vrcanaries Chapter 1006 - 970: Ridiculously Expensive
Chapter 1006 - 970: Ridiculously Expensive
On Monday morning, around ten o'clock, the main doctors involved in the surgery of conjoined twins near the skull gathered again.After nearly a month of recovery, today is the day these twins are being discharged.
The University Affiliated Hospital, the welfare institution, and the Anlin Charity Fund organized a small event, serving as one last wave of publicity.
The final item on the agenda is taking a family portrait, with the main medical staff joining in.
"Expert Lin, how about you hold these two babies?"
"Sure!"
Lin Jie replied happily, reaching out to take one from the nurse.
Looking at the pair of big black eyes and the little lips with milk froth, Lin Jie suddenly felt a sense of panic, retracting his hands quickly and saying urgently, "I'd better not hold them."
He further explained, "Kids are very delicate, and if I don't control my strength well, it wouldn't be good to hurt her."
The nurse holding the child chuckled softly, "Expert Lin, you have the most skillful and steady hands in the world; you wouldn't hurt the little baby."
She handed the bundled baby to Lin Jie with excitement and said, "Hold her, look how cute she is."
Lin Jie involuntarily stepped back and shook his head, refusing, "Better not."
"Let me do it!"
Standing beside Lin Jie, Qi Xingfen reached out to take the bundled baby from the nurse and gently rocked her, saying to Jiang Hao, "Dr. Jiang, hold the other little one, and we'll take the family portrait together beside Expert Lin."
Jiang Hao responded happily, taking the other bundled baby from a nurse.
Lin Jie stood in the middle, Qi Xingfen and Jiang Hao each holding a baby, standing at Lin Jie's sides, with other doctors and nurses gathering around them, posing for photos taken by over a dozen media reporters.
Once the photos were taken, Lin Jie's participation in the promotional event drew to a close.
After exchanging a few words with the adoptive parents of the little ones and with An Kexin, he left the venue.
"Teacher, here's the dissection report of half the trial animals."
Fang Huanru, who had been waiting nearby, quickly approached Lin Jie and handed him a tablet, explaining, "The dissection of ten trial animals discovered that the transplanted appendix is functioning well as a replacement."
She closely followed Lin Jie's brisk pace and cautiously added, "Teacher, one trial dog's transplanted appendix showed symptoms of partial ulceration."
"Our preliminary analysis suggests that this was mainly caused by improper surgical anastomosis."
Lin Jie flipped through the photos in the dissection report.
After viewing a few pictures, he expressed his dissatisfaction, "You believe the surgery is a success as long as the trial animals survive!"
"However, these dissection photos of the transplanted appendix truly reveal your lack of solid foundational skills and inadequate handling of various details."
"In my opinion, you and Lu Xiaoyu did not demonstrate a passing level of surgical skills in this trial."
Lagging one step behind Lin Jie, Fang Huanru stuck out her tongue slightly and said, "Teacher, we will strive to improve."
This casual attitude made Lin Jie quite displeased.
He stopped walking, turned to Fang Huanru, and sternly said, "Many surgeons think that if the surgical subject survives and the purpose is achieved, it means success."
"Fang Huanru, if you and Lu Xiaoyu hold such beliefs, then you're not qualified to be my students."
"Every surgery, no one can achieve a perfect score, but that shouldn't stop us from striving for it."
"For instance, in heart transplant surgery, a sixty-point operation and a ninety-point operation can result in differences of months, years, or even more than ten years in the patient's actual survival period."
Lin Jie looked at Fang Huanru with a somewhat softened tone and said, "As my students, you should strive to set new records, not be satisfied with low-level surgical success."
Fang Huanru nodded firmly, saying, "Teacher, we promise to always hold ourselves to the highest standards, just like you."
Lin Jie responded, "Pursuing excellence is a work attitude."
"When you develop this work habit, seeking improvement in every trivial aspect, you'll find that facing complex issues or major surgeries is merely the culmination of numerous trivial matters."
After delivering this advice, Lin Jie instructed further, "You, Lu Xiaoyu, and Wei Hongyang, go to the General Surgery Department and find five typical patients who could benefit from appendiceal transplant treatment, and convince them to undergo the surgery."
Fang Huanru realized that they were about to start human surgical trials.
Excitedly focused, she listened as Lin Jie continued, "Tell them I'll personally perform the surgery, waive their surgical fees, and take full responsibility for follow-up treatment if any adverse reactions occur within six months after surgery."
He also emphasized, "Be sure to provide detailed information and handle all types of agreements and legal document signing."
