One week later.
The First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University.
The most advanced operating room in the hospital.
The first head transplant surgery in human history is about to begin.
This surgery is being live-streamed for medical professionals to watch.
The livestream of the head transplant surgery is being prominently featured on the Suzhou University Affiliated Hospital's live platform.
Of course, only doctors or medical students are eligible to watch the live stream.
Ordinary netizens are not allowed to watch.
At this moment, in the live stream room.
Tens of thousands of doctors and medical students have already poured in.
The doctors are sending barrages of messages.
"Head transplant surgery? Am I seeing this right? Professor Chen is going to challenge the most difficult surgery in the world?"
"Head transplantation has always been seen as something that could only happen in science fiction and myth stories, something impossible to achieve in reality!"
"There are four hurdles to overcome in a head transplant, namely the problem of central nervous system regeneration, the problem of immune rejection, the problem of brain cryopreservation and the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury, and the problem of ethical implications. Have all these problems been overcome?"
"A head transplant requires severing the spinal cord, how can the millions of spinal cord nerves that have been severed be connected one by one?"
"I hope the surgery is successful. If it succeeds, it will bring new hope to many paralyzed and disabled people!"
"Head transplant to extend life! No matter if this surgery succeeds or not, Professor Chen and Suzhou University Affiliated Hospital have made history!"
…
Amidst the discussions.
Chen Yu, wearing surgical scrubs, comes to the camera.
He introduces to the live camera, "The patient suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, and is unable to care for himself.
Currently, this disease has no cure, only medication can prolong life.
After communicating with the patient and their family.
The patient chose to try head transplant surgery and become a healthy person.
The body donor is a brain-dead patient whose body structure, blood type, gender, and tissue are a match, with an immune phenotype.
The entire surgery is divided into two parts.
The first part is head anastomosis, and the second part is spinal cord fusion.
According to the pre-operative plan, the surgery will last 36 hours, with 100 people participating.
The 100 people are divided into two surgical teams, including doctors, nurses, medical assistants, medical assistants, and psychologists.
Currently, both the patient and the donor's body temperature have been lowered to -15 degrees Celsius.
This slows down the rate of cell death and reduces human metabolism.
This surgery has been approved by the Suzhou University Affiliated Hospital Medical Ethics Committee.
Without further ado, the surgery officially begins!"
…
Under the gaze of all the doctors in the live stream room.
Chen Yu first incises the skin, muscles, blood vessels, bones, and other tissues around the patient's neck.
Then, with an exceptionally sharp knife, he separates the patient's head from the spinal cord.
The incision is very neat, to facilitate later spinal cord suturing.
On the other side of the operating table.
The donor's head and spinal cord are also separated.
The movements of both sides are smooth and fluid, in one go.
Sun Ou, the chief of neurosurgery, quickly transfers the patient's head to the operating table next to it.
Next, Chen Yu uses artificial blood vessels to connect the donor's body to the patient's head.
…
The doctors in the live stream room.
At this moment, they all breathe a sigh of relief.
The first stage of the head transplant surgery, "head anastomosis", has been successfully completed.
However, they soon become anxious again.
The most difficult part of the head transplant surgery is spinal cord fusion!
Previously, severing the spinal cord also severed millions of spinal cord nerves.
Now, they need to be connected one by one!
If they cannot all be connected.
Even if the patient survives the surgery, they will still be paralyzed.
Then the surgery will be completely pointless.
…
On the operating table.
Chen Yu is connecting the spinal cord nerves one by one.
In the high-definition live view.
The doctors watching the live stream can clearly see the anterior spinal vein, posterior spinal artery, posterior spinal vein, posterior outer spinal vein, dorsal root ganglion, dorsal nerve, and other spinal cord nerves being connected one by one.
The medical assistants, using a 3D printed model, constantly tell Chen Yu which specific spinal cord nerves to connect next.
At the same time, the first assistant is injecting induced pluripotent neural stem cells into the patient's spinal cord.
These stem cells can build a "bridge" between the separated ends of the spinal cord nerves, making nerve connection more convenient.
The second assistant is using a glue-like substance called polyethylene glycol to fuse the spinal vertebral surface, promoting stem cell engagement and allowing the numerous spinal cord nerves to adhere.
The third assistant is using a large amount of complex tissue immune suppression therapy drugs to effectively protect the central nervous system function and solve the problem of rejection.
While the operating table is bustling.
The medical staff is wholeheartedly cooperating with this surgery.
As time goes by.
The lead surgeon, Chen Yu, is taken off the field.
Other neurosurgeons with more stamina take the stage to connect the spinal cord nerves.
The first assistant, second assistant, third assistant, nurses, and medical assistants are also constantly rotating.
Because the surgical scene is relatively gruesome.
The psychologists are constantly relaxing everyone's mind during the surgery, to prevent negative emotions.
…
In the live stream room.
The doctors are dumbfounded!
Can this be done?
Logically speaking, even if they connected one spinal cord nerve per second, it would take 11 days to connect millions of them.
Could the patient stay on the operating table for 11 days?
Obviously not!
Therefore, the consensus in the medical community is that head transplant surgery is impossible to complete!
They are very curious.
Why did the first surgical assistant inject induced pluripotent neural stem cells?
After injection, why do the ends of the spinal cord nerves form bridges that facilitate nerve connection?
Why did the second surgical assistant use polyethylene glycol to promote stem cell engagement?
From the live stream perspective.
The speed at which the spinal cord nerves are adhering is far faster than the lead surgeon, Chen Yu!
With the cooperation of the three aspects.
Millions of spinal cord nerves could really be connected!
This is incredible, isn't it?
Is there really a possibility that the head transplant surgery could be successful?
Thinking about this.
The doctors are all excited!
Of course, excitement aside, they can't stare at the live stream screen all day long.
They watch for a while when they start work in the morning.
They watch for a while when they go home from work.
One hour after another passes…
On the live stream screen.
It is still the image of doctors connecting the spinal cord nerves.
It may seem boring, but it marks a milestone in modern medicine!
…
After 30 hours.
The last spinal cord nerve is successfully connected.
At this time, the lead surgeon, Chen Yu, is doing the final wrap-up work.
The wrap-up work is suturing.
Although it is not difficult, it cannot be relaxed.
He begins to suture the patient's head to the muscles and skin of the new body.
In addition, the patient's blood vessels, nerves, and esophagus need to be sutured.
The suturing work directly affects the patient's postoperative recovery.
After all the steps are completed.
In the operating room, there is a very loud cheer.
Many nurses even have tears in their eyes.
This first head transplant surgery in human history was really too difficult!
Millions of spinal cord nerves, each one had to be connected.
But with the surgery's successful completion.
All the hardships and exhaustion are worth it.
Professor Chen Yu of Suzhou University Affiliated Hospital has made history!
…
Before the head transplant surgery began.
The medical staff of Suzhou University Affiliated Hospital had questioned more than once whether the head transplant surgery could really succeed?
Even during the surgery.
Thoughts of doubt filled their minds.
Fortunately, the outcome was smooth!
In the week leading up to the surgery.
Chen Yu would spend some time each day giving lectures to the doctors, and they learned a lot from him.
Because of this.
The doctors whose medical skills improved by leaps and bounds in these days, were able to join Chen Yu in performing this surgery!