Saijô no Meii 25

Saijou no Meii – Chapter 25
By phichan – for exclusive use by Trinity Bakuma

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Chapter 25 – The Happy Prince

Page 4

Sign: Pediatric Surgery

Ryuuma: Hey, I remember this.

Sena: A picture book?

Sena: Oh, isn’t that “The Happy Prince”?
Ryuuma: Yeah.

Ryuuma: I read this to Kazuma a few years ago.

Ryuuma: I found it while I was sorting my things.
Sena: Fufufu.

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Sena: I liked that story too.

Sena: If I remember right, it’s about a statue of a happy prince that helps the town’s poor and sick.

Sena: The prince’s statue asks a sparrow to take his sapphire eyes and gold leaf to the people in need…

Sena: And in the end, the statue gets torn down because it lost all its beauty.
Ryuuma: That’s right.

Ryuuma: It’s a sad but moving tale…

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Ryuuma: It reminds me of Saijou…
Sena: Huh?

Ryuuma: The happy prince.

Ryuuma: Saijou is always saving people, no matter what the cost.

Sena: You’re right!

Sena: He’s so cool! That’s what a doctor should be!
Ryuuma: True…

Ryuuma: But, I’m a little worried.

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Ryuuma: Just like how the happy prince’s statue gets taken down because it loses all its jewels and gold leaf…

Ryuuma: Saijou may end up losing something really important.

Ryuuma: Doesn’t it feel that way?

Haga: Are you crazy?!

Haga: How can you not care if you lose your medical license?!

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Haga: Besides! I’m the one who messed up the surgery!
Haga: Why would you…
Saijou: It’s okay.

Saijou: I’m doing this for myself, not anyone else.

Ayame: …(sigh).

Ayame: Alright Mikoto, I’ll assist you.

Ayame: Here’s what we’ll do.

Ayame: First, we’ll administer heparin into the patient, then you and I will stick an indwelling needle into the aorta and the pulmonary artery respectively.

Pulmonary artery Aorta


Pull out
Blood flow External needle Internal needle

O – The indwelling needle is used for IV drips. There is an internal needle (a hard needle) inside an external needle (a soft tube). Once inserted into a blood vessel, you pull out the internal needle, leaving behind the external needle.

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Ayame: Once they’re inserted, I’ll hold onto both of the needles so they don’t pop out while you pull out the internal needle from the one in the aorta and connect the tube.

*The two hands holding the needles both say “Ayame”. The hand(s) holding the tube says “Mikoto”

Ayame: Then you’ll do the same with the one in the pulmonary artery to secure the blood flow.

Ayame: Lastly, you’ll suture in the needles so they don’t pop out on their own.

Ayame: Okay?
Mikoto: Yeah.

Ayame: Still, this is way easier said than done. You can’t imagine the kind of blood spurt that’ll come when you pull out the needle from the aorta.

Ayame: So Miyabi…
Miyabi: I know.

Miyabi: I don’t particularly like this plan either, but there’s no other choice.

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Miyabi: I’ll do my best to keep the patient stabilized when the time comes.
Ayame: Good.

Mikoto: Let’s start.

Mikoto: Inserting the indwelling needle into the aorta.

Mikoto: Insertion complete.
Saijou: Ayame!

Ayame: Insertion into the pulmonary artery complete.

Ayame: We’re running out of time, Mikoto!
Ayame: I’ve got the needles. Just pull them out and connect the tube!
Saijou: Okay.

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Sfx: *heart thumping*

Ayame: Once that needle comes out, it’s gonna be a geyser of blood.

Ayame: It all comes down to how fast Mikoto can connect the tubes.

Saijou: Here I go!

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Sfx: *Woosh*

Sign: Pediatric Surgery.

Ryuuma: What’d you say?!

Ryuuma: There was trouble?
Sena: Yes.

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Sena: I just heard this from a nurse. Dr. Ayame is gathering clinical engineers to setup a heart-lung machine.

Ryuuma: Are you serious?

Ryuuma: A heart-lung machine during a pulmonary atresia surgery means big trouble!

Ryuuma: I hope it all goes okay…
Saijou: We’re back!
Ayame: Yo.
Miyabi: Hello.

Sena: You’re all back?!
Ryuuma: Hey! You guys!

Ryuuma: We heard something went wrong! Is everything okay?!
Saijou: Yeah.

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Saijou: There was a mishap during the surgery, but it all ended okay.

Saijou: Right, Ayame?
Ayame: Indeed.

Ayame: Thanks to Mikoto, we were able to buy enough time to attach the heart-lung machine. The patient is fine.

Ayame: In the end, we were able to connect the artificial blood vessel and complete the original purpose of the surgery.
Sfx: *phew*
Ryuuma: That’s good…

Ayame: But, no matter how well the patient does…

Ayame: There’s no telling what’ll happen to us.

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Ryuuma: I see…

Ryuuma: So because Mikoto thought that setting up the heart-lung machine would take too long,
Ryuuma: You guys thought it necessary to first connect the aorta and the pulmonary artery?
Ayame: That’s pretty much it.

Ayame: If we hadn’t done that, that kid would’ve definitely lost brain function from lack of oxygen.
Miyabi: Exactly.

Miyabi: As an anesthesiologist, I agree with them on that point.

Miyabi: Even looking back on it now, there were no other options. I can say with certainty that it was the only way.

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Miyabi: It was the only way, but…
Sena: But what?

Sena: You guys saved the patient. Shouldn’t you be getting praised for it?
Ayame: That’s not how it works.

Ayame: It was a success so I can’t imagine we’d lose our licenses for it, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was an unorthodox procedure.

Ayame: It’s anyone’s guess as to how the ethics committee will react once they see the incident report.

Sena: It’s not that big a deal if it gets reported is it?

Sena: Dr. Haga was the one who screwed up, Dr. Saijou did nothing wrong.
Ayame: Now listen closely…

Ayame: Do you know who writes the incident reports?
Sena: No…

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Ayame: The lead surgeon does!

Ayame: In this case, Haga does.

Sena: But, if he lies about anything someone will notice…
Ayame: Maybe.

Ayame: But at the very least he can downplay his own mistakes.

Ayame: “I accidentally nicked the arterial duct, but it wasn’t that serious of a problem. Rather, Dr. Saijou’s actions were more dangerous.”

Ayame: …is something he could write.
Sena: But that’s…

Sena: Wait, hold on a second!

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Sena: The ethics committee should be able to see through that kind of incident report!
Ayame: Ideally, yes.

Ayame: But normally, the ethics committee chair is held by the hospital’s Asst. Director.
Sena: Normally?

Sena: Then, you’re saying…
Ayame: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.

Ayame: This hospital’s ethics committee chairman is my brother.

Ayame: He now holds enough power to get rid of Mikoto and the rest of us.

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Sign: Asst. Director’s Office.

Haga: I am very sorry.
Haga: I can’t even begin to apologize for my carelessness.
Haga: It was all my fault.

Haga: I was too preoccupied with Saijou and attempted a surgery I wasn’t prepared for.
Haga: Of course I’ll accept whatever punishement…
Brother: Dr. Haga.

Brother: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Haga: Huh?

Brother: If we punished every doctor that accidentally cut one or two blood vessels, we wouldn’t have any surgeons left in Japan.

Haga: But, that’s not…
Brother: While it’s true that the one you cut was particularly bad,

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Brother: The ones who really need to be punished are the one who performed a dangerous life-saving measure just to show off their skills.

Brother: Well, at the very least…

Brother: It would be in your best interest to write that in the incident report.

Brother: But that’s just my opinion.
Sfx: *glare*
Haga: What is he saying…?!