Sense-Chapter 45: Online Star(4)

A/N: Due to IRL stuff, I won't have access to a computer and maybe the Internet for the first two weeks of November. So, only three chapters a week will be scheduled for those two weeks and any donated chapters will be uploaded once I'm back to civilization. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Dowook was confused as to how he should feel about the chaotic poll happening in front of him.

“Ms. Mathematician, what was the third choice?”

“Coil embolization. The technological success rate is 90.03%, but the complete recovery rate is 57.23%, and the recurrence rate is 24.4%.”

“Whoa, it’s like hearing the probability of obtaining a game item. You guys heard, right? The third is coil embolization.”

There were many patients who sought their family and friends’ opinions when thinking about how to cope with a disease. However, someone seeking opinions from perfect strangers on the other side of the Internet didn’t exist in Dowook’s view of the world.

“What about the fourth?”

“Cerebral aneurysm embolization. The technological success rate is…….”

Dowook turned to Lim So Yool, who was answering all of Kim Suhan’s questions with probability rates. She was helping the patient without any change in her expression.

‘Has she seen a lot of live streams?’

It was not surprising because she displayed a determined attitude in everything, alas he had no choice but to watch the conversation between the two with concern since he remembered how she had commented coldly on the patient’s condition several times earlier.

This patient was a special request from Chief Ha Sang Joong. As such, Dowook was obligated to take care of him even in areas that he didn’t usually pay attention to.

Feeling Dowook’s stare, Lim So Yool turned to him. And she asked an unexpected question.

“Dr. Park, you’re also looking forward to it, right?”

“What?”

“It will be a good sample that can lead to an optimal global solution.”

Although Dowook had memorized several complicated medical terms, even a single mathematical term popping up made him go blank.

At Dowook’s speechless response, Lim So Yool brought her head slightly closer and added with a low voice.

“The size of the sample making a choice is about 30,000. I can make an evaluation function to see how convincing each coping method was.”

“Ah……”

As expected, it wasn’t an ordinary reason.

Reading his wry expression, Kim Suhan intervened in their conversation.

“Doctor, you seem bewildered. Although these guys chat like that, their advice is the best in the world. I’m not insane.”

In other words, he wanted to hear what they, on the other side of the Internet, wanted to advise him on the direction for the rest of remaining time on earth. Lim So Yool was waiting expectantly in the opinion that this would be the best possible choice.

‘I don’t care anymore.’

It would be better to manage if a patient diagnosed with an incurable disease was motivated to live.

There wasn’t a reason to stop him, and Dowook didn’t think anything he said would convince Kim Suhan so he didn’t say anything. Around the picnic table in the indoor garden, only the sound of conversation between Kim Suhan and Lim So Yool could be heard.

“Ok. So until now, there are a total of 7. I’ll keep the poll open for 10 minutes and decide later, so think carefully and choose.”

Starting the timer, Kim Suhan’s eyes were still a bit red. Whatever was chosen, he must feel anxious since he was told he would have a constant risk of cerebral aneurysm.

Viewers’ donations continued as Kim Suhan waited anxiously.

-Dirring.

-Ssuhan-hyung! Be strong!

-Ddirring.

-Let’s have the funeral broadcast in 50 years!

-Ddirrring.

-Doctor. Please save our Ssuhan-hyung!

There was no end to the comforting messages until the set timer rang.

After 10 minutes.

Kim Suhan lifted his phone at the beeping alarm.

“Everyone, thanks for the vote.”

The 7 treatment plans suggested by the doctor. Kim Suhan placed his finger on the button leading to the results.

“This brat, not answering your phone.”

Ha Sang Joong ran out of his office after an hour of waiting for Dowook to call since he had promised to call after asking Kim Suhan’s opinion.

Wandering around the corridors of the neurosurgery and the staff room, he stopped in front of Choi Hoo’s office which he didn’t even look at.

They were all the same doors, but this one seemed to always let out a gloomy energy.

Knock knock.

“Choi Hoo……”

Ha Sang Joong peeked a little into the room then his eyes went wide.

“Park Dowook!”

Dowook, who was practicing sutures on the mock operating table, turned his head.

“Chief?”

“What’s with that expression which says you don’t know anything? What about the call? And the patient Kim Suhan!”

“Oh, right.”

“Right? Where do you keep your attention!”

Placing the surgical forceps down, Dowook turned towards the shaded area.

