Free (2013) Looks Could Kill by David Ellis Page A

Carry On remake here. The other house officers seemed similarly buoyed by the environment, although the fact that a free lunch was provided wasn’t an insignificant factor. And on top of that, there was no dogmatic, authoritarian lecture with a minimum of practical information, but instead a properly constructed induction with a variety of speakers all of whom were keen to impart what the house officers really needed to know. This bodes well for the next six months, Emma decided.
    Following the induction and lunch, Emma ventured to the Coronary Care Unit in K block. She had a pretty good idea of what to expect having been attached to a cardiology firm when she was a medical student. That was professorially-led though and she expected this district general hospital to be low-key in comparison.
    She found a staff nurse sitting at the desk with a bank of cardiac monitors in front of her.
    “Hi, I’m your new house officer, Emma Jones,” she said.
    “Oh, yes, we were expecting you, you’ve had your induction then?” asked the nurse.
    “Yes, really good, and a nice lunch too,” replied Emma. “Is there anything that needs doing?”
    “Would you mind looking at Mr Williams in bay 3? He came in yesterday with an inferior MI and he’s just gone into AF. You can see it on the monitor here. Troponin was sky high. Oh, and he was given aspirin when he came in.”
    “Of course,” said Emma. She checked the monitor and then went over to the bay.
    He wasn’t what she’d expected. Most patients who’ve had heart attacks are older or elderly. This patient must have been only in his 30s and he was good-looking, too. She remembered a similar patient when she was a medical student who was admitted on a Monday and dead by the following weekend, leaving a wife and two children.
    “Hello, Mr Williams, I’m Emma the house officer,” she said. “How are you doing?”
    “Pretty ropey, doctor, and dog-tired,” he said. And he looked it, with a sallow tinge to his skin. “I’d never have thought this could happen to me.  I don’t eat meat and I go to the gym every day.”
    “Sometimes it just happens. Genetics, that sort of thing.”
    “I just feel so tired, that’s the thing.  Do you have any idea when they’ll be here for the ward round?”
    “I’ll check. Your heart is beating a bit irregularly, so we may need to add some extra medication. But I think it’s best to wait until the ward round.”
    “Okay, doctor, I’m sure you know best.”
    This was one patient Emma didn’t want to lose, but with the arrhythmia there was quite a risk that he could have a second heart attack. Being new to the job, she felt a bit out of her depth and didn’t want to start him on medication she hadn’t prescribed before. 
    So, Emma waited, but no-one arrived.  Eventually, she bleeped the registrar who told her that the consultant was away and he was stuck in clinic. She told him about the patient, but she got the impression that he’d never met him. The registrar recommended starting him on amiodarone intravenously. Emma checked with the staff nurse who shrugged and said: “That sounds okay. I’ll help you.”
    So, after checking the starting dose in the formulary, Emma put in the cannula and set the drip going. The staff nurse said she’d keep a close eye on the monitor and hand over to the night shift.
    The following morning, Emma arrived on the CCU to find the same nurse looking downcast. She looked at Emma and burst into tears. 
    “It’s Mr Williams in bed 3,” she said. “He arrested last night. There was nothing that could be done. Would you have a word with his partner? His name is Tony. He’s in the relatives’ room.”
    Emma spent a few seconds trying to think about what to say. Dealing with death is another topic that isn’t high on the medical school curriculum.
    Emma went into the relatives’ room.  A young man very similar in looks to the patient had his head in his hands. God, they must have made such a