Hour Before Dawn

Chapter 19

"Endotracheal tube is in."

"Connect the pacing wires and generate maximum voltage."

"Analyzing the rhythm...she's still in asystole, hold defibrilation. Resume compressions!"

Due to the complete absence of electrical activity from her heart, shocks were withheld as they were of no use in her situation. Bin watched them put the defibrilator aside as the nurse resumed chest compressions on Ye-jin in an attempt to restart her heart.

It all looked chaotic but each member of the health care team in the room played a key role in her survival. The respiratory therapist was bagging her with 100% oxygen, a nurse was doing modified compressions while another was pushing IV medications, one was delegating tasks, and another was responsible for documentation to name a few.

As soon as a second cart was brought to the bedside, the surgeon, another doctor and a scrub nurse began putting on sterile gowns, gloves, hats and masks while everyone else put hats and gloves on.

Bin didn't know what was happening but he could feel the atmosphere and intensity of the room changing.

"Proceeding with an emergency resternotomy. Set the cart and prepare the patient. We're opening up the chest right here, right now," the surgeon ordered loudly.

"What's going on?" Bin asked the nurse who was with him. He couldn't help but panic as he extended his neck to look over the shoulders of the medical team.

One of them immediately removed Ye-jin's gown, exposing her chest, and removed her surgical dressing.

"They don't have time to transport her to the OR. They're doing everything they can to get her back so they have to open her chest right here," the nurse explained as calm as she could. "Let's step outside."

The nurse could see that Bin was getting overwhelmed with what was happening inside the room so she brought him out and sat him down on a chair right by the door. He bent down and combed his fingers through his hair, unsure of what to do, think or say.

He could still hear packages being ripped open, medical jargon being blurted out, instructions being called out.

"Cease compressions, applying the sterile drape now," the surgeon stated just as he cleaned her chest.

The large sterile drape was applied, covering all of Ye-jin and the entire bed, leaving only her chest visible and exposed.

"Taking over for sterile compressions," the other doctor verbalized.

"Ready for the procedure, implementing resternotomy now," the surgeon said as he stood by Ye-jin with the scalpel in his hand. "Stop compressions."

In a matter of seconds, he cut through the middle of her chest, opening up to her sternum.

"The chest is open, cutting the wires now," the surgeon said as he was handed another instrument.

As he cut through the wires that held her sternum together after her first open-heart surgery, one other doctor removed the wires simultaneously. Her breastbone was separated within a minute and the retractor was put in place to keep her chest open.

"She's in tamponade. Suction."

"Tamponade is relieved," the surgeon announced. "The source of the bleeding is identified and repaired."

All the while they were doing the procedure, there was no sign of life from Ye-jin. Her heart remained steady in her chest.

"Cardiac output is still absent."