What are bombarding me are not just the restless old man with dropping SPO2 and the beeping sounds! Dr. Chang, our second chief of the section was asking me,” Tell me, is this your first time doing this?”
The bible verse ,”thou shall not lie.” was resounding in my mind. “m....mm. No, this is my second time....! don't worry! “ I was trying my best to keep my trembling voice affirmed. And of course, I did not lie.
This is my second insertion of endo-tracheal tube. I gave away my first time to dear Annie during the medical school days. Annie is the rubber dummy that we first practice the endotracheal tube insertion during the anesthesiology class. And that was easy, with her lying on the table motionless and lifeless...
Here before me is an old man with chief complaint of shortness of breath since this afternoon. He, unlike Annie, is alive and struggling to live.
Swiping the tongue away with the laryngoscope from the right to the left-- the instruction was simple. But how different it is now with this living person before me. Gladly, he is old enough to have all the teeth fallen off. With no obstruction of the teeth in the field of my vision to visualize the vocal cords, I easily see the epiglottis, and then the vocal cords.. The fear of bending off any tooth and cause massive bleeding in the oral cavity is no trouble now.
“Tube!” shout I to the nurse. Apparent, I am no expert to conceal my nervousness.
Then, there is the hand of Dr. Chang. He puts his hand over my trembling hand and guided the tube insertion. Smoothly, the tube entered the trachea.
“Ya-Da!” I almost shouted with exclamation like Hero Nakamura.
Everything goes well! Quickly the old man with blue hands and feet started to improve. The SPO2 was in control. Over a short period of time, it returned to 98%. Awaiting admission to the ICU. He is a case of congested heart failure.
MY FIRST ET TUBE INSERTION IS ON THIS DAY.
ONE MORE LIFE SAVED.
ONE MORE LIFE SAVED.
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