Chapter 32, Part 2: The Sign of the Times (2)

"Here you go."

Guo Dao'an, who had been absent from class, stood at the entrance of the apartment complex.

Guo Dao'an waved and greeted me, then handed me an envelope.

The envelope he handed over so casually felt as heavy as a classified document from the National Intelligence Service.

"Thanks. You've worked hard."

The moment the envelope was in my hands, I felt a sense of responsibility as a doctor.

This chart contained the potentially wrongful death of Guo Dao'an's grandmother.

Furthermore, it held the fate of people who might be sacrificed to Professor Myeongtae in the future.

I couldn't afford to overlook a single word.

"I'll scan this and send it to my relatives in the U.S. It might take some time."

"You'll handle it well. Thanks for your hard work. I'll treat you to something nice when you're done."

Immediately after parting ways with Guo Dao'an, I found a nearby stationery store and made a copy of the chart.

I made a copy as a precaution.

'I can't stand it any longer.'

The time it took to get home felt unbearably long, so I took out the chart from the envelope.

The first document I needed to check was, of course, the diagnosis report.

-Diagnosis: Coronary Stenosis (Coronary Artery Narrowing).

-Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (I24.0) due to coronary artery thrombosis that did not cause myocardial infarction.

-The patient visited the emergency room 7 days ago with chest pain and breathing difficulties. A coronary angiography confirmed coronary artery stenosis, leading to hospitalization.

-...

The diagnosis report contained significant medical information about Guo Dao'an's grandmother.

The most important part of the diagnosis report was the diagnosis itself, followed by a brief treatment summary.

I scrutinized it with a hawk's eye, but found nothing suspicious so far.

Next, I checked the nursing records.

The nursing records provided information on the patient's living patterns in the ward and the doctor's daily prescriptions.

As Guo Dao'an had said, his grandmother was quite healthy before and after the surgery.

She never even called for an emergency, nor did she complain of chest pain or breathing difficulties.

However, on the day she was scheduled to be discharged, two days after the surgery, she suddenly had a seizure, cyanosis (a condition where the body turns blue due to lack of oxygen), and cardiac arrest.

CPR was performed urgently, but she ultimately died from cardiac arrest.

I frowned and tapped the chart with my hand.

Coronary stent insertion is a relatively safe procedure.

It doesn't require general anesthesia, and no incisions are made.

However, the patient's death after the procedure could only mean that the coronary artery was tampered with during the catheterization.

In short, it was a matter of incompetence.

Considering that Professor Myeongtae is a personification of ambition,

it seemed reasonable to assume that he had rushed into a trendy procedure and caused an accident.

Next, I examined the surgery records.

However, I couldn't help but burst into laughter as I meticulously read through the content.

The procedure was perfect from A to Z.

At least according to the surgery records, there was no way to hold Professor Myeongtae responsible.

Well, only the medical staff in the operating room knew what really happened.

This is also why patients rarely win medical malpractice lawsuits.

Furthermore, just because the professor performed the procedure doesn't mean he wrote the medical records.

That task falls to the residents.

Would a resident dare to document Professor Myeongtae's mistakes in the surgery records?

I was confident that no resident would be that bold.

'Ah... This is a bad situation...'

I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of unease.

If the surgery was perfect, at least on paper, the chances of the patient's family winning a lawsuit were very slim.

I thoroughly searched the detailed billing statement, hoping to find any discrepancies in the procedure and materials used.

If there were any errors, I planned to exploit them.

Unfortunately, the detailed billing statement contained limited information, and there was nothing that caught my eye.

The only document I could rely on now was the coronary angiography report.

Sure, the surgery records could be fabricated.

But could the angiography report be tampered with as well?

Angiography is performed by cardiologists, but the final interpretation and documentation are the responsibility of radiologists.

I examined the report with a glimmer of hope.

-Left Anterior Descending artery (LAD, Left Anterior Descending Artery), Stenosis 72%

-Right posterolateral Branch (RPB, Right Posterior Lateral Branch), Stenosis 40%

'As expected!'

Excited, I unknowingly raised my right hand high into the air.

I ignored the curious gazes of passersby, as I had finally found the evidence to bring down Professor Myeongtae.

-When one of the branches of the coronary artery is narrowed by 70% or more.

-Or when there is complex narrowing in one or more blood vessels.

If either of these conditions is met, the patient should undergo CABG, or coronary artery bypass surgery.

This is because the risk of re-narrowing is high, and drug-eluting stent procedures do not provide a fundamental cure.

However, Professor Myeongtae performed a procedure on a patient who should have undergone surgery.

Why?

It was probably because he wanted to achieve a milestone in the field of drug-eluting stent procedures, which are currently popular.

For example, "Achieved 500 drug-eluting stent procedures!"

I checked for a consultation record, but there was none, as expected.

If a consultation with the thoracic surgery department had been requested, Guo Dao'an's grandmother would have undergone surgery, not a procedure.

Professor Myeongtae wouldn't want to lose a patient he had worked hard to obtain to the thoracic surgery department.

Overwhelmed with excitement, I took a deep breath to regain my composure.

It was crucial to remain calm during the most important and decisive moments.

It was entirely possible to hold Professor Myeongtae legally responsible based on the examination report.

