'll bear the responsibility if anything happens to her?"
"The surgery will be hindered without anesthesia. Who'll bear the responsibility if she ends up with a miscarriage?" Zheng Ren threw the question back at him.
It was a debate that offered no definitive answers.
The anesthesiologist silently admired Zheng Ren's determination in bearing full responsibility and assisted with the patient transfer to the operating table.
"Why isn't there an assistant with you?" asked the anesthesiologist casually.
"There's a lack of staff in the emergency department. Nothing I can do about that."
"You… Alas…" Everything the anesthesiologist had in mind could only leave him as a sigh.
Cen Meng, who had been with the crowd the entire time, immediately left them after finding out Zheng Ren had decided to perform an appendectomy under local anesthesia, running downstairs and ignoring the elevator.
He pretended as if nothing had happened as he greeted Chief Surgeon Liu upon reaching the surgical demonstration classroom. Before the duo fully entered the room, Cen Meng whispered, "Chief, Zheng Ren wants to do it under local anesthesia."
Chief Surgeon Liu's expression darkened immediately, but as soon as he recalled that Zheng Ren was a chief resident in the emergency department, a hideous smile formed on his face. "He is asking for death."