"There is a piece of advice given to doctors in moments like this: Check your own pulse. Each person in the room has a role, and we perform it best with steady hands and measured voices."
"The room filled with sound: monitors alarming, medication doses called out, commands stated and then repeated. Amid it all, I remember a nurse pressing two fingers rhythmically into Jane's small chest."
"Behind thick glasses, her eyes were wide and unblinking. A pink rosary dangled from her hands. Each bead slipped through her fingers as if she were marking the seconds, bargaining with time."
In a pediatric ICU, a medical intern experiences a baby's cardiac arrest. The intern reflects on the importance of composure and teamwork in emergencies. Jane, the patient, suffers from a congenital heart defect and is in full cardiac arrest. The intern recalls the chaos of the situation, with alarms and commands filling the room. A nurse performs chest compressions with unwavering focus, while Jane's mother watches anxiously, holding a rosary. The intern's racing pulse contrasts with the steady actions of the experienced staff, highlighting the emotional weight of such medical crises.
Read at Slate Magazine
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