“Director, please pause the calculations for a moment.”

Angry at his student’s irresponsibility, Ha Sang Joong, who was stomping hurriedly into the room, saw the woman standing up, this stopped his steps and he hurriedly placed a hand on the table in the middle of the room to stop his swaying body.

“Director Lim?”

Standing from her seat, Lim So Yool nodded slightly.

“Welcome, Chief Ha.”

“Why are you here……. I heard you were going to visit the integrated internal medicine department.”

“I finished the cooperation over there in the morning.”

“Aha, in the morning.”

Considering that there was no message from the chief of the integrated internal medicine in the group chat named “Lim So Yool Countermeasure Team” secretly operated by the department chiefs, it seemed that he was in the same dire straits as the other chiefs.

Dowook approached Ha Sang Joong and revealed why Lim So Yool was there.

“The director is helping with Kim Suhan’s diagnosis. Like with Jeong Woo-seok.”

He quickly became anxious at the mention of the pianist.

The process of what happened a few weeks ago because of Prof. Lee Won Seok coming to suggest an extraordinary operation and Choi Hoo gladly accepting that suggestion crossed his mind.

“So what did the patient decide on?”

“That is…….”

Dowook turned to the mock operating table in the center and replied.

“He agreed to surgery.”

“He agreed? He made a difficult decision. How willing is he? Does he fully understand that in cases like this, the probability of a full recovery is not certain even after surgery?”

“That’s the reason I wasn’t able to call you right away.”

Dowook held up a piece of paper next to the mock operating table and stuck it out to Ha Sang Joong.

“What’s this?”

“This is a prediction drawn comparing the common parts of the cerebrovascular MRI of a patient at John’s Hopkins three years ago and patient Kim Suhan’s MRI. The cases are similar.”

“You drew this?”

“The director did.”

Taking the paper in his hand, Ha Sang Joong exclaimed in amazement over the virtual MRI image captured accurately with a pen. Then his gaze stopped at the pen marks made by a different color over the blood vessels to mark where the ligations were planned.

Ha Sang Joong's eyes shook.

“What is with this large number of sutures?”

“The treatment plan chosen by the patient.”

“Choice? The patient has even chosen how to ligate the arteries?”

“I analyzed the probabilities of some possible cases and suggested them.”

Since Ha Sang Joong focused on just cerebrovascular cases for 20 years, he was able to grasp how dangerous and unstable this technique was just by looking at the structure of the procedure.

“This is like you wrapping up the blood vessels with thread. Are you blocking a leaking faucet? How will the blood flow to the brain?”

“But if we succeed, there is a chance of complete recovery.”

“Are you going to use a ligation technique that has never been heard of and requires the highest surgical skills? You won’t be able to wrap it like this even if you use a machine. Has there ever been a case of a surgery like this being successful?”

"Yes. I've printed the files here.”

Dowook continued his explanation after handing over the paper spectacularly. This was the result of surgery performed by 4 talented surgeons at John Hopkins during an emergency.

“Dowook, you shouldn’t do this. Even if you bring out 4 neurosurgeons with surgical experience, you won’t be able to recreate this. Why? Because they were just doing whatever they could since there was no other choice. There’s only a very small chance of it happening!”

“I’m also not saying we should do it right away, I wanted to discuss it with Prof. Choi and then talk to the patient again. That’s why I forgot to call.”

“Come on, do you think Choi Hoo would have met a patient like this?”

Click.

The office door opened and Choi Hoo came in.

“Dr. Park, here…….”

Choi Hoo was looking down at the ice cream cone in the convenience store bag as he entered. When he saw the other two people in the room, he paused.

As soon as Ha Sang Joong saw Choi Hoo, he yelled.

“Choi Hoo! Come check what kind of nonsense your assistant is talking about!”

Choi Hoo who arrived closer did not act as Ha Sang Joong had expected. He passed an ice cream cone to Dowook.

“Here Dr. Park.”

“Thank you, professor.”

He didn’t hand one over to Lim So Yool, who met his gaze for a moment since he had bought the ice cream according to the number of people in his office.

After a moment of awkwardness, Dowook passed his ice cream to Lim So Yool.

“You have it, director.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Lim So Yool nodded in thanks. Placing the bag on his desk, Choi Hoo asked Dowook.

“We’re going into surgery soon. Don’t you need some sugar? The surgery won’t end before mealtime.”

