Chapter 48, Part 5: I Am a Medical Student (3)

Whoosh!

As soon as I got off the bus, the chilly spring rain began to beat against my umbrella, as if foreshadowing the hardships and trials to come.

'As long as I keep my wits about me, everything will be fine. I just need to be exactly the same as I used to be, no more, no less.'

My mind was set on one thing: saving the patient.

The traffic accident victim might die just like in my previous life.

I might not be able to treat them properly.

...I pushed away all these negative thoughts like sweeping away trash.

To move forward, I had to shake off everything that held me back.

"Assistant! Please call 119 first and get the first aid kit."

I gave instructions to the assistant who had followed me out, looking terrified.

No matter how skilled a doctor might be, it's impossible to treat an emergency patient with bare hands.

Just as a chef needs cooking tools and a logger needs a chainsaw.

"Huh? Right. Got it. You students, help me out."

The assistant started to manage the students who had just gotten off the bus.

"What's your name, kid?"

Professor Yang, who had been walking ahead, turned around and looked at me.

"My name is Eumjin."

"An easy name to remember."

It was a simple statement, but it carried a lot of weight. It meant that Professor Yang wouldn't forget me.

'Another piece of the puzzle fits.'

Professor Yang was one of the key figures who would play a central role in my pre-medical life.

Through him, I would make up for what I lacked in my previous life.

The reason I was the first to get off the bus when the accident happened.

Ninety percent of it was my desire to save the patient, and the remaining ten percent was my desire to impress Professor Yang.

"......"

"......"

After a brief conversation, Professor Yang and I walked quickly along the shoulder of the road.

The scene of the accident gradually came into view.

Two vehicles, emitting white smoke, were stopped on the shoulder behind the bus.

One of the vehicles had its bumper detached and the front part was severely crushed.

The other vehicle wasn't in much better condition.

The closer we got to the scene, the more the anxiety welled up inside me.

In my previous life, I didn't participate in the treatment.

I just sat on the bus, waiting for the situation to resolve itself, so I didn't know the exact condition of the traffic accident victims.

In other words, even though I had returned, all I knew was that an accident had occurred.

'Can't help it. I'll have to fill in the gaps with experience...'

As soon as we arrived at the scene, Professor Yang began to examine the more severely damaged car.

I also checked the car from behind him.

The front and passenger windows were shattered.

There were two people in the car, who looked like a middle-aged couple.

The airbags had deployed, and both were unconscious.

"Are you okay?"

Even though I shouted loudly, neither of them moved.

The condition of the unconscious patients seemed much more serious than I had expected.

"We need to get the patient in the driver's seat out first."

"Yes, Professor. Everyone, over here! Hurry!"

At my urgent call, a few of my classmates rushed to the scene.

When I saw the first aid kit in the hands of two of the students, I felt a bit relieved.

That first aid kit was the lifeline that could save the patient.

"Don't try to pull the patient out forcefully. Protect the neck as much as possible. Got it?"

Professor Yang's instructions were the basics of emergency rescue.

An unconscious patient can't support their neck properly.

If you move them carelessly, it can easily lead to a cervical fracture.

Carrying an unconscious patient on your back is one of the worst actions you can take, as the patient's weak neck can be twisted violently during the process.

"I'll keep that in mind. You two, pull the patient's arms and torso. I'll support the patient's head."

I gave instructions to the students and started to rescue the patient in the driver's seat.

The medical students here were a motley crew who hadn't even taken a single medical class, but if they followed Professor Yang's and my instructions, things would be different.

A bundle of twigs is stronger when tied together.

"Pull the patient when I count. One, two! One, two!"

As the students pulled the patient out of the driver's seat, I carefully supported the patient's neck with both hands.

It wasn't easy to pull the patient out due to the crushed front of the car and the deployed airbags.

The students' breathing soon became heavy.

"The patient isn't coming out easily. Should we use more force?"

"No. Keep doing it like this. If you use too much force, it could cause more serious injuries. There's no need to rush. Just do what we can."

I calmed the students who were in the middle of the rescue.

The biggest obstacle in emergency treatment is the feeling that the rescuer is being chased.

When you feel rushed, you tend to become anxious and take reckless actions.

"Again, one, two! One, two!"

Finally, the students managed to pull the patient out of the driver's seat.

"......"

"......"

When the patient was fully revealed, the eyes of Professor Yang, the students, and I widened.

The male patient had an open fracture in his thigh.

An open fracture.

The broken bone had pierced through the skin and protruded outside.

The patient's thigh was torn open by about five centimeters, and blood was gushing out.

The exposed broken bone made the hair on the back of anyone's neck stand up.

I was the first to regain my composure in this shocking situation.

I quickly pressed the artery about five centimeters above the open fracture with both hands.

Indirect pressure hemostasis.

Since it was an open fracture, I couldn't apply direct pressure, so I chose indirect pressure hemostasis.

"Red shirt, use your umbrella to shield the patient from the rain. Glasses, take off your coat and cover the patient, and bring the first aid kit."

