Chapter 748: Chapter 747: The Second Surgery

Since the eighteen-year-old patient, Xing Bingtao, was a legal adult with no immediate family present, Yan Feifan brought him out of his anesthetic-induced coma to explain the pros and cons of the surgical options: transplanting toe bones or using one of his own ribs.

For example, transplanting toe bones to replace the finger bones was a relatively quick and easy procedure. The bones would adapt well and be strong and durable.

However, his toe bones were short. After the transplant, his right thumb and other fingers would be noticeably shorter, making them look quite unsightly and less flexible than before.

Furthermore, his toes would become soft, floppy little nubs of flesh, which would also slightly affect his ability to walk.

If they chose to use a rib to reconstruct the hand bones, the first drawback was that the surgery time would be significantly extended.

This was mainly because shaping the rib into the bones of the hand had to be done entirely by hand, which was a long and time-consuming process.

If the surgery went smoothly, the shape of his right hand would be quite similar to its original form. However, its flexibility would be significantly reduced, and he wouldn’t be able to do any heavy lifting with it.

Also, after removing a rib, the protective function of the rib cage over his internal organs would be slightly diminished...

Xing Bingtao was much more mature than Yan Feifan had expected. After hearing the explanation, he didn’t hesitate much, nor did he ask to call his parents to discuss it. He made the decision himself to use the rib.

This decisiveness, along with the choice he made, was exactly what Yan Feifan had been hoping for.

He had wanted to attempt this procedure—reconstructing hand bones from a rib—for a long time.

When a doctor presents several treatment options to a patient, they usually have a personal preference.

Although the final decision on which plan to choose ultimately rests with the patient,

a doctor’s description of each option will be subtly different based on their own preference, guiding the patient toward the one they favor.

Of course, this isn’t to say the doctor’s preferred option is a bad one.

It’s usually the one the doctor is most skilled at and most confident in performing.

Of course, it’s also possible that some doctors, motivated by profit, might guide patients toward the most expensive option.

After receiving the patient’s clear consent and authorization, Yan Feifan had him placed back into an anesthetic-induced coma.

He then sent for his three students: Zhu Jian, Berry, and Li Tianlin.

In the meantime, Yan Feifan began to sort through the patient’s crushed right hand to see how many of the bones were still salvageable.

The human hand contains a total of twenty-seven bones, which are divided into three parts: the carpals, the metacarpals, and the phalanges.

There are eight carpal bones, arranged in two rows of four.

There are five metacarpal bones, which are numbered one through five from the radial (thumb) side to the ulnar (pinky) side.

There are fourteen phalanges. The thumb has two, while the other fingers each have three. Moving from proximal to distal, they are called the first, second, and third phalanges.

The third is also known as the distal phalanx.

To Yan Feifan’s relief, the patient’s carpal bones were only lightly injured and were all still usable.

This meant the negative impact on the patient’s wrist joint would be relatively minor.

The metacarpals and phalanges were the hardest-hit area.

After checking them one by one, Yan Feifan managed to piece together two usable metacarpals and six usable phalanges.

Ten to twenty minutes later, the summoned Berry, Zhu Jian, and Li Tianlin arrived one after another at the operating room.

Their task was to take the pieces of rib that Yan Feifan cut with a bone saw and grind them down into the corresponding shapes of metacarpals and phalanges.

The finished products they ground were then handed over to Yan Feifan for a final inspection and fine-tuning.

While Zhu Jian and the other two were busy, Yan Feifan and Yu Suye worked together on the patient’s right hand, treating the injuries to the skin, muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves...

This right-hand reconstruction surgery, led by Yan Feifan, officially began at nearly 10:20 in the morning and didn’t conclude until after 8:00 at night, lasting a full ten hours.

Of course, Yan Feifan wasn’t working nonstop for all ten of those hours.

He was still able to take some time to drink water, eat something to replenish his body’s fluids and energy, and use the restroom.

After all, this was a collaborative, non-life-threatening reconstructive surgery, so pausing for a moment wouldn’t have much of an impact.

Yan Feifan himself spent nearly four hours on the final fine-tuning of the metacarpals and phalanges.

And that was with Berry, Zhu Jian, and Li Tianlin working efficiently.

At the end of the surgery, when Yan Feifan saw the right hand—once flattened into a pancake of flesh—that he had restored to a form with five distinct, fairly slender fingers, almost a mirror image of the left hand, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Yan Feifan instructed his student Li Tianlin to handle the closing procedures for the surgery, then left the operating room with Yu Suye.

As soon as he stepped out of the operating room, Yan Feifan received two pieces of news.

The first was that the patient with the cerebral hemorrhage whom he had helped treat that morning had successfully made it through surgery and was now recovering in the ICU.

The second was that a woman named Tang Qing had been waiting for him in his office for four or five hours.

Tang Qing was the woman who wanted to undergo targeted cosmetic surgery to look like Ah Yimu, a major celebrity of Uighur descent.

Yan Feifan knew why she was here. Calculating the time, it was about right for her second surgery.

Yan Feifan and Yu Suye went to the medical research lab on the ninth floor and saw Tang Qing, who was wearing a large surgical mask and sunglasses.

"Why isn’t Tian Dongshan here?"

In response to Yan Feifan’s question, Tang Qing slowly removed her sunglasses and mask. With a hint of resentment in her voice, she said, "Mr. Yan, do you think I can see him looking like this?"

Yan Feifan looked up.

He saw several unnatural contortions in the muscles of Tang Qing’s face, which pulled her eyes and mouth out of shape. Her previously beautiful appearance was gone, replaced by a sight that was somewhat difficult to look at directly.

Yan Feifan said in a deadpan voice, "Miss Tang, I told you before the surgery that the first procedure would mainly involve shaving and shaping the bone, along with some appropriate alterations to the facial muscles."

"This is foundational work. It will alter your current appearance, and the result will be that you look uglier."

Tang Qing could tell from Yan Feifan’s tone that he was slightly displeased. Considering his current fame, she quickly apologized, "Mr. Yan, please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean to blame you at all."

"I was fully aware that this would be the result."

"It’s just that in the three-plus months since the surgery, I’ve barely seen that man a few times."

"And every time we do meet, I don’t dare show him my real face, and it’s only for a few hurried minutes."

"He’s not short of women around him, so it’s hard for me not to feel a little..."

Tang Qing didn’t finish her sentence. She bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Yan, please forgive my poor attitude just now."

Yan Feifan said coolly, "You don’t need to apologize. I have no intention of blaming you."

"However, Miss Tang, you were quite decisive when you chose to undergo this targeted cosmetic surgery."

Yan Feifan then asked, to confirm, "Are you having second thoughts now?"

Tang Qing let out a long sigh and said, "Before, I had it all figured out. I was after his money, and he was after my looks and my body, using me to realize his own perverted fantasies."

"But after being given the cold shoulder by him for so long, I’m starting to feel unwilling to accept it."

Tang Qing sighed again, met Yan Feifan’s gaze, and said, "Mr. Yan, I haven’t changed my mind."

"At this point, my only option is to keep moving toward the established goal."

"Mr. Yan, about the second surgery...?"

Yan Feifan didn’t answer directly.

He put on a pair of thin rubber gloves and performed a detailed examination of Tang Qing’s face, gently pressing and palpating it.

After a few minutes, Yan Feifan withdrew his hands and said, "Miss Tang, based on your facial recovery, you’re ready for the second surgery."

"Alright..."

Yan Feifan mulled it over for a moment, mentally reviewing his schedule for the week. "Come to the hospital this Friday to be admitted and undergo a detailed examination."

"If all goes well, the surgery will be on Saturday..."

PS.

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