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In-utero fetal cardiac surgery.

It’s an interventional procedure that involves piercing the mother’s abdomen to reach the fetus’s heart. A special balloon is then used to open the narrowed aortic valve and restore blood flow.

This was the in-utero interventional surgery Parriott was talking about.

After talking with him in more detail, Chen Yu learned that similar procedures had been performed since the 1990s.

However, the old method involved performing a caesarean section, taking the baby out without cutting the umbilical cord, putting it on extracorporeal circulation, and after completing the open-heart surgery, putting the baby back inside.

But follow-up studies of these cases revealed that this procedure stimulated uterine contractions, leading to premature birth and fetal death.

It was only after this that research into minimally invasive interventional surgical methods began.

This type of surgery only began to be performed in 2000, and to date, they had only accumulated a dozen or so cases.

"The success rate is probably around forty percent. The main issue is that it can easily lead to complications, like pericardial effusion and inflammation in the fetus. After all, the puncture is a significant shock to the baby. Most importantly, the fetus is constantly moving. We have to adjust its position, and the window of opportunity for the surgery is often just a fleeting moment."

"Just think about it. An infant’s heart is tiny. We have to use ultrasound to guide the instrument through six layers of maternal and fetal tissue. If the baby moves even a little during that time, it could cause catastrophic trauma. The operational difficulty and risk are just incredible."

Parriott pinched his fingers together to show the size of an infant’s heart and gave a bitter smile.

Clearly, their attempts at this surgery hadn’t gone well. The success rate was probably even lower than the forty percent he’d quoted.

Chen Yu thought for a moment and immediately understood the difficulties of the procedure.

’The fetus is always moving, the surgical window is brief, and the field of vision is poor. There’s no endoscope; it all relies on ultrasound and X-ray guidance. It’s truly like dancing on the edge of a knife. If your finger moves by even a single millimeter, you could puncture the aorta and kill the fetus instantly.’

’However, for me, these difficulties aren’t really difficulties at all.’

’With the help of the Eye of All-Seeing, a surgery like this is no problem for me.’

"James, this is definitely a good option. I’ll contact them right away and arrange for them to come to the United States for the surgery," Chen Yu said excitedly.

Parriott quickly stopped Chen Yu. "Chen, you and I are both doctors. You should be well aware of how risky this surgery is. In my opinion, even for such a precious baby, it’s not a suitable procedure. It would be better to give up."

"If they really want a child, they could adopt one," he added after a moment’s hesitation.

Chen Yu sighed. "James, if they were going to give up, they would have done so long ago. Don’t worry. I’m confident I can do this."

Parriott was taken aback. "You’re confident? What, are you going to perform the surgery on them yourself?"

"No way."

Parriott quickly shook his head. "Chen, I know you’ve performed cardiac surgery and are an expert in minimally invasive procedures, but this surgery is just too difficult. Even I can’t do it. In our entire hospital, only Dr. Pavin from pediatrics can, and like I said, the success rate is really not high."

He knew Chen Yu was brilliant at minimally invasive surgery, but this procedure was many times more delicate than embroidery. He was worried that Chen Yu, whose background was in more robust surgical fields, wouldn’t be able to handle it.

"Don’t worry, I’m confident. How about this? Arrange a few interventional cases for me. It’ll be a good chance to warm up," Chen Yu suggested.

Seeing Parriott still hesitating, Chen Yu grabbed his arm. "Relax. I would never step into an operating room unless I was absolutely certain of success."

If they had a forty percent chance of success, Chen Yu was confident he could achieve at least ninety percent.

The Eye of All-Seeing was just that powerful.

"You should at least try a few cases first," Parriott sighed, nodding in resignation.

By the time Chen Yu finished contacting Enke, Parriott had already arranged the cases.

Cleveland was just as he’d said—overflowing with patients. There was no shortage of them.

And they all had incredibly complicated conditions.

The first patient, for example, was a six-year-old boy named TR Knight. He also had a congenital heart defect and had undergone surgery at age one. He later developed endocarditis, which led to a ruptured mitral valve chordae tendineae.

He was now scheduled for an interventional procedure to repair the ruptured chordae.

This was also a brand-new procedure, one that Cleveland had only started performing last year.

Dr. Pavin, whom Parriott had mentioned, was a few years older than Chen Yu. He had thick, medium-length, curly chestnut hair and blue eyes. He was handsome, tall, and well-built—clearly a fitness enthusiast.

He was also a die-hard fan of the Cavaliers.

While scrubbing in before surgery, he cheerfully told Chen Yu that his rookie potential rankings from last year had been helpful. He said that’s why Cleveland had chosen James and went on about how well James was playing.

"After the surgery, come with me. I’ll take you to meet James. We can grab a bite to eat and you can get to know him."

When he heard Chen Yu was in Cleveland, Paul Silas had immediately contacted him, hoping to get his help with the team’s physicals and conditioning.

And then there was James. The kid might be young, but his character was top-notch. He had contacted Chen Yu right away, insisting on taking him out to dinner to thank him for his help.

"Whoa, really?" Pavin asked, slightly taken aback.

Chen Yu smiled. "Of course. Besides, the Cavaliers would have definitely picked LeBron even without me. Let’s go."

