DSMIS CH23

Chapter 23: Jiang Lin’s Surgery Video?

Inside the message were several case files Xu Huai had sent over, along with some existing clinical research conclusions. At the very end, Xu Huai instructed him to call once he had read through everything. Shen Xing guessed that his senior didn’t want to bias his independent clinical judgment.

Seeing Shen Xing staring transfixed at his phone, Jiang Lin spoke up:

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, nothing.”

His mind occupied with reviewing the materials back home, Shen Xing scarfed down the rest of his meal in a few bites and hurried back with Jiang Lin. Moving at a brisk pace, he failed to notice Jiang Lin’s brow knitting slightly with each step.

Once back inside his own apartment, Jiang Lin rubbed his left leg. Almost immediately, his phone began to ring. When he saw the caller ID, he felt a twinge of guilt, but answered anyway. An abrasive, booming voice roared through the receiver:

“Kid! I saw your latest follow-up results. Director Zou said you’ve been having painkillers prescribed far too frequently! Did you skip your physical therapy and rehab again? Are you just toughing it out on painkillers?”

The man on the line was Xu Cheng, Jiang Lin’s primary surgeon from the Armed Police General Hospital, who was also an old friend of his father. After Jiang Lin transferred out to the border region, Xu Cheng had introduced him to the chief of orthopedics at Baoshan Municipal Hospital for follow-ups, and the results of every checkup were forwarded directly back to him. Rarely one to be scolded like this, Jiang Lin answered sheepishly:

“No, I haven’t. It’s just a hassle traveling all the way to Baoshan for a follow-up, so I had them write a larger prescription all at once.”

“Stop trying to fool me! It’s not like Fulan County doesn’t have a hospital. Even if they can’t handle complex orthopedic surgeries, can they really not manage basic physical therapy? I attended a conference a few days ago and heard that Yuetan Hospital from Jin City sent an orthopedic surgeon down on a targeted aid assignment to Fulan County Hospital. Yuetan’s orthopedics department is famous nationwide. I inquired about the doctor sent down—a remarkably young associate chief physician. Don’t drag your feet; go get yourself examined right away!”

Sitting on the couch with the phone pressed to his ear, Jiang Lin couldn’t help casting a glance in the direction of the wall separating him from next door. He deliberately refrained from telling the old man that the young, accomplished associate chief physician lived right beside him.

“Got it.”

The moment Shen Xing entered his apartment, he booted up his laptop and poured over all the documentation. The regimen Xu Huai had sent over was an experimental therapy combining existing SCS (Spinal Cord Stimulation) with TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). However, the target stimulation zones, current intensity, and adjuvant pharmacological cocktails were distinct. It was an aggressive intervention that had only been tested on twenty-some patients so far, with the shortest duration in a persistent vegetative state among them being eleven months.

In the end, three patients had successfully emerged from the coma, while one died of respiratory failure. Among the three who awakened, one went on to exhibit normal neurological function, while the other two suffered post-emergence complications—one developed a speech disorder, and the other suffered hemiparesis.

Shen Xing scrutinized the duration of each patient’s vegetative state. The two patients who emerged with complications had been comatose for fifteen and sixteen months, respectively. At that stage, the statistical probability of spontaneous recovery was minuscule; frankly, achieving two awakenings at that point spoke volumes about the efficacy of this protocol.

It was two hours later before Shen Xing dialed Xu Huai back:

“Senior, I had surgeries this afternoon and just finished reading through what you sent. This treatment protocol hasn’t received general clinical approval yet, right?”

“Right. It’s quite aggressive and lacks clinical authorization. The neural plexuses in the cranium and spinal cord are exceptionally dense. While this approach promotes arousal, the technical difficulty of the procedure is steep. Besides, humanity’s current understanding of the brain is far too rudimentary compared to the brain’s actual complexity. It can easily trigger unpredictable complications. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t advise patients still within their favorable recovery window to attempt it.

“On the other hand, as you well know, the longer a patient remains in a vegetative state, the greater the irreversible damage to the nervous system and brain tissue. The likelihood of later emergence drops precipitously, and the probability of severe post-emergence complications rises accordingly.”

This was precisely the dilemma faced by the families of many comatose patients. During the golden window of recovery, no family wanted to gamble with risky interventions. Yet even within that golden period, some patients never woke up. By the time that window closed, the efficacy of aggressive interventions would be significantly diminished. It was an agonizing catch-22.

“I reviewed your friend’s file,” Xu Huai continued. “The anatomical location of his cerebral trauma matches that of the patient who woke up with normal neurological function. He is young, and he hasn’t passed the one-year mark. Personally, I think it’s worth a shot. But at the end of the day, it’s an unapproved protocol with substantial risks. Choosing it would require him to be transferred to our hospital. Let the family make the call.”

Hearing this sparked a glimmer of hope in Shen Xing. Knowing Xu Huai’s cautious demeanor, the fact that he spoke this way meant Liu Xiaohu was genuinely a suitable candidate for this protocol. Still, nothing in medicine was absolute, and no one could guarantee against unforeseen accidents.

“Understood. Thank you so much, Senior. I’ll lay everything out clearly for his family.”

Hanging up, Shen Xing hopped off the bed, intending to head next door to find Jiang Lin. The moment he cracked the door open, Qianjin slipped out past his legs:

“Hey, get back here!”

The Sammy refused to listen, tilting his head up and wagging his tail enthusiastically. His meaning was unmistakable: he didn’t want to stay home; he wanted to go out.

Giving up on dragging the dog back, Shen Xing tapped him on the head:

“You chose to come out on your own. Don’t you dare cower behind me in a minute.”

