DP

Chapter 87

'An EKG is an essential test in this situation.'

There's a reason why Raymond spent blood money to implement an ECG.

The heart is driven by electrical signals, and measuring their patterns can reveal a myriad of causes.

'High T waves!'

Raymond immediately spotted the problem with Marquis Langham's heart's electrical rhythm pattern.

The height of the T-wave was too high.

'But there are so many things that can go wrong with the T-wave, what exactly is it?'

Raymond bit his lip nervously.

Tawaves could be elevated for all sorts of reasons, and he needed to find the right diagnosis.

'... I'm not sure about this EKG alone. What should I do? There have to be other clues.'

If he had been more familiar with ECGs, he might have been able to guess the cause by now.

But interpreting ECGs is one of the most challenging areas of medicine.

Even modern Earth doctors were often out of the loop unless they were 'internists.'

Unfortunately, Raymond's internal medicine was a "C-"; it lacked depth.

'Uh-oh.'

Tick, tick, tick.

The seconds ticked by nervously.

Everyone stopped looking.

Raymond clenched his fists.

Then, the electrocardiogram changed again!

'The P-wave is gone!'

P-wave.

It signals the beginning of the heart's contraction rhythm.

'The heart's pulse is slower, too! What does this mean? What's causing the P-wave to disappear? Figure it out!'

One thing was certain.

Marquis Langham's condition was deteriorating by the second.

His complexion was turning corpse-like.

"Blood pressure 40/20, Master!"

Raymond bit his lip hard at Hanson's shout.

This is a patient he could save, if only he were more competent!

'Shit!'

It was then.

In a blur, a strange waveform flashed by.

An S-shaped, whip-like waveform.

It only flashed by once, but Raymond didn't miss it.

'It's a sine wave!'

A sine wave!

The heart's electrical signals lose its regular pattern and form an S-shape.

It's so characteristic that Raymond knew it well.

'There's only one condition that causes a sine wave: hyperkalemia.'

Hyperkalemia, an emergency condition in which too much potassium builds up in the body, disrupting the heart's electrical transmission system and causing a heart attack.

It was a complication usually seen in people with kidney disease.

"Hanson, Lyndon. Calcium extract from the E-cart!"

"Yes, Master!"

Now that he had identified the cause, he had to correct it.

'The cure for hyperkalemia is calcium!'