I gave instructions quickly.

I immediately understood that the most important things for this patient were temperature regulation and treatment of the open fracture.

Yang Sun-jae blinked in surprise at my clear instructions.

"Eumjin."

"Yes, Professor."

"Disinfect the patient and wrap a bandage over the wound. But under no circumstances should you try to push the bone back in. If secondary contamination occurs, it could be a big problem."

"......"

"I'll leave this to you and check the other patient. If any problems arise, find me immediately."

"Yes, Professor."

Professor Yang hurriedly moved to the other car with a few students.

No matter how skilled a professor might be, the situation was beyond his control.

There were two accident vehicles and four patients in total.

While I was treating the patients in this vehicle, the patients in the other vehicle could become more critical.

From Professor Yang's perspective, it was best to leave this patient to me, who seemed relatively competent, and check the other patients.

'With this, I can handle it on my own. If Professor Yang takes care of the other patients, no one here will die.'

After making a cold calculation, I began the treatment in earnest.

The most important thing in treating a trauma patient.

One is hemostasis, and the other is preventing infection.

First, I instructed another student to apply pressure to the patient's thigh in my place.

Now that my hands were free.

I first grabbed a saline solution with my clean hands, which had been wiped with alcohol swabs.

Swish, swish, swish.

I washed away the white bone exposed outside the skin and the black debris around the wound with saline solution.

Next, I gently wiped the wound and bone with gauze and began the dressing.

Dressing is essentially disinfection.

But there's a technique to disinfection.

Disinfecting a wound by rubbing it with a swab soaked in disinfectant is not the correct method.

The principle of disinfection is to move from the inside of the wound to the outside in concentric circles.

This is to push the skin tissue and debris around the wound outwards.

Squish.

After the first disinfection with hydrogen peroxide, white foam began to bubble up. It even made a sound like opening a carbonated drink.

"......"

"......"

While performing the second disinfection with povidone solution, commonly known as the red medicine, I suddenly made eye contact with the student holding the umbrella over the patient.

Who are you, really?

How can you treat patients so well?

...the student's eyes seemed to be asking. I answered with my eyes that I was a thoracic surgeon who had traveled back 40 years.

Of course, the student wouldn't understand.

After completing the disinfection, I skillfully wrapped a bandage tightly around the patient's open fracture.

Then I placed a splint, which looked like a piece of wood, near the patient's calf and wrapped it with another bandage.

This was to immobilize the injury so that the bone protruding from the thigh wouldn't damage other tissues.

Only after completing the most critical treatment did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Eumjin, are you really a medical student? Aren't you a doctor?"

One of the students, who had been watching the treatment, asked in a tone of disbelief.

It was a natural question from the student's perspective.

My appearance, perfectly controlling the situation and treating the patient, looked like a seasoned doctor to anyone.

It was impossible to see me as a fresh pre-medical student in the middle of orientation.

"Maybe I'm a genius?"

I boldly said a truly embarrassing statement.

I was an adult and the top student in the entire Shinwon University.

There was no longer any need to hide my abilities.

Besides, what better excuse could there be to explain my incredible performance than being a genius?

I would no longer hide my abilities.

"Can you give me a thermometer and a blood pressure monitor?"

"Here."

I placed the thermometer I received in the patient's left armpit.

I even measured the patient's blood pressure with a mercury sphygmomanometer, which would be banned in the distant future (after the bus rollover incident, the medical first aid kit had everything, even an Ambu bag).

Was the emergency treatment effective?

150/100 mmHg.

Considering the patient had an open fracture, it was a pretty good blood pressure.

Thanks to the umbrella blocking the rain and the coat keeping the patient warm, the body temperature was 36.1 degrees, which was good.

The respiratory rate, calculated by the movement of the chest, was 60 breaths per minute, which was within the normal range.

Although the patient was still unconscious, the treatment was successful, and the vital signs were satisfactory.

However, it was too early to relax.

There was still one more patient to treat.

"Eumjin, we've pulled out the patient on this side. Be careful not to injure the neck."

"Thanks. I'll check."

I hurriedly moved to the passenger side.

The female patient in the passenger seat seemed to be in better condition than the patient in the driver's seat.

She was also unconscious, but there were no obvious signs of injury.

After checking her vital signs, there seemed to be no significant issues.

It was a fortunate turn of events.

Although there was a possibility that she might be in the middle of developing an invisible condition like a brain hemorrhage or spleen rupture.

I decided not to think about it.

It was something I couldn't handle with my current abilities.

Instead, I made her assume a recovery position to prevent possible vomiting.

The recovery position is a posture where the patient lies on their side.

The main purpose is to prevent the tongue of an unconscious patient from blocking the airway.

After successfully completing the treatment, the cold began to seep into my drenched body.

My body was shivering, and my teeth were chattering.

But my work wasn't over yet. Looking over to where Professor Yang was, it seemed he was performing CPR.

I ran to where my help was needed once again.