With that, he knocked on Jiang Lin’s door. Light footsteps soon approached from inside. Jiang Lin had evidently just showered; he was dressed in fresh pajamas, his damp hair still half-toweled:

“Dr. Shen?”

Taking in Jiang Lin’s appearance, Shen Xing suddenly realized he hadn’t even checked the time before coming over. Given Jiang Lin’s disciplined, retiree-like routine, he had probably been preparing for bed. Seeing Shen Xing freeze, Jiang Lin chuckled and waved a hand in front of his eyes. Shen Xing snapped back:

“Ah, right. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Come on in. Isn’t it cold out there?”

Shen Xing hadn’t thrown on a coat; he was wearing the beige bear-pattern loungewear he had changed into yesterday.

The big white fluffball had already slipped inside ahead of them. Knowing how generous Jiang Lin was with treats, Qianjin raised his head to nuzzle against Jiang Lin’s legs the second they met, wagging his tail incessantly. Jiang Lin reached down and stroked his head. Taking full advantage of the affection, the chubby dog leaned in to lick his fingers, letting out an overly sweet, coaxing series of awoos that made Shen Xing’s lips twitch.

Living up to the Sammy’s high hopes, Jiang Lin produced a small canned meal. His slender fingers hooked through the pull-tab and cracked it open. The crisp pop was music to Qianjin’s ears; his large, fluffy pink-lined ears twitched, and he nuzzled Jiang Lin with renewed vigor.

Shen Xing stood by helplessly… This made it look like he had brought his dog over in the dead of night solely to mooch canned meat.

“Hero, he’s supposed to be on a diet.”

Jiang Lin turned the can around to show the label:

“Weight-management formula for dogs. It just arrived today. I was planning to bring you half a box tomorrow.”

Shen Xing glanced at the label and saw that it really was branded as dietary dog food:

“Weight-loss marketing really spares no one, does it? They won’t even let dogs off the hook.”

Amused, Jiang Lin poured him a cup of hot water. Once Shen Xing sat down on the sofa, he got down to business:

“A couple of days ago, I requested Liu Xiaohu’s medical records from neurosurgery and forwarded them to an associate chief of neurosurgery at Capital Hospital. Capital Hospital is a premier authority in brain surgery. I wanted to see if he had any alternative approaches. He just replied to me this afternoon.”

Jiang Lin’s expression tightened:

“What did he say?”

Shen Xing briefly summarized his conversation with Xu Huai:

“This protocol is indeed more aggressive. Compared to standard clinical regimens, it might offer a higher chance of awakening him, but the risks are correspondingly steeper—including the risk of fatal respiratory failure.”

“You mean this treatment is still in the experimental phase?”

“Yes. In fact, many tertiary hospitals conduct exploratory research projects that have yet to receive formal clinical licensing. If a patient meets the clinical criteria, and with full informed consent regarding the potential benefits and risks, they can enroll. It has proved beneficial for some patients, though the hazards are undeniable.”

Noticing Jiang Lin’s silence, Shen Xing quickly added:

“I don’t mean to push anything, by the way. I simply wanted to explore every avenue. Take what I said today purely as a reference and an option. You don’t necessarily have to take the gamble.”

Jiang Lin looked up, realizing Shen Xing had misunderstood his quietness:

“I know you’re trying to help out of good intentions. In fact, back when he had been comatose for four months at the Armed Police General Hospital, they tried an unapproved investigational drug on him. It yielded no results, which was why Aunt Shulan eventually brought him back to the county. In the blink of an eye, another three months have passed.”

Both of them were well aware that for every extra day Liu Xiaohu remained asleep, the odds of him waking grew slimmer.

Jiang Lin scrubbed a hand over his face, some color returning to his cheeks:

“Dr. Shen, what is your personal take? Don’t hold back.”

Shen Xing pursed his lips before replying:

“Setting aside the inherent risks, there is one relatively encouraging detail: the anatomical site of Liu Xiaohu’s brain injury is identical to that of the patient who successfully emerged with full cognitive function. Furthermore, Liu Xiaohu has been comatose for less time than that patient had been. From that perspective, he is indeed a suitable candidate for this protocol. And from a physician’s standpoint, precedent offers a trail to follow. That said, I must reiterate: the intricacy of the human brain far outstrips our current understanding. Even with an identical surgical procedure, there remains a risk of failure.”

Jiang Lin nodded:

“I understand. I’ll discuss it with Aunt Shulan.”

As Shen Xing stood up to leave, Jiang Lin looked at him and said earnestly:

“Thank you, Dr. Shen.”

“Come on, Hero, don’t stand on ceremony with me.”

Shen Xing headed home with his dog and half a crate of weight-control dog food in tow.

Only upon returning did he notice a follow-up message Xu Huai had sent:

“Oh, right. During a conference the day before yesterday, I ran into Vice President Xu from the Armed Police General Hospital. Apparently, one of his relatives in Yunnan fell ill. Hearing that you were stationed down there on an aid mission, he asked for your WeChat, so I passed it along. Keep an eye out.”

Shen Xing blinked at the screen. Vice President Xu from the Armed Police General Hospital? Xu Cheng? He had met him a few times at academic exchange conferences; while they weren’t especially close, it was standard practice for doctors to reach out when family fell ill. Still, something felt odd—he was stationed in a tiny county hospital. A relative of Vice President Xu wouldn’t go out of their way to seek treatment in Fulan County, would they? Puzzled though he was, he promptly replied:

“Understood. I’ll keep an eye out, Senior.”

To his surprise, early the next morning, his department chief forwarded him a surgical recording. It was a highly sophisticated limb-salvage debridement procedure performed by none other than Xu Cheng himself. With Xu Cheng being a towering titan in orthopedics, Shen Xing now had the perfect video to watch over lunch.