Dowook inhaled deeply to catch his breath and bowed his head to give a simple greeting to the doctors from other departments who had arrived before him.
'It seems some doctors who weren't on duty were also called over.'
Six from Thoracic surgery, five from orthopedics. He could also see staff members with a lot of experience. Compared to that, the neurosurgery department had only two, including himself.
As he was contemplating whether he should call a supervisor, he heard a familiar voice.
"You're working hard on a Friday, Dr. Dowook."
"Huh? Dr. An."
An Hosan from the anesthesiology department came and stood beside Dowook.
"They even called the anesthesiology department?"
"They said there might be an emergency surgery patient so we should come down first. You know how the emergency center's chief is like. If you make him unhappy, he'll never forget."
"Is he like that?"
At Dowook's expression which displayed as if it was the first time he'd heard it, An Hosan chuckled.
"He's not as bad as Prof. Choi, at least. Don't worry."
Maybe it was because they had performed surgery under Last Choi together, but there was a feeling of camaraderie between them.
"About the patients. This much preparation means it's pretty serious."
"Since it's an overpass collision. You should hope they're still breathing when they come in."
While they were chatting, a man in his early forties quickly walked to the middle of the center. Seong Chang Soo was chasing after him so Dowook knew who it was at once.
The Head of the Emergency Center Ji Hwi-gwan, aka Commander G.
He was an elite among the elites who became the head of the department at a young age, but in the hospital, he was more famous for his name which was hard to forget once you heard it.
'I wonder how good his skills are.'
Dowook fiddled with his fingers trying to judge if the other person induced his special sense. But there was no response yet.
"Everyone's here? Pay attention."
Chief Ji scanned through the crowd of doctors in front of him.
"It's 6 patients who are on the verge of dying or almost dead. When they arrive, I don't want to hear something like it not being your department's business. If you kill a patient over something like that, I'm going to call you over and over all night every time you're on duty. And put your name here on this wall with huge font."
It was a terrifying thought that everyone couldn't help but flinch listening. There was no doctor in the hospital who could ignore the emergency center chief's call.
"If you have a question about the diagnosis, speak in a loud voice. Understood?"
It was an instruction with a sense of pressure that people had no choice but to answer "yes."
Turning his back, Chief Ji looked at Seong Chang Soo and the other personnel of the emergency center who were forcibly called over.
"We are heading to war. If you guys don't control things quickly from the sides, we can't save anyone. It's a race against time. Remember that."
"Understood!"
The appearance of the emergency center's doctors who answered confidently was similar to well-trained soldiers. It might seem childish to outsiders, but the doctors' faces were grim.
'Woah, his charisma is no joke.'
It looked cool somehow, so Dowook turned to his junior standing beside him.
"Hana. Soon, the war will star–."
"Yes, I know what to do, senior."
"....you do?"
Hana had become very feisty after becoming the next chief resident.
A few moments later.
Weewoo Weewoo—!
The siren sound made by several ambulances at the same time could be heard inside.
Dowoo clenched his fists without him knowing. The patients' situation was so urgent that many doctors were gathered for a quick response. Treating them would not be easy.
Paramedics rushed through the doors of the emergency center along with the rattling sound of the mobile stretchers being pushed.
-Male 19! Rib fracture, twisted pelvis! He keeps going in and out of consciousness!
-Female 19! Complex laceration of the back! Severe blood loss!
The medical staff, who noticed the people being brought in were wearing school uniforms, swallowed a gasp.
"What, it was a cram school bus?"
"It seems so."
-This patient experienced a cardiac arrest a minute ago!
The eyes of the rushing medical staff focused on the mobile stretcher when they heard the words 'cardiac arrest.' Paramedics were already on the bed, applying chest compressions.
"Chang Soo! Take over!"
At Chief Ji's instruction, Seong Chang Soo reflexively got on the bed instead of the paramedic.
Students who were transferred to 6 beds.
Dozens of doctors and nurses clung to them all at once.
"I need a chest X-ray! Bring in the C-arm! The ribs went through the lungs!
"The pelvis is just about to split. Give me a pelvic binder!"
"Tachycardia! Secure the airway! Faster!"
Three diagnoses and measures were made at once on one hospital bed. It confused even the experienced nurses and added to the overall confusion in the room.
'How can we treat it if there's a head wound in this situation?'
This wasn't the time to just be thinking. First, he had to enter the fray. Dowook tapped Nam Hana on the shoulder as she had been standing in confusion like him.
"Hana. I'm going right. You go opposite."
"Yes, senior."
Approaching bed no.1, Dowook first checked the male student's vital monitor. The patient's pulse was slowing down and his oxygen levels were also falling.
'Oh dear. Just bringing him to a condition for surgery will be difficult.'
He slipped through the 3 doctors already attached and lowered his gaze to the back of the patient's head.
There was a laceration but it wasn't bleeding fatally. There were no signs of the neck being broken either. The patient had no need for a neurosurgeon.
'Okay. no. 1 passes. Be sure to live.'
When he was about to go to patient no. 2 after giving the diagnosis.
"The problem is the blood pulled in the thoracic cavity."
"We can't ignore the pelvis, either. He was crushed by a heavy object."
"Can't you guys see that the vena profunda was cut?"
Conflicts arose over the order of treatment between the thoracic, orthopedic, and emergency center doctors. Even the nurses were confused over what should be done more quickly. The patient's vitals only got worse in the interim.
"It's amazing. How long has it been since you were warned? Do I have to write your names down already?"
An annoyed voice rang through the area. The chief glanced at everyone as he walked over.
"Can't you who call yourselves doctors decide what to do first to wake the patient up?"
Slipping through the doctors who suddenly became mute, Chief Ji put on sterile gloves.
"Listen well. There's no time to go through the procedures or judge the side effects after treatment. If you have time to argue about your diagnosis, then just do it! Whatever you do, it can't get worse than this! Give me a scalpel."
A nurse passed Chief Ji a scalpel.
Chief Ji put his hand on the patient's bruised chest and seemed to wait for something.
Beep be-be-beep.
An alarm sounded indicating that oxygen levels had dropped.
At the same time, Chief Ji's blade stabbed between the 5th and 6th ribs.
"Chest tube."
The nurse picked up the tube with forceps and handed it over. After accepting it, the chief pushed it into the hole he's just made without delay.
Blood gushed out and splashed on the clothes and faces of the doctors around him.
"Why are you just staring? There are just 5 minutes before this patient dies. Move!"
The doctors sobered up and reacted quickly.
The thoracic surgeon who confirmed it was cardiac tamponade, performed a pericardial puncture, the orthopedic surgeon who finished binding the pelvis assisted him, and the emergency surgeon injected hemostatic agents and plasma to give them more time to operate.
'Just now, he found the vital area without an x-ray.'
Dowook couldn't help but be amazed.
If that patient survives, the initial response led by Chief Ji would play an important role in it.
After giving instructions and moving away, Chief Ji bumped into Dowook.
"What are you daydreaming about here? Are you here to cheer?"
"I'm going!"
As he was running to bed no. 2, Dowook felt a tingle stimulating his fingertips.
"Huh?"
Dowook stared down at his hands.
Except that the target must be nearby, the conditions to activate the special sense were not difficult.
Naturally, this tingling that raced through his head and arms via the neural circuit belonged to the most outstanding surgeon in this room.
The ability of Chief Ji Hwi-gwan to cope with severe trauma.
In such an urgent time, his hands reacted to effectively save the patient before he did.