Chapter 106

106. The Mortality Rate Halved (2)

We started pulling on the patient’s shin, and they screamed so loud it felt like the ward was floating away. But we still had a long way to go before it matched the length of the other leg. This is bad.

We kept pulling for what felt like forever. The patient’s gag seemed to loosen slightly.

“AAH! AAH! Just… just let me die!”

“No can do. If you’re gonna die, walk out of here first and then keel over. Not that you could anyway.”

Who said you could die whenever you want?

“Tie the gag again, please! Someone hold the patient steady so they don’t twist!”

“Wait, hold on! Try untangling this!”

Would the nurse manage to tie the gag properly this time? She looked like she was struggling.

Still, we managed to pull the leg back to its original length. Now all we had to do was secure it with a splint using the tightening straps. We fastened the patient’s shin to the steel frame of the splint.

I double-checked if the patient’s leg was secured correctly. With the other leg intact, we just had to match lengths.

Next step.

“Professor, are we done?”

“Yes, almost done.”

Actually, not quite. Time to realign the bones now. Honestly, I’m half-expecting the patient to pass out…

I sighed deeply and grabbed the upper part of the patient’s leg. This is going to hurt—a lot.

“All we need to do now is realign the bones.”

“Huh?”

The femur was probably still misaligned. I moved the patient’s leg slightly and felt something collide—

But nothing beats the unmistakable sound of screams every time the bones made contact.

“AGH! AAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Oh dear…”

The issue is that we need to maximize the surface area where the two bones meet… which also maximizes the pain. Life truly is suffering.

I’m in pain too.

“Damn it, you said you were done!”

“Oh, my apologies.”

I never said “completely done,” just “almost.” And there’s no other way around this.

This isn’t like fixing a broken arm. You can open up the upper arm, but cracking open the thigh for surgery is an entirely different story.

Without full-body anesthesia, it’s impossible even to attempt.

You might be able to push aside arm muscles with your fingers, but leg muscles are far too strong to handle that way. Surgery just wouldn’t work.

After much trial and error, the bones finally seemed aligned.

“Should we wrap it in plaster now?”

“No.”

If we wrap it in plaster now, swelling could cause compartment syndrome again.

Looks like we’ll have to keep the leg tied to the Thomas splint until the fracture swelling subsides. Is plaster even possible for a femur break?

Seems unlikely.

Didn’t see it in any modern hospitals either.

“We’re really done now.”

The patient’s gag was soaked with saliva, dripping as if it had been dunked in water. Their eyes were bloodshot from all the screaming.

“Are you feeling okay?”

The patient heaved a few dry retches, wiped their mouth with their hand. Extreme pain often causes dizziness afterward.

Surprisingly, they looked better than expected.

“Does this look okay to you?”

Since they’re still making jokes, they must be okay. I nodded.

“What happened?”

“Construction accident.”

At least the patient didn’t go into shock and pass out. That’s a relief. I exhaled deeply.

“Well, don’t worry. In a few months, there won’t even be a trace left. And within weeks, you should be able to return to daily activities.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You lied earlier when you said it wouldn’t hurt.”

“This is the truth.”

“That’s…”

“I wasn’t trying to make you laugh. It’s just polite conversation. Telling you it would hurt would only make it worse, right?”

The patient scowled.

Their face was already scrunched up from the pain, so the difference wasn’t noticeable. I received the medical record from Istina.

“What’s your name?”

“Schneider.”

“Alright, Mr. Schneider. Your leg is broken, and we’ll need to keep it immobilized for now. Any other pains?”

“Not sure, my leg hurts too much to tell.”

“Is your breathing difficult?”

“Not particularly.”

“Any heart palpitations?”

The patient shook their head.

“Rest for a bit. Let us know if anything happens.”

“Oh, I was planning to go jogging, but I guess I’ll rest after hearing that, doctor.”

Another joke? I scratched my head and left the bedside with Istina.

Istina sat at a desk in the corner of the ward, looking exhausted. Like she’d finished all her work for the day. I turned toward her.

“Istina!”

“Yes?”

“Possible complications from a femoral fracture. Recite them.”

“Uh… bleeding and walking difficulties?”

“That’s more like direct symptoms of the fracture rather than complications, though technically not wrong.”

Not exactly what I was hoping for.

“The most dangerous complication right now is fat embolism. Fat droplets from the bone marrow could travel and block blood vessels.”

“Aha. What’s the treatment?”

There isn’t one, really. Once it happens, all we can do is respond to symptoms. Using anticoagulants might help, but the side effects outweigh the benefits. We don’t even know yet if there are injuries elsewhere besides the leg.

“Fat emboli usually affect lung blood vessels. Keep an eye on the patient’s breathing.”

“Yes.”

I double-checked the splint securing the patient’s leg. Looks good. Both legs are the same length, and the bones seem aligned.

“Looks stable. Check if the patient has other injuries, and monitor how long the swelling takes to subside. Let me know when it does.”

Istina nodded.

“The splint did its job stopping the immediate danger, but the next steps are tricky. Surgery’s tough because of the location, and plaster or other braces aren’t easy options… Leaving it like this might be our only choice. What do you think?”

Istina opened her notebook, thought for a while, frowned, then shook her head.

“Don’t know… Given the size of the thigh bone and muscles, cutting into it seems risky.”

Agreed.

No confidence in surgically opening the thigh muscles to fix the femur. Suggesting surgery to this patient would likely send them crawling out the door.

“Let’s just leave the Thomas splint as is. Next week, we’ll replace the securing straps and maintain the immobilization.”

“Sounds uncomfortable.”

“Indeed.”

That thought should’ve come before breaking the strongest bone in the human body. No changing that now.

I handed the patient over to the ward and returned to the research lab. This will probably be my last task before the conference.

Thomas splint.

I’d been preparing this for weeks, but thanks to today’s broken-leg patient, I finally got a chance to demonstrate it.

A simple invention that drastically reduces mortality and aftereffects from leg fractures. Quite easy to use too.

Apparently, during WWI, soldiers practiced applying it blindfolded in case of smoke or nighttime situations.

Now I just need to spread the word.

It might lack the buzz compared to other research topics. I pondered ways to convince the academic community. Hmm…

The Thomas splint became widely known and used during World War I. Why wasn’t such a simple method popularized earlier in the early 20th century?

Trying it myself, I think I understand why. Pulling on a broken leg isn’t something a rational person would instinctively do without understanding human anatomy.

Effective, yes, but only after actually attempting it.

I gave it some thought. Publishing the research outright might bury it, so I needed a strategy to present it to the academic community.

What would work best?

“Oh, professor’s back.”

Amy was sitting in a corner of the lab.

“Amy, you were here?”

“Yes.”

“There was a broken-leg patient earlier. Come check it out later. Important case.”

“Got it. What kind of patient?”

I handed her the medical record I’d been reviewing. Amy took the stack of papers, flipped through them, and began reading.

“Ah. Broken leg, so we need to stretch it back into place? How do you determine how much to stretch?”

“We have two legs.”

“Oh.”

Once you think about it, it’s obvious.

“To be honest, I’ve seen people whose legs healed shorter or unusable after breaks. This makes sense…”

*

Meanwhile, Mint’s dorm room.

Mint may still be a student, but she wasn’t idle. Who’s coming to the conference, what their interests are, and what topics to bring up.

She casually told her teacher it wasn’t a big deal, but social events like this were one of the empire’s tools of governance. Going unprepared would be like walking into a shark tank.

Choosing formal wear and dresses might actually be fun, though.

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