quivered. Her teeth
chattered.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s just
like before. Everything will work out fine, I promise,” Yoshizumi said gently
and gave Mariko a pat on the head.
She’d opened her eyes wide
again and asked the same question, still rigid from fright. “Is the person
giving me this kidney really dead? Is she really, truly dead? Won’t she
come back?”
Yoshizumi was gone now. He
was at the UH... to get Anzai’s daughter a kidney from a “truly” dead person.
Anzai looked up at the nurse’s
face. She returned his gaze with compassion. He glanced absentmindedly at the
clock behind her. It was 5:35.
10
Bringing one assistant with
him, Yoshizumi went into the dressing room and changed into a green surgical
outfit. Although he was accustomed to wearing it, it always felt crude when he
put it on. He then entered the washroom nearby. Yoshizumi stood in front of the
two stainless steel sinks that fined the wall and stared at his own face in the
mirror, covered in mask and surgical hat.
He and the assistant opened
the sink plugs, washing their arms with filtered water. Next, they put a
disinfectant solution into their palms and smeared it thoroughly over their
arms. They then each took a scourer in their hands and scrubbed vigorously.
After working up a fine lather, they rinsed it off with the shower nozzles and
cleaned their fingertips and nails with a small brush. This process was
repeated three times.
Proper hygiene and a sterile
environment were always necessary for any operation, but one had to be
particularly attentive to these issues in transplant surgery. A transplant
recipient’s immunity had to be regulated in order to stave off rejection of the
new organ. While this did increase the chances of success, the treatment
severely weakened the recipient’s resistance to bacterial infection.
If the new kidney became
infected, the patient could actually die. The surgeons therefore took the
utmost care in the pre-op disinfection procedures.
They entered the OR, put on
gowns handed to them by a specialized nurse, and slipped on latex gloves.
Yoshizumi flexed his fingers a few times to stretch out the gloves until they
fit comfortably.
Yet another assistant was busy
disinfecting the donor’s skin. Only her abdomen was left exposed, draped on all
sides by sterile green cloth. More than just covering the body, the cloth
served to prevent any lingering bodily bacteria from infecting the operating
field, and to keep the surgeon’s focus from straying. The green color dampened
the visual impact of blood.
Yoshizumi walked around the
body and positioned himself at its left. The first assistant came over and
stood opposite. Yoshizumi exchanged a glance with him, then surveyed the room,
checking to see that everyone else was ready.
“Seventeen minutes since
heart failure,” Yoshizumi heard the nurse announce.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
A scalpel was passed into
Yoshizumi’s dexterous right hand.
From a round hole opened in
the cover sheets, the body’s abdomen shone under the lights. Yoshizumi placed
his hands upon it and made the careful first incision. Blood oozed out vividly
from his precise line. He secured the slit with forceps to stop any further
arterial leakage. He spread open the incision by hand and, pulling the outer
layers, cut through the peritoneum. He clamped a number of smaller forceps into
the body cavity. Blood from numerous veins still permeated the area, but time
was scarce and he could not I afford to stop all of it. Yoshizumi staunched the
blood as best he could and sped up the incision until the digestive organs were
exposed. He lifted the upper part of the liver with a spatula-like tool to see
more clearly inside, then passed the device over to his assistant.
Yoshizumi immediately
recalled the face of the donor’s husband. He could not drive it
chattered.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s just
like before. Everything will work out fine, I promise,” Yoshizumi said gently
and gave Mariko a pat on the head.
She’d opened her eyes wide
again and asked the same question, still rigid from fright. “Is the person
giving me this kidney really dead? Is she really, truly dead? Won’t she
come back?”
Yoshizumi was gone now. He
was at the UH... to get Anzai’s daughter a kidney from a “truly” dead person.
Anzai looked up at the nurse’s
face. She returned his gaze with compassion. He glanced absentmindedly at the
clock behind her. It was 5:35.
10
Bringing one assistant with
him, Yoshizumi went into the dressing room and changed into a green surgical
outfit. Although he was accustomed to wearing it, it always felt crude when he
put it on. He then entered the washroom nearby. Yoshizumi stood in front of the
two stainless steel sinks that fined the wall and stared at his own face in the
mirror, covered in mask and surgical hat.
He and the assistant opened
the sink plugs, washing their arms with filtered water. Next, they put a
disinfectant solution into their palms and smeared it thoroughly over their
arms. They then each took a scourer in their hands and scrubbed vigorously.
After working up a fine lather, they rinsed it off with the shower nozzles and
cleaned their fingertips and nails with a small brush. This process was
repeated three times.
Proper hygiene and a sterile
environment were always necessary for any operation, but one had to be
particularly attentive to these issues in transplant surgery. A transplant
recipient’s immunity had to be regulated in order to stave off rejection of the
new organ. While this did increase the chances of success, the treatment
severely weakened the recipient’s resistance to bacterial infection.
If the new kidney became
infected, the patient could actually die. The surgeons therefore took the
utmost care in the pre-op disinfection procedures.
They entered the OR, put on
gowns handed to them by a specialized nurse, and slipped on latex gloves.
Yoshizumi flexed his fingers a few times to stretch out the gloves until they
fit comfortably.
Yet another assistant was busy
disinfecting the donor’s skin. Only her abdomen was left exposed, draped on all
sides by sterile green cloth. More than just covering the body, the cloth
served to prevent any lingering bodily bacteria from infecting the operating
field, and to keep the surgeon’s focus from straying. The green color dampened
the visual impact of blood.
Yoshizumi walked around the
body and positioned himself at its left. The first assistant came over and
stood opposite. Yoshizumi exchanged a glance with him, then surveyed the room,
checking to see that everyone else was ready.
“Seventeen minutes since
heart failure,” Yoshizumi heard the nurse announce.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
A scalpel was passed into
Yoshizumi’s dexterous right hand.
From a round hole opened in
the cover sheets, the body’s abdomen shone under the lights. Yoshizumi placed
his hands upon it and made the careful first incision. Blood oozed out vividly
from his precise line. He secured the slit with forceps to stop any further
arterial leakage. He spread open the incision by hand and, pulling the outer
layers, cut through the peritoneum. He clamped a number of smaller forceps into
the body cavity. Blood from numerous veins still permeated the area, but time
was scarce and he could not I afford to stop all of it. Yoshizumi staunched the
blood as best he could and sped up the incision until the digestive organs were
exposed. He lifted the upper part of the liver with a spatula-like tool to see
more clearly inside, then passed the device over to his assistant.
Yoshizumi immediately
recalled the face of the donor’s husband. He could not drive it
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