Chapter 743: Chapter 742: Enduring Setbacks

The experimental therapy for awakening deeply comatose patients via infrasound resonance stimulation has two critical points.

The first is the insertion of the resonance probes!

While converting infrasound into resonance to stimulate the brain stem effectively avoids damage from expansion and diffraction, the range of the resonance effect is extremely narrow.

This requires placing the probes as close as possible to the injured area of the brain stem and arranging them in a dense pattern.

The brain stem connects the cerebrum above to the medulla oblongata below, which in turn connects to the spinal cord. It is not only a conduit for information traveling up and down, but also a control and processing center in its own right!

The complexity and precision of the brain stem are self-evident. The fact that it was already a traumatized area only added to its fragility.

Therefore, the insertion path for each and every probe was meticulously planned and determined by Yan Feifan and Qiu Ge after a thorough study of the specific damage to the patient’s brain stem.

As for the actual probe insertion procedure, Yan Feifan, of course, was the one to personally perform it.

The second critical point is the resonance frequency.

Similar to high-frequency sound wave hypnosis, every individual who is significantly affected corresponds to a specific high frequency.

Based on this, Yan Feifan and Qiu Ge analyzed and speculated that the specific infrasound frequency needed to elicit a strong reaction from the brain stem would also be unique to each individual.

The frequency range for infrasound is also quite broad.

On that note, to be frank, the unofficial work Xv Fang had done previously proved to be of some help to Yan Feifan and Qiu Ge.

19.54 Hz!

This was the infrasound frequency recorded in Xv Fang’s treatment notes—the one that had produced a stimulating effect on that particular patient.

Speaking of that patient, who was both lucky and unlucky, his brain degeneration had been effectively suppressed—brought to a near standstill—after continuous treatment by several neurologists at the Affiliated Hospital.

However, testing revealed that his cognitive level had regressed to that of a seven or eight-year-old child.

Most importantly, he had also suffered severe memory loss.

Fortunately, his family had been constantly by his side during this time. New memories were continually forming, preventing him from forgetting that he still had a wife and daughter...

"Stop! That’s the frequency!"

At Qiu Ge’s words, Yan Feifan stopped turning the knob in his hand.

He glanced at the number on the digital display of the infrasound resonance generator.

19.43 Hz!

After the experiment began, Yan Feifan controlled the infrasound resonance generator while Qiu Ge was responsible for monitoring the patient’s brainwaves and other vital signs.

The two of them used 19.54 Hz as a midpoint, adjusting in increments of 0.01 Hz to find the optimal stimulation frequency for the patient.

Yan Feifan had gotten lucky.

During the monotonous tests, where he decreased the frequency step by step, he quickly made a discovery.

He cast his gaze to the brainwave monitor’s display and immediately saw six small points of light, which were visibly blooming outward.

Yan Feifan knew that this brightness represented the intensity of the brain stem’s electrical activity.

The gradually expanding points of light were a clear, intuitive sign that the brain stem was having a chain reaction to the probe’s resonance stimulation, triggering further resonance feedback.

Suppressing his excitement, Yan Feifan silently watched as the six points of light gradually expanded, then merged into one another in pairs.

When the entire brain stem area on the monitor was enveloped in a field of light, Yan Feifan immediately announced loudly, "Sixty-second timer starts now."

"Keep a close watch on the patient’s vital signs!"

This sixty-second timeframe wasn’t just a random number they’d come up with.

Dr. Qiu Ge had previously conducted destructive tests on the brains of twelve lab mice using the infrasound resonance generator.

When the duration of the resonance stimulation reached a minimum of four minutes and ten seconds and a maximum of seven minutes and twenty-three seconds, the test mice began to show adverse reactions, such as disordered brainwaves, convulsions, or rapid breathing and surging heart rates.

Considering that the human brain is far more complex and delicate, Yan Feifan and Qiu Ge took a conservative and cautious approach, limiting the resonance stimulation time to under sixty seconds.

In the future, as they gathered more experimental data, they would adjust the duration of the resonance stimulation based on the results.

"21, 22, 23, 24..."

While counting down, Yan Feifan kept his eyes peeled, observing the patient’s physical reactions on the treatment bed and the changing values on the various monitoring displays.

Compared to before, the magnitude and speed of these changes had indeed increased significantly.

For example, the respiratory rate and heart rate jumped from an average of 14 and 81 to 22 and 104, respectively.

Yan Feifan was pleased by this change.

Not only was this degree of change within acceptable limits, but it also served as tangible proof of something...

The resonance stimulation they were testing could truly affect the brain, and in turn, influence the functions of the body and its organs.

"...56, 57, 58, 59, 60."

The moment he reached sixty, Yan Feifan pressed the off switch on the infrasound resonance generator without a hint of hesitation.

In the minutes following the cessation of the resonance stimulation, the patient’s monitored vitals, such as respiration and heart rate, gradually returned to their previous levels.

Yan Feifan removed the six probes from the patient’s brain stem area, then disinfected and bandaged the puncture wounds.

Afterward, he and Qiu Ge examined the patient once more, then observed him quietly for another twenty minutes.

In the end, no abnormal changes occurred.

Nothing bad happened, but nothing surprisingly good happened either.

It was as if the resonance stimulation had never happened at all. Everything had reset, returning to its original state.

This result left the previously excited Yan Feifan feeling a little deflated and disappointed.

However, Yan Feifan knew this was to be expected.

’Breakthroughs come from repeated attempts, from persistent effort. They even come at the last moment, just when you’re disheartened and about to give up.’

’A breakthrough is never easily won.’

As Yan Feifan was giving himself a mental pep talk, he heard Dr. Qiu Ge’s voice.

"Patient One has given us an excellent start. It shows that our resonance stimulation can indeed induce a response in the brain stem and make it more active."

"Mr. Yan, waking patients from a deep coma is a long and arduous battle."

Yan Feifan turned to Dr. Qiu Ge and chuckled. "Dr. Qiu, you don’t need to console me."

"I know that no pioneering research is ever smooth sailing. It’s bound to involve plenty of failures and setbacks."

He then admitted, "Dr. Qiu, it’s just that I’m feeling a little let down when I compare that promising patch of light on the brain stem during the stimulation to the complete lack of change now."

Qiu Ge clutched his chest in an exaggerated gesture of relief.

"Mr. Yan, it’s a relief you have such a clear-headed perspective on this."

"Your string of successes has been so dazzling, not to mention your one-hundred-percent success rate."

"I was genuinely worried that this kind of tedious research, with its lack of immediate results and frequent disappointments, would leave you feeling discouraged."

Yan Feifan chuckled. "Dr. Qiu, you’re worrying too much."

"I can handle setbacks."

"I’ve had my fair share of setbacks in life, growing up..."

Yan Feifan called Yu Beihua and Lv Xing, who were waiting outside, into the lab. After instructing them to closely monitor the patient’s condition for the next two days, he had them take the patient away.

Immediately afterward, Dr. Qiu Ge’s student wheeled the second comatose patient into the lab...

Perhaps it was a deliberate test for Yan Feifan.

He and Dr. Qiu Ge spent nearly two hours, but were still unable to find the infrasound stimulation frequency that would trigger a strong resonance reaction in the second patient’s brain stem...

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