Chapter 8: The Power of Sharpness +1
Translator: 549690339
Early the next morning, Chen Cang arrived at the department, again just after seven.
Ding! Daily Task: Complete 3 skin sutures today. Task Completion Reward: Skin Suture Experience +30. RMB +50 Yuan.
Suturing?
Recalling how Boss Chen had criticized his suturing as rather ugly the day before, Chen Cang felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Because of this, he had even searched the internet for cosmetic surgery videos last night. Comparatively speaking, cosmetic procedures had higher requirements for suturing, especially those doctors in dermatologic surgery.
However, watching videos ultimately wasn’t as good as hands-on experience. After a whole night, he realized that his suturing experience had only symbolically increased by a few points.
While Chen Cang was lost in thought, a nurse approached him: “Doctor Chen, come quick and help, Doctor Qin Yue is arguing with a patient!”
Chen Cang was startled and hurriedly followed the nurse.
Before reaching the door to the dressing room, Chen Cang could already hear the chaotic noise inside.
Pushing the door open, he saw Qin Yue, wearing a mask and holding a suture needle, standing there helplessly.
The patient was a three-year-old child with a cut on his hand, most likely sustained by falling onto a sharp object!
The cut was quite deep, requiring a tetanus injection, and the wound needed suturing as soon as possible.
The child was crying and fussing, and the child’s parent was frantically worried: “Can you do it or not? If not, can you call another doctor? It’s taken so long just for one suture; how much suffering does my child have to endure!”
Qin Yue was immediately displeased: “Can’t you speak properly? Do you think I don’t care? But the child is in such pain, and you won’t let me give an anesthetic. You think we’re stitching fabric here? Can the needle just slip through as if there are holes in it? This is flesh, sister, is it not going to hurt?”
“I can’t do anything if the child keeps squirming like this, so how am I supposed to suture? As a parent, you’re really something. Your child is crying his eyes out in pain, you won’t allow an anesthetic, and then you blame the doctor?”
The middle-aged woman’s face turned red: “Are anesthetics even safe? The TV says anesthetics can numb a child’s nerves. How old is this child? I refuse to allow an anesthetic; what if it affects him later? Where’s your director? I want your director to do the suturing! You young doctor, lacking skills and looking for excuses!”
Qin Yue was so exasperated she almost laughed out of frustration.
There is a kind of logic called “patient’s god logic”!
Chen Cang stepped forward: “Alright, alright, please calm down, miss. The child is crying so much. Let’s do the suturing and not leave it hanging, shall we? Our director hasn’t started work yet, and waiting isn’t going to solve anything. Let me do the suturing, okay?”
After speaking, Chen Cang turned and made a gesture to the nurse, signaling her to take Qin Yue away.
Seeing Chen Cang’s tall and handsome demeanor, and most importantly, that he was a male doctor, the woman simmered down a bit.
But she still muttered under her breath: “What lack of manners!”
Chen Cang sighed: “Miss, just hold the child steadily for a moment, while I do the suturing. But… it will definitely hurt a little without an anesthetic. Make sure the child doesn’t move.”
After speaking, Chen Cang took out the suture kit.
The needles in the suture kit were already threaded, thus saving a lot of trouble.
Suturing a child is a very difficult business!
The skin is densely packed with nerves, and children are very sensitive. Their hands are even more so, rich in blood vessels and nerves, making it easy for them to move about!
Therefore, with such small wounds that only require two or three stitches, one must be steady, accurate, and resolute.
Speed is critical!
However, for a suture needle to penetrate flesh, it requires not only strength but also a very sharp needle.
There are now specialized devices to test the piercing strength of needles, such as suture needles, infusion needles, and puncture needles.
This represents an international challenge that is being relentlessly overcome!
Without a doubt, the higher the piercing force, the less difficult the suturing, and thus, the safety and ease of operation of the suture improve overall.
Otherwise, flesh, which is already a very tough material, presents significant challenges for needle penetration, reducing the controllability of the procedure.
The difficulty of suturing also greatly increases!
This is especially the case with children, the elderly with poor skin elasticity, and physical laborers with tight skin and strong muscles—the requirements for needle puncture force are even higher!
After disinfecting the child again, Chen Cang picked up the puncture needle, pondered for just a moment, and then made his move!
The suturing needle required only a bit of force, and instantly entered the skin!
Then, while shuttling through the flesh, Chen Cang felt as if he was passing through tofu—a similar sensation came to him!
What the heck?
A sense of shock instinctively arose within him!
Could the impact of a sharpness increase of +1 really be this noticeable?
Although surprised inwardly, Chen Cang still composedly and quickly sutured, flipping the needle out of the flesh and then back in again without any hindrance!
It was too easy!
The child was indeed still crying, but not thrashing about as violently.
In less than 30 seconds, Chen Cang had completed the three stitches.
A fluid surgical knot brought this suturing to a definitive end!
Chen Cang looked at the child’s mother, “Try to keep it dry for the next three days, and come back in a week to change the dressing. I’ll see if we can remove the stitches by then. Also, for the child’s safety, I suggest getting a tetanus shot. The wound is quite deep, and I’m worried about infection!”
Having seen how smoothly Chen Cang sutured, the child’s mother had already decided to heed his advice!
It was too smooth, too fluent!
The female doctor who tried to suture earlier found it very difficult!
“Okay, Doctor, I’ll listen to you. By the way… should I come back to you for the dressing change?” the woman asked, hope shining in her eyes.
Chen Cang smiled and nodded, “Of course!”
In fact, the parents had no ill intent; their agitation stemmed purely from their overwhelming concern for their child’s well-being.
The child, lips pursed, was still in pain; after all, without anesthesia, not just a child but even an adult couldn’t bear it. It really made one wonder what the parents were thinking. Tears were welling up in the child’s large eyes, and one hand hung in the air, unsure of what to do: “Thank you, Uncle.”
Chen Cang immediately smiled; the child was quite polite.
[Ding! Skin suturing completed (1/3), you’ve earned +10 suturing experience, 10 RMB, and +10 experience;]
Watching the two leave, Chen Cang fell into thought.
[Sharpness +1!]
Wasn’t this attribute a bit overpowered?
He sutured frequently in his daily work, but this was a completely different feeling.
He felt that today, when the needle passed through the skin and muscle, the resistance was significantly less.
Smooth sailing?
Suturing is a skilled task!
Because you have to master the resistance encountered by different needle sizes when they penetrate the human body, then choose the best suture point, and finally achieve the goal of suturing.
Such skill, without ten or twenty years of practice, is very difficult to attain.
There are many types of sutures, such as: skin suturing, tendon suturing, ligament suturing, fascial suturing, vessel anastomosis…
Each type of suture completion requires countless times of grasping different materials.
If only it were like in the novels, one technique mastering everything!
But…
At this very moment!
Chen Cang felt that the difficulty of suturing had significantly decreased for him!