Sister Morphine by Michelle Raoul

Author:Michelle, Raoul
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Before Vaclavek even had a chance to put on his second glove, all hell broke loose. Mrs. Wong stopped breathing. Not prepared for general anesthesia, Beth had trouble finding an endotracheal tube. Seeing the patient’s lips turn a deeper shade of blue, Dr. Vaclavek grabbed a mask off the cart, hooked it up to oxygen, quickly put the mask on the patient, and with a classic ‘C’ grip made sure the fit was snug. Without even being asked, the circulator began to bag. They worked together, but not very well. Mrs. Wong’s oxygen sats were dropping quickly. Beth continued fishing for a tube and a stylet.

“Get a tube in her damn it!” No one had ever seen Dr. Vaclavek so agitated. He watched Wong’s rhythm on the monitor; it was going to crap as well. “Get the defibrillator,” he yelled. Seeing the tech just standing, a deer in the headlights look on her face, “you damn it. Do something, get going!”

“Sorry.” Without another word, the woman ran out of the room.

Holding the mask tightly with his left hand, Vaclavek used his right to see if he could feel a carotid pulse. Nothing. The rhythm was poor and ineffective. “Got that ET tube yet?” Silently he cursed the fact he’d allowed himself to only work with a nurse anesthetist, and one so seemingly incompetent.

“Yes, ready.”

Ms. Brown extended Mrs. Wong’s neck and asked the doctor to give her a little cricoid pressure. On her third attempt, despite all the blood, she managed to get the tube in. By then they also had the defibrillator in the room and the paddles in place.

“Stand back.” Dr. Vaclavek gave a shock at 150 joules, nothing. As the unit recharged, he asked someone call 911. He gave a second and third shock at 350, maximum power. Still nothing.

But at least the patient was maintaining her pressure and she was being ventilated. This is how EMS found her, and it was in this condition she was transported to Mt. Sinai hospital, about a mile north. Admitted directly to the Intensive Care Unit, she lived for another couple of hours.

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