Quickly, one blood vessel was anastomosed, and the process of attaching another one began.
Zhang Lin attempted to pick up the microscope instruments and enter the field of vision to help, but his hand was shaking uncontrollably, nearly snipping the blood vessel that Yang Ping had just attached.
"Don't just start moving around!" Yang Ping warned.
Zhang Lin didn't dare to make another move, his face feeling as if it was on fire.
He simply put down the instruments, doing nothing, just staring intently at the field of vision through the eyepiece, watching Yang Ping work.
Yang Ping had no intention of getting help from Zhang Lin. He calmly continued operating alone, using the forceps and scissors in tandem to gradually expose the ends of the severed vessels. He then located another blood vessel.
He immediately pruned the ends of the severed blood vessel, clearing away part of the outer sheath. With one snip, the ends of the vessel became clean and neat.
"Can we record the surgery?" Yang Ping asked Zhang Lin.
"Yes, the microscope is directly connected to a video system," Zhang Lin responded.
"Turn on the recording, I want the entire surgery recorded," Yang Ping instructed Zhang Lin.
Although his aim was to ensure the patient's well-being, keeping a record of the procedure would ensure accountability, whether towards Director Tian or other parties. If anything unexpected happened, there would be something to refer back to.
"Start recording, turn on the recording system!" Upon remembering that the process needed to be recorded, Zhang Lin called out to the circulating nurse.
The microscope was equipped with a high-definition camera, capable of recording the entire procedure.
"Alright!" The circulating nurse responded promptly, immediately pushing over various video systems, connecting all the cables, and turning on the main machine.
"Rinse with heparin saline, use an 11-0 micro suturing needle," he directed.
An injector with a flat needlehead, filled with heparin saline, was handed over.
The microsurgery suture with the needle attached was handed over.
The scrub nurse today was excellent. Despite this being their first time assisting Yang Ping, they proved to be highly proficient. Yang Ping glanced at her ─ her long eyelashes framing clear and lively eyes.
Su Yixuan? He had an instant feeling ─ her eyes looked familiar. But he didn't give it much thought and promptly returned his attention to the surgery.
The thread, much thinner than a hair strand, under the microscope and in Yang Ping's hands, was stitched in and out with ease, as if he were sewing skin.
He continued on to the next one. One vessel after another.
In one go, he anastomosed six vessels ─ two arteries and four veins.
As it was sliced into two pieces, there were two openings to deal with.
He went on to anastomose another six blood vessels at another opening, managing it with practiced ease.
Releasing the vessel clamp, the vessel began to undulate softly. The pale fingers on the distal end immediately turned ruddy. The vessels were excellently anastomosed, with no leakage and good blood circulation.
Zhang Lin could only hand Yang Ping the instruments; he could hardly keep up with the pace of the surgery. Although he had seen the procedure performed, and had assisted Song Zimo and Director Tian in doing so, he was incapable of conducting this finger reattachment procedure on his own.
In Yang Ping's hands, the finger reattachment procedure seemed to take on a different character. It didn't seem like a highly challenging surgery, but more like a simple debridement and suturing, or a straightforward tendon anastomosis. It seemed exceptionally easy.
If previous finger reattachment procedures could be compared to the speed of a train, this one was like the speed of an airplane.
The nerves and tendons were anastomosed, standard Kessler stitches were used for tendon repair, and the skin was also sutured under the microscope. The tiny drainage strip was carefully placed subcutaneously at both wounded sections of the finger.
Yang Ping let out a sigh of relief. If nothing went wrong, with this quality of vascular anastomosis, the finger should survive without any problem.
"Bandage it, fix it with a plaster cast!" Yang Ping and Zhang Lin began bandaging the injured limb.
The anesthetist was the first to react: "What happened? Is the surgery over?"
"It's done!" Zhang Lin responded.
"Already done?" The anesthetist was a bit skeptical. They usually had a good understanding of a surgeon's skills since they frequently worked together.
The actual surgery only took about two hours, less than three in total. It seemed too quick to be true. The anesthetist thought that the young men simply sutured the wound after realizing they couldn't complete the reattachment procedure. However, as the anesthetist, while they could think this way, they could not voice such accusations. Thus, they simply responded affirmatively and prepared to wrap up the procedure.
The scrub nurse, with her bright eyes filled with skepticism and speculation, had been ready for a long fight but was surprised by the early conclusion of the battle.
Zhang Lin unrolled the surgical cloth layer by layer, handed the final towel clamp to the nurse, and proclaimed, "End of work."
"Doctor, is it because you couldn't reattach it?" The patient, hearing that the procedure had ended so quickly, expressed his disappointment: "You must help me. My child is still young, and I'm the only breadwinner in the family. Without this hand..." The man began sobbing quietly.
Yang Ping gently rested his hand on the man's shoulder, reassuring him, "Don't worry, your finger has been reattached. You'll have to stay in bed for the next ten days, doing everything on the bed, and you absolutely can't smoke. Do you understand? If you don't follow these instructions, the finger will die."
The patient immediately broke into a wide grin. "Really, doctor, thank you. Once I've recovered, I'll treat you to a barbeque and beer. A young doctor told me the surgery would take five to six hours, so I didn't expect it to be completed so quickly."
Yang Ping left the operating table and stealthily checked the surgical records. Indeed, the scrub nurse was Su Yixuan. They had chatted in the bar before, but only about airway obstruction and hadn't inquired about each other's professions.
So, Su Yixuan was actually an operating room nurse. Su Yixuan, who was packing up the instruments, waved to Yang Ping. "Yang Ping?"
"Su Yixuan?" Yang Ping wanted to confirm.
She nodded, "You really sent in your resume and started working so fast. So you were an orthopedic doctor."
"Did you two know each other before?" The circulating nurse pointed at them and asked.
Su Yixuan nodded.
They had a brief chat before going their separate ways.
Zhang Lin and the anesthetist accompanied the patient back to the ward. The nurses in the ward were stunned: "Is it a finger preservation or a reattachment procedure?"
"Reattachment!"
Are you kidding me! It didn't take long. The young nurse couldn't quite believe it, but there was no time to ponder. She immediately prepared for the patient's return to the ward.
Yang Ping sat in the changing room for a while, resting against the back of the chair. It felt good.
This was the first time he had applied the surgical skills acquired in the system space to reality. He felt slightly nervous at the beginning but also a little excited, which made him take his time with the surgery for fear of making a mistake.
Now reassured, he realized that the surgical skills acquired in the system space could be practically applied to reality without any issue. They were no different from the skills learned through conventional methods.
"Ding-dong! The task is complete, reward 1600 points."
The first page of the system's store now displayed blinking icons where there used to be white boxes, meaning he could now make purchases. He bought a few cheap skills and commenced training on them.
Yang Ping rose a few times to check on the blood circulation of the reattached finger. He went to the ward to check the finger's blood flow, as even the most flawless surgery could fail because there were many factors that could affect the success of a surgical procedure.
If any signs of vascular congestion or crisis were observed in the reattached finger, prompt action would be necessary to address them. Otherwise, even the legendary physician Hua Tuo would not be able to resuscitate a necrotic finger.
Naturally, Hua Tuo wasn't even conducting finger reattachment procedures while he was alive.