The Broken Elevator

It was a normal morning, running rounds, checking on my patients and preparing the OR (operating room) for the surgeries taking place today. I walked to the supply closet and gathered all the tools I need for surgery like scalpels, towel clamps, forceps, scissors, needle holders, and many more. I put the tools on the tray and made sure all of the bigger equipment like, the crash carts was working. After I prepped everything for Sean’s surgery I went to room 395 to get him and wheel him into the elevator to take him to the OR. I pressed the floor 5 buttons in the elevator; we listened to the music that was softly playing in the background, making small conversation. When all of the sudden there was a peculiar jump in the elevator and then it just sort of stopped. The music was no longer playing, and the lights on the buttons shut off. The doors began to open, but there was only about a foot of room between floor 5 and the middle of the wall. Sean began to scream he did not like the idea of being stuck in between floors.
“I don’t like being stuck in this elevator! I don’t like the feelin that the walls could close in on me. Please get me outta here. I got a wife and kid ya no,” said Sean.
Lilly tried to get a hold of Sean and explain to him that everything will be all right
“Don’t worry Sean, I will try my very hardest to get us out of here but, It might take time yawl just need to calm down we will be just fine” said Lilly.
The emergency elevator buttons were on ringing as loud as ever; however it was taking a long time for the fire department and other doctors to find and help Sean and Lilly.
“Well I reckon were not getting out of here anytime soon so we might as well start talkin and keepin us entertained while we wait.” Lilly said.
“Well ok then what should we talk bout?” answered Sean
“Well why don’t you tell me how you ended up in this here hospital?” asked Lilly
“Well I was drivin to the grocery store and a car in front of me was speedin and swervin all over the road, I saw the car and tried to get ahead of it so it would crash into me but right as I was goin to pass it I looked over and the car in speedin right at me like he was trying to kill me! I tried to swerve and go in the other direction but his car was well just much faster my old beamer. And well that’s how I ended up in here with a broken leg a banged up heart and a load of bruises.” Sean replied.
“That’s crazy! I can’t believe that guy was actin so strange! Well I’m glad you’re ok, the accident could have been lot more dangerous.” Said Lilly.
“Yeah I know I couldn’t imagine,” said Sean as he went into epileptic seizure!
Lilly rushed up from sitting down and realized what was going on. There was no time to think just react, so she graded a crash cart from the corner of the elevator and turned it on.
“CLEAR” screamed Lilly! The crash cart electrocuted Sean’s heart to get it to stop. It didn’t work.
“HELP! HELP! MY PACIENT IS CODING! I NEED HELP NOW! HE WILL DIE!” Screamed Lilly
Luckily a nurse heard her and ran and got a doctor. The doctors rushed over to the elevator.
“CLEAR!” She shocked him again. Still didn’t work.
The doctors ordered her to turn up the electricity, she did.
“CLEAR” she said and at last he stopped his heart was working and he stopped seizing.
“I did it!” Lilly said happily.
“Why are you in this elevator? How long have you been in here?” Asked doctor Stevens.
“Me and my patient have been stuck in here for about 45 minutes, we tried to get help but no one came!” Lilly tried to explain to the doctors
“Well I’m glad we found you in time but…your patient will not make it by the time the fire department gets there. His seizure was very bad and his heart will fail and stop the blood flow throughout his body.” Doctor Stevens tried to explain to Lilly.
“Then what should I do? I am not going to let my patient die in this elevator!” Lilly said with fear in her voice.
“You will have to do an Aortic Valve Surgery...” Doctor Stevens directed.
“Open heart surgery? In this elevator? It is so small how will I perform heart surgery in a small elevator?” Lilly said with panic and doubt in her voice.
“The doctors and I will pass you the tools you will need through this small space and explain what to do, and hopefully everything will work out just fine. We will be here throughout the entire operation; you will not do this alone.” Doctor Stevens said with confidence.
“Well ok I guess I could try this, but I have never done open heart surgery before!” Lilly uttered.
The doctors went off to get all of the special tools needed for the procedure. As the doctors went off Lilly tried to explain to her that all was going to be just fine. If anything were to go wrong Sean would die.
The doctors arrived back at the elevator with masks and tools.
“Ok Lilly it’s time to begin.” Doctor Stevens told Lilly
“Wait doesn’t he need Anastasia?” Lilly asked Doctor Stevens.
“Oh yes he does, I almost forgot!” Doctor Stevens replied.
The nurses slipped down a mask for Lilly and a surgical mask for Lilly to put on Sean for the Anastasia.
“Do your best to count down from ten Sean!” Lilly ordered.
“10, 9, 8, and 7...6 …” Said Sean.
“Ok he is down. I think I’m ready to start.” Lilly said to Doctor Stevens. Doctor Stevens could see the fear and doubt in her eyes and her body. She could tell that Lilly was hiding her jitters from everybody.
