Chapter 453 - 267: The National Competition Begins
Chapter 453: Chapter 267: The National Competition Begins
Inside the operating room, Wu Ting began his charm offensive, targeting another doctor who looked a bit nervous.
It was easy to get nervous and anxious at a national competition like this. As the youngest doctor there, with a handsome, boyish face, Wu Ting found it easy to strike up conversations. People were receptive, and a little small talk could help ease the pre-competition jitters.
While Wu Ting was working his magic and charming the other contestants, the number one contestants from each region entered their respective examination rooms. Their progress was displayed on the main screen in the auditorium for the presidium to see.
Seven screens, seven contestants, each with their own unique style.
Each of their surgical videos for the finals had been optimized and improved since the preliminaries; some had even selected more outstanding cases to present.
This was especially true for Examination Room 1, representing the Northern Region—the most popular region, with the most slots and the strongest overall competitors.
In Examination Room 1, the number one contestant was Deputy Director Li Peichun from Anzhen Hospital.
The surgical video Li Peichun presented today was a case of "Correction of Neonatal Coarctation of the Aorta Using Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest."
The technique used in Deputy Director Li Peichun’s surgery was a mainstream one. He had made some modifications to it, but the presentation primarily highlighted his solid fundamentals and clinical thinking.
On the presidium, Scholar Jiang and Dean Yu of Anzhen Hospital began to offer their pointed commentary on Li Peichun’s video.
Among the number one contestants from the seven regions, Li Peichun was undoubtedly the most famous and the strongest.
The presidium unhesitatingly gave the largest, main feed to Li Peichun.
As Li Peichun’s superior, Dean Yu made no attempt to be reserved, proactively explaining the procedure to the audience and attending doctors.
"Director Li’s deep hypothermic circulatory arrest technique is one of the signature techniques of our Anzhen Cardiovascular Surgery Department."
"The so-called deep hypothermic circulatory arrest technique is a measure to reduce the body’s oxygen consumption, especially the brain’s..."
"Essentially, once cardiopulmonary bypass is established, the patient’s core temperature is lowered to 18–20°C. The bypass is then stopped so the surgery on the heart and great vessels can be performed. Once that’s complete, the bypass is resumed to rewarm the patient before being discontinued..."
"For this technique, which Director Li applied to correct a cardiac malformation in an infant, the generally accepted safe circulatory arrest time is 45 minutes. However, this patient’s case was unique and required extensive surgical maneuvers, making 45 minutes insufficient. So, Director Li proposed a modification using antegrade cerebral perfusion via the brachiocephalic artery to protect the infant’s brain. This extended the circulatory arrest time for this surgery to a maximum of 70 minutes!"
"That’s a full 25-minute increase, which is what made it possible to correct this infant’s rare cardiovascular malformation!"
Hearing Dean Yu’s explanation, the experts and professors in attendance were all amazed.
An increase of 25 minutes was a remarkable record. An extra half an hour for a surgery represented a huge leap forward.
On the main screen, Director Li Peichun calmly presented his case. Under his precise control, the circulatory arrest time, aortic cross-clamp time, postoperative ventilator time, and cardiac arrest time were all perfectly managed.
Even though they knew it was a recorded video, watching the procedure on the operating table still felt tense and exciting.
The judges in the regional examination room also listened to Director Li’s presentation, nodding, applauding, and murmuring their praise frequently!
Director Li concluded his presentation on the entire surgery. In the judges’ seats, everyone shared a single thought: ’As expected of Anzhen Hospital!’
In the field of cardiovascular disease in China, Anzhen was already the final boss, and Director Li had undoubtedly defended that honor.
After Director Li finished his presentation, the chief examiner eagerly began to ask questions.
"Director Li, could you talk about your experience with deep hypothermic cerebral protection in infants and any advice you might have for your peers?"
The question itself was a sign of praise and admiration for Director Li.
After seeing this surgery, the judges all felt that Director Li’s understanding and insights into this Surgical Technique surpassed those of his peers.
Li Peichun began his explanation with great composure:
"For correcting complex congenital heart defects in infants, I believe that deep hypothermic circulatory arrest provides the best surgical field exposure, creating optimal conditions for the precision of the entire operation..."
"In my clinical practice, my team and I discovered that pH-stat management offers better neuroprotective effects, especially during deep hypothermia in infants. This time, I was able to extend the duration by 25 minutes not only by using my unique antegrade perfusion via the brachiocephalic artery, but also by intentionally controlling carbon dioxide levels during cooling. A higher concentration dilates cerebral blood vessels and increases cerebral blood flow, which facilitates uniform, rapid cooling of the entire brain and promotes oxygen release..."
Li Peichun’s answers were a perfect response for all the judges.
The chief examiner was very satisfied after listening. "Alright, Director Li, your evaluation is complete. Please proceed to the waiting area. We will now give you a score."
Li Peichun bowed in thanks and exited the examination room, full of confidence.
Just as Li Peichun finished his competition, the contestants from the other regions also completed their respective presentations.
Deputy Director Dong Bo of the Eastern Region gave an unremarkable presentation on his topic and did not perform particularly well in the Q&A session that followed.
...
...
As the second contestant was entering the examination room, the scores for the first contestant were feverishly tallied by the scorekeepers and sent to the main auditorium.
「Ten minutes later」, the first-round scores were all announced:
Eastern Region: Contestant 1, Deputy Director Dong Bo, Jinggang University Affiliated First Hospital. Composite Score: 85 points!
South China Region: Contestant 1, Deputy Director Wang Yu, Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University. Composite Score: 91 points!
...
Huazhong Region: Contestant 1, Deputy Director Li Rongjie, Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital. Composite Score: 89 points!
North China Region: Contestant 1, Deputy Director Li Peichun, Qinghe City Anzhen Hospital. Composite Score: 95!