02
"Hey, can you dress me up here?"
"Emergency patient!!"
University hospital.
There are many general patients here, as well as many emergency patients.
That's where my first shift began.
In particular, thoracic surgery
Most of the patients are emergency or critically ill.
All of the surgeries performed are major.
A medical specialty that many medical students shy away from.
And among them, I was the only one in my first year as a resident.
That's why I've had to be on the move from day one.
"What's the matter with you today?"
"Recently, I've suddenly been having trouble breathing, my heart is beating fast,
I think I have a bit of a fever..."
"...Can I see your hands for a moment?"
The patient's lips had a slight bluish-purple hue as he described his symptoms.
I suspected cyanosis and had the doctor take care of it.
The patient holds out his hand obediently,
Even the tips of his fingers had turned a bluish-purple color.
Cyanosis: A condition in which the skin and mucous membranes turn blue-purple.
Important signs of heart and lung disease.
"You have cyanosis.
There could be some problem with your heart or lungs."
"Let's start with an ECG and a CT scan."
"Once the test is complete, we will explain the results to you.
Please don't worry too much. We'll take care of it."
Once I had finished examining all the patients, I headed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
In the thoracic surgery department, most patients are seriously ill or emergency patients.
The ICU beds are full.
When I was checking the status,
The nurse called out to me in a panic.
"This patient has a pneumothorax. Please insert a chest drain!"
"Oh, a chest drain?"
"Yes. It's an emergency so please hurry!"
"Let's start by taking a chest X-ray."
Chest drain insertion (chest tube insertion): A procedure in which a tube is inserted into the chest to drain air, fluids, blood, etc.
Chest x-ray: An imaging test of the chest to check for lung and heart disease.
As a general rule, this procedure should be performed by a resident in their second year or above under the supervision of the attending physician.
But I'm still in my first year.
Today was my first day on the job and my first emergency patient.
And for the first time in my life, I had a chest drain inserted.
Of course, I've seen it many times in videos.
Actually doing it is an entirely different thing.
Moreover,
There are no professors.
But the patient is in urgent need.
There was no choice.
Local anesthesia: A method of numbing only part of the body while the patient remains conscious.
It's not a very risky procedure,
This should be done under the supervision of a professor.
I then performed a chest drain.
Fortunately, the procedure was completed successfully.
The patient's condition was also stable.
But no matter how well things go...
This was a procedure that a first-year resident should not have performed alone.
Of course, that
The professor soon heard about it.
And then that quiet, sharp voice said,
It pierced my eardrums.
"Yoon So Ah. Come to my office right now."