Chapter 7 — People Who Live in the Middle of the Process

He didn't dare sign. Of course I don't dare. Who dares? Signing means being responsible. If something happens, it will be the next person who "violated the process". It is the next "me". Suspended from work without pay for three months, career future unclear. Even interns understand this principle. Three past seven in the morning. The slightly injured man - I later learned that he was Tien Duy Minh's nephew - struggled and screamed from the next bed.
"Doctor! How is my uncle?! Please save him quickly!"
I stepped forward.
“Are you an immediate family member?”
“I am his nephew!”
“Immediate family members only include spouses, parents, and adult children.”
"I - what about my aunt? Can the doctor call yet?!"
“Contact is in progress.”
"Then you save the person first! He's about to die and you guys just keep staring?!"
I looked at this young man in his thirties. His eye sockets were red, his right arm was wearing a temporary brace, his face was full of fear and anger.
“I understand your feelings.” I said in a calm tone, "But people who are not immediate relatives do not have the right to sign the surgery consent form. These are the regulations."
"What kind of damn rule is that! Isn't human life important?!"
Human life is very important. Of course it's important. Three months ago I thought the same thing. That's why I didn't wait for my family to sign and took it to the operating table. That's why I was suspended for three months. That's why Tien Duy Minh patted my shoulder and said —
“The procedure is to protect you.”
I repeated this sentence in my heart once. Then turn around and sit back next to the monitor. Continue waiting. Three fifteen in the morning. The phone finally worked. Tien Duy Minh's wife. The voice was the kind of confused dreaminess when awakened from a deep sleep.
"Hello... what? Duy Minh? Had a traffic accident??"
The call was made by Tieu Chu. I took the phone.
"Hello, I'm Trinh Lam from the Emergency Department. Your husband is currently suffering from a traumatic brain injury and needs emergency surgery. Can you come here and sign as soon as possible?"
"Trinh... What? I'm at home right now... Oh my god... how is he..."
"I'm not conscious right now and need surgery. How long will it be before I can come?"
“I… I'll call a taxi… it should take about twenty minutes… No, I can't call a taxi at this hour… I'll drive myself…”
“Yes, please pay attention to safety. When you get there, go straight to the emergency room.”
Hang up. I glanced at the clock. Three hours and twenty-one minutes. She needs twenty minutes. So that would be three hours and forty-one minutes. Golden time... still enough. Fits well enough. I continued to sit and wait. But my hands have already begun to prepare - the surgical plan has gone through my mind twice, the incision line, the scope of decompression, the blood vessels that may be touched. I had no intention of letting him die. From beginning to end, there was nothing. But I won't violate the rules again because of him. The last time I violated it, he punished me. This time I followed the rules, he must thank me. Three thirty-eight in the morning. Tien Duy Minh's wife rushed in. Three minutes faster than expected. Probably ran a red light along the way. She wore a life jacket outside pajamas, tears streaming down her face, her hair as messy as a bird's nest. The moment she saw Tien Duy Minh, her legs became weak and she almost collapsed.
"Duy Minh! Duy Minh!!"
"Older sister." I stood up and stopped her, "Don't touch him, sign first."
"Sign! Sign any paper! Please save him!"
Thirty seconds. Done signing. I stood up, pulled out the pen from my blouse, and put it back in my pocket.
"Prepare the operating room. Inform the neurosurgeon on duty, I will operate first, he will take care of the rest."
Tieu Chu jumped up like a spring. Everyone takes action. The stretcher began to move. The tracker also followed. The lights in the hallway flashed by one by one. I looked down at the clock—three thirty-nine minutes. From the moment she walked in the door until the surgery started, one minute. From the first time I asked “where is my family” until now — forty-six minutes. Forty-six minutes. Is it enough for Tien Duy Minh's brain to be pressed into bean paste? Are not. Because in the meantime, I have done all the necessary preparations. A mannitol infusion was started to reduce cerebral edema and lower intracranial pressure. The patient was placed in the surgical position. The surgical area has been shaved and cleaned. The CT scan has been transmitted to the operating room system. I have prepared everything. There's only one thing missing — violation of regulations. Surgery begins. The moment the skull was opened, crimson blood clots poured out. Epidural hematoma, blood volume about seventy ml. Many, but not fatal. Because I kept watch over the time. During those forty-six minutes of waiting, mannitol helped him hold on through the most dangerous period. This is what a qualified emergency physician should do.