CHAPTER 1
EMERGENCY
"What kind of emergency is this?" She asked the receptionist who answered her call. "It is a riding accident." the receptionist answered. "A fourteen year old boy and his horse fell into a gorge." "Where is the boy now?" But instead of answering, she heard the receptionist mumble something, not to her but to someone else on the other line. After which, the receptionist told her that her colleague, Dr. Ventura would like to speak with her. Dr. Ventura was the head of the hospital's anesthesiology department. She heard a familiar voice. She was sure it was him. "The ambulance will bring him in anytime now." His low baritone informed her. Jay asked, "Chuck, have you called any other doctors?" She just wanted to make sure that there were others there. She hadn't yet been through an emergency without the help she needed. It was not that she doubted Chuck's capabilities, but he was an Anesthesiologist, not a Surgeon.
If worse comes to worse, Jay would have to operate alone. And if she operates, she would do it without the head surgeon’s supervision or go signal. Although she had tried to operate without the head surgeon’s supervision a few times before, this time, she was not given the permission to handle the operation by herself.
“We have tried but as of now the others on the list are either out of town or still at duty in the city hospital.”
This was pathetic, Jay thought. There is indeed a shortage of doctors in the town, and to make matters worse, doctors who were living in the town either left or commute the one hour to the city everyday to work in a bigger, more functional and prominent hospitals there.
Her thoughts ended when she saw the lights of the hospital grounds loom into view. She parked and sprinted at once to the emergency room. Dr. Ventura was at the ER entrance. As she saw him, she called out. “Chuck! Chuck! Where is the child?”
“The ambulance is still on its way.” Chuck looked anxious. “We are also undermanned.”
“This is the problem with small town hospitals like this.” Jay replied, trying hard to abate the air of anxiety.
Within a few minutes, the sound of a siren broke the still country air. Its flashing lights tried hard to battle the severe darkness characteristic of small ranching towns. The nurses and orderlies readied themselves. As the ambulance stopped before the hospital entrance, a rush of persons made themselves busy. The boy was looked so helpless. Hay thought. At this point, the paramedic who came with the ambulance was relaying the condition of the boy to her and Chuck. Shortly afterward, Chuck talked to a woman who came with the ambulance. She was incidentally the boy’s aunt and guardian. Chuck explained to her the conditions and those they were to do an operation at once. He asked for her consent and let an attending nurse get the paperwork ready.
While the attending nurses were fixing the paperwork, they wheeled the boy into the ER. They successfully stopped his bleeding but to their estimate, he had lost at least two pints of blood. They quickly took an x-ray of him to see the extent of damage done.
There were fractures in both his left arm and leg. The once on the forearm was a simple fracture. However, the fracture on the left was compound. The sight of it wasn’t pretty for a part of the bone stuck out. There was also a suspicion of fractured ribs. However, they couldn’t five any conclusion since the plates were not yet ready. If only the fracture on the leg was just as simple as that on the arm, then all they’d have to do is to manipulate the bones into place a put a cast. All these without incising the patient.
The boy was unconscious, his breathing was shallow and his pulse was weak but his blood pressure was normal. He had bruises and cuts almost everywhere. Judging from his looks, the boy was pretty lucky to be alive. He must have fallen into a deep gorge.
to be CONTINUED
If worse comes to worse, Jay would have to operate alone. And if she operates, she would do it without the head surgeon’s supervision or go signal. Although she had tried to operate without the head surgeon’s supervision a few times before, this time, she was not given the permission to handle the operation by herself.
“We have tried but as of now the others on the list are either out of town or still at duty in the city hospital.”
This was pathetic, Jay thought. There is indeed a shortage of doctors in the town, and to make matters worse, doctors who were living in the town either left or commute the one hour to the city everyday to work in a bigger, more functional and prominent hospitals there.
Her thoughts ended when she saw the lights of the hospital grounds loom into view. She parked and sprinted at once to the emergency room. Dr. Ventura was at the ER entrance. As she saw him, she called out. “Chuck! Chuck! Where is the child?”
“The ambulance is still on its way.” Chuck looked anxious. “We are also undermanned.”
“This is the problem with small town hospitals like this.” Jay replied, trying hard to abate the air of anxiety.
Within a few minutes, the sound of a siren broke the still country air. Its flashing lights tried hard to battle the severe darkness characteristic of small ranching towns. The nurses and orderlies readied themselves. As the ambulance stopped before the hospital entrance, a rush of persons made themselves busy. The boy was looked so helpless. Hay thought. At this point, the paramedic who came with the ambulance was relaying the condition of the boy to her and Chuck. Shortly afterward, Chuck talked to a woman who came with the ambulance. She was incidentally the boy’s aunt and guardian. Chuck explained to her the conditions and those they were to do an operation at once. He asked for her consent and let an attending nurse get the paperwork ready.
While the attending nurses were fixing the paperwork, they wheeled the boy into the ER. They successfully stopped his bleeding but to their estimate, he had lost at least two pints of blood. They quickly took an x-ray of him to see the extent of damage done.
There were fractures in both his left arm and leg. The once on the forearm was a simple fracture. However, the fracture on the left was compound. The sight of it wasn’t pretty for a part of the bone stuck out. There was also a suspicion of fractured ribs. However, they couldn’t five any conclusion since the plates were not yet ready. If only the fracture on the leg was just as simple as that on the arm, then all they’d have to do is to manipulate the bones into place a put a cast. All these without incising the patient.
The boy was unconscious, his breathing was shallow and his pulse was weak but his blood pressure was normal. He had bruises and cuts almost everywhere. Judging from his looks, the boy was pretty lucky to be alive. He must have fallen into a deep gorge.
to be CONTINUED
2 comments:
nice stories....
expect improvements. :)
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