Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 587: Chapter 587: Dispute

Luo Xiangnan described the difficulties of tomorrow’s surgery.

These were objective facts.

There was no point in hiding them.

The other doctors from the Oncology Department chimed in, airing their grievances:

"Exactly. This isn’t just a problem for neurosurgery. It’s the same for our Hifu Knife treatments."

"That patient with late-stage pancreatic cancer is in agonizing pain. The Hifu Knife can non-invasively ablate the tumor, reduce its load, and even block nerve conduction to relieve pain. But the old man is just too weak. His cardiopulmonary functions are poor; he can’t possibly withstand general anesthesia."

"But without general anesthesia, the high-temperature burning sensation from the Hifu Knife, even though it’s internal, will still cause deep discomfort and pain. If the patient moves, the focal point will shift, and we could end up burning right through his intestines."

"Sigh... Anesthesia is really a major bottleneck for us."

Seeing everyone’s worried and gloomy expressions,

Li Xu decided not to keep them in suspense and presented his solution:

"I have a way to solve the anesthesia problem."

"It’s possible to have the patient fully conscious and pain-free, allowing them to cooperate perfectly throughout the surgery, all without general anesthesia or even any chemical anesthetic drugs."

As soon as he said this, the conference room fell instantly silent.

Luo Xiangnan’s brow furrowed. He stared intently at Li Xu as if he had just heard some preposterous fantasy. "What did you say? No anesthetic drugs? How is that possible?"

"Vice President Li, are you joking? This is a craniotomy and a high-temperature ablation, with no anesthesia? What is this, a reenactment of Guan Gong scraping poison from his bone?"

Li Xu calmly emphasized, "I’m not joking. I can do it."

Luo Xiangnan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Then what’s your method?"

Li Xu slowly uttered two words: "Acupuncture anesthesia."

"This..."

After hearing this, Luo Xiangnan and the others showed none of the excitement Li Xu had anticipated. Instead, their faces were filled with disappointment, and even disdain.

Why?

Because in the world of modern medicine, and even in the eyes of many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, the term "acupuncture anesthesia" had long become synonymous with controversy, "pseudoscience," and an outdated gimmick.

Back in the 1960s and 70s, acupuncture anesthesia was all the rage. It was even featured in documentaries and promoted worldwide.

At that time, there were even cases of thyroidectomies and lung resections performed under acupuncture anesthesia.

However, as time went on and anesthetic technology advanced, the drawbacks of acupuncture anesthesia became apparent: incomplete analgesia, insufficient muscle relaxation, and severe visceral traction reflexes...

In modern clinical surgery, aside from a few very specific situations, almost no one used pure acupuncture anesthesia anymore.

To do so would be irresponsible to the patient.

While Luo Xiangnan wasn’t an opponent of Chinese medicine, he was a clinician who believed in evidence-based medicine.

He believed Li Xu’s herbal medicine could regulate the body and fight cancer, but to say that a few silver needles could replace modern anesthetics for a craniotomy and a Hifu Knife procedure?

He didn’t believe it.

"Vice President Li, regarding acupuncture anesthesia, I think it’s better if we don’t use it."

Luo Xiangnan rejected the idea outright.

Li Xu didn’t get angry. Instead, he asked with keen interest, "Oh? It seems Director Luo has also done some research on this topic. Why don’t you tell me your reasoning?"

Luo Xiangnan didn’t hold back. "Tomorrow’s patient has a complex condition, and the margin for error in the surgery is extremely low. If the patient suddenly moves during the operation due to incomplete pain relief—even an error of a single millimeter—it could lead to irreversible consequences, like hemiplegia or massive hemorrhage!"

"I do know a bit about the history of acupuncture anesthesia."

"As early as 1958, our country successfully performed the first tonsillectomy using acupuncture anesthesia. It reached its peak in the sixties and seventies. But why did it disappear afterward?"

"Because after decades of research, both acupuncture and anesthesiology specialists were still unable to solve three core problems!"

"These are the three major roadblocks for acupuncture anesthesia!"

"First, incomplete analgesia. Acupuncture can indeed raise the pain threshold, but it’s very difficult to achieve the complete painlessness required for surgery. Many patients endured excruciating pain to get through the operation, which goes against the humanitarian principles of modern medicine."

"Second, muscle tension. Surgery requires muscle relaxation for the procedure, but acupuncture often fails to provide a sufficient muscle-relaxant effect, making it difficult to expose the surgical field."

"Third, there are no standardized clinical guidelines for the needling techniques used in acupuncture anesthesia. There are no reliable reference values for dosage, individual patient responses vary greatly, and there’s a lack of uniform criteria for evaluating its efficacy."

After finishing, Luo Xiangnan stared at Li Xu, his gaze intense. "These unresolved issues hinder the standardization, regulation, and widespread application of acupuncture anesthesia, while also limiting any improvement in its effectiveness. That is why I do not recommend using it."

The atmosphere in the conference room was so heavy you could cut it with a knife.

Luo Xiangnan had made his stance perfectly clear.

He didn’t believe it.

As a veteran who had battled in the trenches of oncology for decades, he only trusted data and evidence-based medicine, not myths.

The other doctors were just watching the show.

’It was clear to everyone. Li Xu’s "three fires" as a new leader were probably going to be pissed on and extinguished before he could even light them.’

’Acupuncture anesthesia?’

’Solving the three major problems?’

’If that were true, he’d deserve a Nobel Prize in Medicine!’

Just then, in the midst of the awkward silence, there was a soft knock on the conference room door.

A young nurse peeked her head in, looking flustered.

"What is it?"

Luo Xiangnan asked impatiently.

The nurse hurriedly reported, "Director, um... Elder Zhang’s family is here causing a scene again. They’re arguing at the nurses’ station."

Luo Xiangnan instantly rubbed his temples, a headache coming on. He waved his hand dismissively. "If they’re going to keep causing trouble, just let them transfer. Our humble hospital can’t accommodate them. Let them go to the Oncology Department at the City People’s Hospital. They have better equipment and more experts there."

The words had barely left his mouth when a flurry of hurried footsteps was heard outside.

Several well-dressed people burst in aggressively.

Leading them was a woman in her forties with a capable air, clearly a powerful career woman accustomed to being in charge.

She glared at Luo Xiangnan, her tone hostile. "Director Luo, when exactly is my father’s surgery going to happen? It’s been delayed for days! If you drag this out any longer, it’ll be too late."

Luo Xiangnan stood up, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "President Zhang, I’ve already explained this to you. The surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow morning. But... you still haven’t signed the consent form. Without your signature, we can’t operate."

The woman’s brow tightened. "Sign what? The success rate you quoted is far too low, isn’t it? Thirty percent? What’s the difference between that and a death sentence? How can we, the family, possibly accept those odds?"

Luo Xiangnan spread his hands, his expression bitter as well. "President Zhang, if you don’t trust us, you are more than welcome to transfer to the City People’s Hospital. I’ll write you a referral myself. I won’t stand in your way."

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