With that, he held up his scrubbed hands and entered the operating room.

Knight was already prepped and lying on the operating table. He was a boy with short blond hair and freckles on the bridge of his nose.

Seeing Chen Yu, he asked excitedly, "Dr. Chen, can you really get me Hardaway’s autographed sneakers?"

Before the surgery, Chen Yu had promised to get him a pair of Hardaway’s autographed sneakers.

"Of course. And I guarantee they’ll be game-worn," Chen Yu said, ruffling the boy’s hair with a wide smile.

Game-worn sneakers are the most valuable kind.

Knight nodded emphatically.

"Try to relax. Your heart rate is a little high," Chen Yu said, glancing at the monitor.

He glanced up at the observation gallery above the OR, then called for anesthesia to begin.

The observation gallery wasn’t particularly spacious, and it was packed with Parriott and a large crowd of other doctors.

The chance to personally observe a surgery performed by a top expert like Chen Yu was a rare one.

Pavin stood beside Chen Yu and said in a low voice, "Don’t be nervous. If there’s a problem, just give me a signal, and I’ll take over."

Chen Yu nodded with a smile.

’But there shouldn’t be any problems.’

He glanced at Knight’s body; with his ability, everything was perfectly clear. No medical device could ever hope to match this level of detail.

’Under these circumstances, it would be difficult to fail even if I tried.’

"Ten blade."

Chen Yu took a deep breath, accepted the scalpel, and made a precise incision in Knight’s groin, accessing the femoral vein.

After placing the introducer sheath, Chen Yu didn’t hesitate and began inserting the catheter.

Pavin immediately looked up at the abdominal ultrasound screen and murmured a word of caution.

Chen Yu’s hands never paused. He barely even glanced at the ultrasound screen as he advanced the catheter up the femoral vein, into the right atrium, through the interatrial septum, and into the left atrium.

Pavin nodded to himself. ’His hands are incredibly steady.’

’No wonder he’s known for so many pioneering minimally invasive surgeries.’

"Careful now,"

He cautioned again.

The next step was the most difficult part of the surgery: grasping the ruptured end of the mitral valve chordae tendineae.

And remember, they weren’t using a heart-lung machine, so the heart was still beating.

Precisely grasping the damaged location under ultrasound guidance was terrifyingly difficult.

But Chen Yu barely paused. With a minute movement of his fingers, he precisely grasped the ruptured end.

Pavin’s eyes widened slightly, and he couldn’t help but turn to steal another glance at Chen Yu.

In the observation gallery above, Parriott and the other doctors were already murmuring to one another.

His precision was simply unreal.

"Got lucky," Chen Yu said with a small smile.

Pavin said nothing. There was no luck involved in a surgery like this. It was pure skill, with no room for error.

The rest was much easier.

He deployed the needle, pierced the papillary muscle, placed the proximal anchor, withdrew slightly, and released the distal anchor.

And with that, the procedure was complete.

Pavin immediately looked up at the ultrasound screen, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.

The function of the ruptured chordae had been restored. The mitral valve was opening and closing normally.

"It’s a success."

Pavin turned to look at Chen Yu, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Of course, he could perform this surgery himself, but for someone like Chen Yu, who was "just" an expert in minimally invasive procedures, to complete it perfectly on the first try... it was nothing short of incredible.

Chen Yu was already skillfully withdrawing the catheter and suturing the final incision.

In the observation gallery, everyone was applauding, but the sound couldn’t be heard through the glass.

"So," Chen Yu asked with a smile, "do you think my skills are up to snuff for an in-utero cardiac intervention?"

Pavin nodded. If someone with his skill couldn’t do it, then no one could.

"Chen, since you have the time, you should help us with a few more surgeries. You have no idea, I’m getting absolutely swamped," Pavin added.

As the clinic’s top authority in pediatric cardiology, his surgical schedule was completely booked. He simply couldn’t keep up with the demand.

"Sure, why not? It’s a good chance for me to get some more experience, too."

’Might as well grind some XP while I’m at it.’

Meanwhile, Enke and his wife had rushed to the United States to prepare for the surgery.

"Dr. Chen, thank you."

Seeing Chen Yu again, Enke grabbed his hands, so emotional he couldn’t control his tears.

After what happened in Spain, he had truly fallen into despair.

When Chen Yu said he would help with the surgery, Enke hadn’t held out much hope. He didn’t know if his daughter would even survive that long, and even if she did, the cost of a procedure in the United States would have been prohibitive.

But he never imagined that Chen Yu had kept his promise, even contacting the Cleveland Clinic and finding a new surgical option for them.

It would have been nearly impossible for him to get an appointment at a world-class institution like the Cleveland Clinic on his own.

"Don’t thank me just yet. Wait until after the surgery, after the baby is born safely. There will be plenty of time to thank me then."

Chen Yu comforted them for a while, urging them to rest and prepare for the upcoming surgery.

After a discussion with Pavin, they decided to schedule the surgery for the 28th week of the pregnancy, which was nearly two months away.

For the time being, Teresa would remain in the United States, while Enke had to return to Spain to continue playing and fight for his spot on Barça.

After arranging everything, Chen Yu hurried back to Phoenix.

There was no way Chen Yu was going to miss Michael Jackson’s rebirth concert.