Professor Myeongtae did not treat the patient according to the examination results.

Furthermore, he showed no effort to consult the thoracic surgery department.

Negligence in treatment and care.

And he clearly violated the duty to explain treatment options and allow the patient to make an informed decision.

If Guo Dao'an's family had been given the choice between a stent procedure and coronary artery bypass surgery, they would have undoubtedly chosen the bypass surgery.

However,

How much disadvantage would Professor Myeongtae face if the case went to court and became a battle of interpretation?

I was deeply concerned about this.

If Professor Myeongtae only had to pay a few million won in compensation and could continue his medical practice,

his bad reputation would soon be forgotten.

And he would eventually crawl back into the limelight and resume his medical career.

Just like many other doctors who have committed illegal acts and misconduct.

I couldn't bear to see that happen.

What method could bring a more perfect and fatal downfall to Professor Myeongtae?

It was time for a new plan.

* * *

It had been four days since I received Guo Dao'an's grandmother's chart.

This weekend would be more spectacular than any other I had spent.

It was the day I would meet Guo Dao'an's parents and explain Professor Myeongtae's medical malpractice.

"Lee Minjeom, aren't you going too far?"

Kim Jiwon's irritated voice came through the phone.

I bowed my head like a sinner and tried to explain to Kim Jiwon.

"Really, I'm sorry. Something really important came up suddenly..."

"More important than me? We had plans. We were supposed to go to the movies this weekend."

"A close friend's family had a problem. I couldn't ignore it since I'm the class president."

I gave a brief summary of the situation with Guo Dao'an.

It didn't seem like she thought I was making excuses.

Kim Jiwon replied with a disappointed voice, "Then there's nothing I can do."

"Then we'll definitely go to the movies next week, okay? If you break this promise again, I won't let you off."

"Got it. I'll promise on my name."

"Tsk, you only use your name when it's convenient. Fine, do your job well and contact me later."

"Thanks, Jiwon."

"Whatever!"

After calming Kim Jiwon, I gathered the documents and left my house.

I was heading to Guo Dao'an's apartment.

Now, all that was left was to convince Guo Dao'an's parents to file a complaint against Professor Myeongtae.

Although things were going smoothly, a bitter smile crept onto my face as I looked up at the blue sky.

It was certainly a relief to be able to clear up the wrongful death of Guo Dao'an's grandmother.

However, I couldn't save her.

I had no idea that she would be treated by Professor Myeongtae.

Even with the ability to regress, I couldn't remember everything.

I couldn't save everyone.

There were clear limits to regression.

'At least I can save other patients who might lose their lives to Professor Myeongtae.'

I consoled myself with this thought.

Filling in the gaps in my abilities while saving more people.

That would be the path I should follow for the rest of my life.

I pressed the doorbell at Guo Dao'an's apartment, which was a 15-minute walk away.

"Hey, you made it."

Guo Dao'an greeted me warmly at the door.

"Are your parents home?"

"Yeah. I've already given them a rough idea. Now it's up to you to do the talking."

"Don't worry. I'm a smooth talker."

As I entered the house, the first thing I saw was Guo Dao'an's parents sitting on the living room sofa.

I bowed to greet them.

Guo Dao'an's parents greeted me with dry voices.

"..."

"..."

For a long time, the four of us were silent. A tense atmosphere, like walking on thin ice, filled the room.

"Your name is Minjeom, right? Dao'an told me the general story."

Guo Dao'an's father, a practicing lawyer, adjusted his glasses and continued.

"He said you told him something outrageous. That his grandmother might have been a victim of medical malpractice, not a natural death?"

Guo Dao'an's father's gaze was cold.

It was as if he saw me as nothing more than a cockroach or a mosquito.

I couldn't understand why he harbored such hostility towards me.

I had a foreboding feeling that the persuasion I had to do today wouldn't be easy.

"It's not that definite. I just said it was a possibility. We have a relative in the U.S. named Philip Lee who is a thoracic surgeon."

"..."

"He often talks about medical malpractice. I was concerned, so I asked Dao'an to look into it."

"While the U.S. is an advanced country, our medical system isn't necessarily inferior to theirs."

"I agree."

"Hmm... So you do. Despite knowing this, you still did something presumptuous and rude. If you weren't Dao'an's friend, you would have already been punished by me."

"I'm sorry. I apologize again."

I bowed respectfully, filled with remorse.

From Guo Dao'an's parents' perspective, I had overstepped my bounds and meddled inappropriately.

It was natural for them to feel that I was tarnishing the memory of Guo Dao'an's grandmother.

Knowing this, my actions from now on were crucial.

"May I speak frankly?"

I cautiously began, but Guo Dao'an's father flew into a rage.

"I don't want to hear it. What makes you, a mere high school senior, think you can talk like that?"

"..."

"Yangsan Hospital is one of the top hospitals in the country. And Professor Myeongtae is also my college senior. Are you suggesting that my senior deliberately killed my mother? I've never seen such an insolent kid!"

Guo Dao'an's father's thunderous reprimand snapped me out of my daze.

Professor Myeongtae is Guo Dao'an's father's college senior?

I felt a shock as if I had been hit by a bat.

I need to pull myself together.