Fang Huanru earnestly said, "Teacher, I will strictly adhere to the hospital's relevant regulations."
Lin Jie arrived at the pediatric department and met the little patient.
The small child lay in an insulated medical box with a nutrition tube fixed to his collarbone, inserted into his body from just above the sternum.
Because of the esophageal atresia, this nutrient tube was directly inserted into the little one's stomach to provide all the nutrients his body needs.
At the same time, to prevent the little one from tugging on the nutrient tube with his hands, his hands were restrained.
Seeing the tear stains still on his little face, Lin Jie knew that this little one hasn't had a comfortable day since he was born.
"Expert Lin..."
Upon hearing this soft call, Lin Jie turned around to see a young couple, clinging to each other with anxious expressions.
Lin Jie nodded to them and said, "I've reviewed the little one's medical examination data. I've scheduled the surgery for tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
"Thank you! Thank you, Expert Lin!"
The young wife's tears flowed as she said, "After the surgery, my child will no longer suffer in pain and torment."
"Expert Lin, thank you, thank you..."
After waiting for their emotions to calm down a bit, Lin Jie said, "I suppose my student has already explained the surgery details to you. About the plan to use the appendix to connect the esophagus, you..."
"We agree, we fully agree!"
The young husband quickly said, "Expert Lin, we completely trust in your skills, and your decision is surely the best choice for the baby."
These words made Lin Jie feel a little guilty.
However, theoretically speaking, using the appendix to connect the atretic esophagus should have better postoperative results than using the small intestine, and it also avoids the future possibility of appendicitis.
But, this little one is the first surgical test subject.
At three in the afternoon, Lin Jie received an excited call from Lei Jun, saying that the laser 3D imaging device shipped from German Morris Precision Medical Equipment has arrived, and the technicians from Germany are installing it.
Wei Hongyang's technical team's expertise is among the best at the University Affiliated Hospital, and he has a good relationship with Lin Jie, so the laser 3D imaging device was placed there.
After finishing his tasks, Lin Jie arrived at the orthopedic technology laboratory and saw the laser 3D imaging device already installed, along with a worried-looking Lei Jun and his technical team.
"What's going on? Don't tell me you guys don't know how to use this device?"
Lei Jun gave a bitter smile and said, "Expert Lin, it's not that we don't know how to use it; it's that we can't use it right now."
"What do you mean by 'just'?" Lin Jie asked further.
Lei Jun glanced at the chief technician, Min Quan, beside him and said, "Min Quan, you explain."
Min Quan scratched his crew cut and said, "Expert Lin, it's not that our technology isn't good enough; it's our hardware that's lacking. According to the German technicians, the device's drivers need to be installed on at least a medium-sized computer to function."
"Considering the huge amount of data processing needed, only a medium-sized computer with excellent computing power will do, a large computer is better, and a supercomputer would be the best."
Lin Jie was only more familiar with home computers, laptops, and tablets, mostly limited to usage.
So he asked, "Min Quan, just give me a straightforward figure. For example, how much would a medium-sized computer cost, and what about a large or a supercomputer?"
Full of confidence, Lin Jie said, "If the price is reasonable, we'll just buy one."
Rubbing his hands together excitedly, Min Quan said, "Expert Lin, a medium-sized computer can cost anywhere from a few million to tens of millions, a large one from tens of millions to a few hundred million, and a supercomputer from a few hundred million to several billion."
"I suggest that we simply buy the domestic Inspur commercial medium-sized computer."
"They have a model priced at over 20 million, and its performance is good enough to meet the computational needs."
Seeing Min Quan's eyes light up, Lin Jie couldn't help but shout "Damn" in his heart.
Damn it!
Including the 200,000 euros sponsorship from the Morris Clan that hasn't yet arrived, the funds Lin Jie has for this project aren't even enough to buy a medium-sized computer.
Lin Jie thought for a moment and asked, "Can we rent one to use for now?"
Min Quan responded a bit disappointedly, "I can inquire about it. But the rental price won't be cheap either."
He persistently advised, "Expert Lin, if you're aiming to develop an intelligent medical system to analyze and calculate vast amounts of human data, a medium-sized or large computer, or even a supercomputer, is necessary."
"Sometimes saving money now means wasting money later."
Lin Jie sighed and said, "I understand the logic behind what you're saying."
"But this money..."
For the first time, Lin Jie felt that money really doesn't last. Just one medium-sized computer is this damn expensive.
"This is over 20 million; it's too much, far exceeding my budget."
"You inquire about the price first; I'll also think of other ways..."