“Step one, measure the aortic and pulmonic valves.” Doctor Stevens directed
One of the other nurses handed her a measurement tool through the small crack in the elevator. Lilly took the tool and measured the heart.
“Ok good job, you’re doing great Lilly. Step two open the aorta and the pulmonary artery and inspect them to determine if the Ross is an appropriate procedure.” Said Doctor Stevens.
The nurse handed Lilly the scissors and scalpel. Doctor Stevens could see the trembling in Lilly’s hand as she opened the heart.
“You’re doing great Lilly you will be just fine. Step 3 is to attach a pulmonary homograft to the right ventricle outflow tract.” Doctor Stevens explained
“Ok I can do that” Lilly said, with a rising confidence.
As Lilly finished that step she began to fill with confidence there is one more step and she knew she could do it after all. The whole elevator was filled with the smell of blood and injury.
“Amazing job Lilly, you are a fantastic surgeon, now for the last step you have to attach the autograft to the aorta and the pulmonary artery is attached to the homograft the procedure is complete.” Doctor Stevens Elucidated.
Lilly began to build up smile because she knew that she was on the final step in open Valve surgery. Once she completed the last step, as she was sewing him back up something strange happened. Sean started to bleed like crazy. Lilly flung her hands down on his heart where the bleeding was coming from. The doctors ran to get towels.
“What is happening?” she yelled to Doctor Stevens
“I was worried this would happen. Sean exsanguination (that is when someone or something drains blood or bleeds out).” Doctor Stevens explained.
“Well how do I stop it?” Lilly questioned
“You must patch the hole in the heart where the bleeding is coming from!” said doctor Stevens.
The blood was pouring out of his body as if it was a waterfall.
“Ok Hand me a bigger needle!” she ordered
Lilly got the needle and sewed up the area that the bleeding was coming from. He stopped bleeding and everything went back to normal. Sean was just fine and he was ok. Lilly was in shock that she had completed this very complex and complicated task.
“Wow! I can’t believe I just did open heart surgery in this elevator! I feel like I can do anythin right now.” Lilly said with joy in her eyes and in her voice.
“You did great today Lilly.” Doctor Stevens congratulated Lilly.
“Thank you it means a lot!” Lilly replied
Just as Lilly was saying her thanks to doctor Stevens, the fire department rushed up to the elevator. They came in with all of their big rusty looking tools and machinery that was needed to help get Lilly and Sean out of the elevator.
“Well your timing is a little off.” Doctor Stevens said trying to crack a joke, even though no one thought it was funny.
“Yeah you just missed it I had to perform heart surgery on my patient because he was coding and having an epileptic seizure.” Lilly yelled out of the elevator crack trying to brag to Joe
“Oh really? Well I’m glad you and your patient are just fine. It seems like yall went through a lot. I wish me and my other friends had got here sooner!” Said Joe
“Well it could have been a lot worse so we should all be happy that Sean and Lilly are just fine.” Doctor Stevens said to everybody.
“Well let’s get you two out of that elevator!” Joe yelled down the crack to Lilly.
“Good idea”. Lilly replied.
The fire fighters gathered all of the big tools and ran over to the elevator. The elevator began to slowly open, half and inch at a time. About one and a half hours later the elevator was basically opened. The nurses rushed over to Sean and began to clean him up.
“Take him back to room 395! I will be in very shortly to make sure all is ok with him.” Doctor Stevens ordered to the nurses.
Lilly walked out of the elevator and some more nurses came to help get the equipment from inside the elevator and one other went over to Lilly and hand her new scrubs, her other scrubs were covered in blood and smelt like surgery. Lilly thanked the nurse.
“I’m going to go check on Sean while you Lilly go get cleaned up. Thank you fire fighters we could not have got Lilly and Sean out of there without you.” Said doctor Stevens.
“No problem! Glad we could have helped you, and good to see Sean is not dead.” Joe replied.
Everybody went off to go do as they were told to do. After Lilly got changed and cleaned up she walked over to room 395 where Sean and Doctor Stevens were.
“Ah! You’re all cleaned up.” Doctors Stevens said to Lilly.
“Yes I am, but how is Sean doing?” Lilly asked.
“He is stable and his heart rate is normal. You did great work today doctor. He should have a full recovery!” doctor Stevens Explained to Lilly with joy and excitement. “But I would like to see you in my office Lilly.” Said doctor Stevens.
“Of course sir. But I think we should take the stairs.” Lilly replied.
Lilly and Doctor Stevens walked up to her office on the next floor.
“Today you did something that no one has ever done. You showed so much determination and you never gave up even at times when you really wanted to. Those are some qualities I wish to see in all of the other nurses. As of right now I am going to have a talk with the head chief of surgery and see if you can be a new resident to all of the other nurses!” doctor Stevens congratulated to Lilly.
“Oh my god! Thank you so much! That would be an honor!” Lilly thanked Doctor Stevens with more excitement then she could handle.
Lilly could not believe what she had done today.