“I ate this and that while talking to a patient.”

“I see.”

Ha Sang Joong became furious at the relaxed normal conversation between the two surgeons.

“What are you doing? Am I the only one in a hurry? Why am I the only one angry again!”

Taking a bite of his own ice cream, that was when Choi Hoo finally turned to Ha Sang Joong.

“What do you mean?”

“Dowook, this kid says he wants to try a procedure that hasn’t been verified.”

Turning his gaze, Choi Hoo looked at Dowook.

“A new procedure?”

“It’s this one.”

Dowook pulled the retractor further to the side of the model so that the inside was easier to see.

Choi Hoo asked as he looked at the suture tightly wrapped around a blood vessel.

“Multiple rounds. Is it a patient whose blood vessels can’t hold out with a single round?”

“The diameter of the A1 segment is estimated to be less than 0.8mm.”

“If the pressure goes up, the ligated area will be torn. Hmm…….”

After observing the model closely with his arms crossed for a while, he raised his head.

“In liver transplant surgery, reconstruction of blood vessels is common. The areas of the blood vessels that are cut are sewn up with tissue peeled from normal blood vessels. How about securing the thickness that way?”

“Securing the thickness? Then…….”

Dowook’s expression changed as if he had just realized something. When Ha Sang Joong saw that he had asked Choi Hoo to scold Dowook but they ended researching and coming up with new ideas, he was amazed.

“Director, we need to calculate the probability again regarding stability. A lot of variables have been added.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, I think something good will come out.”

Even Lim So Yool, who was eating ice cream with enjoyment, joined the study.

“What, even the director…….”

The strange work of the three continued as if they had an implicit agreement.

Choi Hoo made plans for the procedure by mentioning different cases, and Lim So Yool verified them. The surgical robot and the calculation robot just continued their work without any human emotional exchange.

Ha Sang Joong stared at Dowook who was the most ridiculous thing within this already absurd situation.

He went here and there, and was so busy moving to the point where he himself became confused whether he was a doctor or a mathematician.

After 10 minutes.

Finishing the calculations, Lim So Yool walked over to the mock surgery table with the papers.

“Adding the last variable proposed by Prof. Choi ensures stability similar to that of existing aneurysm surgery. Of course, it’s just a prediction.”

Dowook’s expression became brighter.

“A new path appeared.”

Putting the last bit of the ice cream in his mouth, Choi Hoo clapped his hands. Then he told Dowook.

“Try to suggest this procedure to the patient.”

“I understand.”

Finally, their whole conversation was over. Ha Sang Joong shouted as if he had been waiting.

“Everyone stop! All surgeries done by the neurosurgery department is the responsibility of the chief. In this hospital, you can only do this surgery if you convince me first.”

When he tackled this with his authority to approve, Choi Hoo suddenly responded.

‘We must do it. It’s hard to meet a case like this in a lifetime.”

“You’re going to turn a blind eye to doctor ethics with an excuse to save people? I can’t tolerate situations where we have to gamble on such untested procedures.”

Maybe because he agreed, Choi Hoo didn’t object. Rather, he answered this way.

“I will confirm that this procedure will not be dangerous. Then, will you approve?”

“Yes, if you prove it.”

Choi Hoo turned to Dowook.

“Dr. Park.”

“Yes.”

“Everything that can be postponed from tomorrow’s surgery schedule will be pushed to next week. We will train for the remaining time. And contact the association. Tell them we want to verify a new procedure.”

Ha Sang Joong was very surprised.

Choi Hoo, who usually acted first whenever there was a disagreement, took a step back, no, two steps back and followed regulations.

“Choi Hoo. Why are you so obedient?”

“I am?”

“Yeah, you. Normally you would start by threatening to raise a knife.”

“In this once in a lifetime case, it will be over if I raise my knife.”

“Of course, that’s the true you.”

“However…….”

Choi Hoo’s gaze remained on Dowook, who was cleaning up the mock operating table, and Lim So Yool, who was unexpectedly helpful.

“I think such cases will continue to happen. I think we need to put a new regulation in place.”

“Regulation?”

Thinking that he meant to continue discovering new procedures whenever there was a chance, Ha Sang Joong felt a migraine coming up.

“What do you plan to do when you fail with verification?”

“It won’t fail. Since I’ll try until it happens.”

At Choi Hoo’s declaration, not only Ha Sang Joong but also Dowook were startled.