“Performing surgery while receiving oxygen supply”, Shanghai medical team returns to Shanghai after aiding in the earthquake-affected areas of Xigaze

At around 5:00 PM on January 17th, the Shanghai medical team that rushed to the earthquake zone in Xigaze, Tibet, arrived in Shanghai by plane and landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

On the front lines, the medical team performed complex surgeries on several critically ill patients. At 2 PM on January 16th, Dr. Rui Biyu, an orthopedic surgeon from Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, completed his last surgery and conducted a post-operative check-up, noting that “all patients are recovering very well.” Now back in Shanghai, he describes a sense of accomplishment from completing his mission.

On January 7th at 9:05 AM, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Daring County in Xigaze City, Tibet. According to previous reports, Shanghai responded quickly, and a medical team consisting of personnel from the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Committee, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, and Huashan Hospital totaling 13 members flew to the earthquake zone in Tibet on January 8th morning from Hongqiao Airport.

The medical team members immediately began working as soon as they arrived at the hospital that evening. “At the beginning, it was the golden hour for trauma treatment, but it was also when we experienced the most severe altitude reaction,” said Rui Biyu to a reporter from The Paper. In the memory of Li Xiantao, deputy director and party branch secretary of the Intensive Care Unit at Huashan Hospital, the team worked with oxygen tanks on their backs during the first few days, and缺氧 had a significant impact on their sleep.

Although缺氧was the biggest challenge, the treatment of injured patients could not be affected. Rui Biyu told reporters that the team from the Sixth People’s Hospital completed four surgeries with oxygen support on the second day. During the first four days after arriving in the earthquake zone, they basically completed all responsible surgeries for severe trauma and complex fractures. The Huashan Hospital team was primarily responsible for a number of beds in the ICU, and Doctor Lu Lin, a nephrologist at Huashan Hospital, stated that all seven critically ill patients under their care had successfully been removed from ventilators before returning to Shanghai.

Although back in Shanghai now, the work does not stop. Lu Lin stated that some patients have chest and rib injuries that can cause lung damage. In the future, they will continue to provide breathing training methods and follow-up care. Rui Biyu also told reporters that colleagues who participated in the assistance to Tibet will continue to pay attention to the postoperative recovery of patients, and he hopes to return to Tibet for follow-up assessments in the future.

Xigaze in Tibet is an area where Shanghai provides assistance through partnerships, and Shanghai’s assistance to Tibet has continued for many years. Batch after batch of medical talents have “formed groups” to work in Tibetan areas, and past experiences have laid the foundation for this rescue effort. Li Xiantao stated that successfully completing this rescue work relies on a close partnership between local doctors and the Shanghai medical team. “Years of partnership assistance have allowed both sides to understand each other and connect on a knowledge level, working together very well.”

In addition to the organized Shanghai medical team for this rescue effort, Shanghai’s “grouped” medical talents and officials assisting Tibet are still working on the front lines, involved in patient rehabilitation and disaster relief efforts.

Photo: Shanghai medical team that rushed to the earthquake zone in Xigaze, Tibet.

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