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clarepreed · 2 years ago

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Mud

Short Story Summary and Content: 5,100 words. Northerner Nikki may not survive her first mudding date with her Southern boyfriend. Suffocation/drowning and on-site resuscitation. Features Zoll AutoPulse.

“So… we’re riding these things down a muddy trail and into a muddy field and spending the day getting covered in mud?” Nikki eyed the four-wheeler askance and tugged on her old, red-and-blue leggings.

“That’s about it.” Caleb grinned at her. “I swear it’s fun.”

“I guess I’m about to see for myself. Are we wearing helmets?”

“Nah, you don’t need one. Everything’s so muddy it’s like falling in melted ice cream. But I won’t tip us over.” He stepped close to her and snaked his arm around her waist, resting his palm against the bare skin between her leggings and sports bra. “Then we can shower off together later.”

“Well, that part I know I’ll like.” She pressed her curves against him and tipped her mouth up to be kissed.

He grinned, gripped her ass with both hands, and kissed her hard.

“Ugh! Get a room!” he heard his older sister, Em, say. “Gross.”

He broke the kiss, but he didn’t release Nikki, pivoting her around with him as he turned to look at Em and the disgusted expression on her face. “Just because you aren’t getting any—”

Em snorted and rolled her eyes. “Like you would know. I’m knee deep in—”

“NOPE!” Caleb released Nikki and clapped his hands to his ears. Em just grinned at him and sashayed over to her own four-wheeler, her thumbs hooked in the belt loops of her cargo shorts.

“You deserved that,” Nikki said when he dropped his hands. She offered him a wicked grin. “Over here playing with fire, of course you’re gonna get burned.”

He rolled his eyes at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

A half hour later, their group was headed down the trail. There were five total ATVs carrying eight people, all friends, family, and significant others. There’d been hard rain for two days prior on into the early morning, so the trail was a wide, rutty swath of red clay mud.

“Holy shit!” Nikki exclaimed, her arms tightening around his waist as the four-wheeler bounced and a muddy spray from a nearby vehicle doused them.

“That’s why I gave you those goggles!” Caleb shouted, laughing.

“I’m never getting this out of my hair!” she groaned, reaching up to pat her twists.

Eventually, the trail opened into a large, muddy field that Caleb’s uncle had given over to four-wheelers. During the wet times of the year, the field was nothing more than a vat of thick, orange soup.

He drove over to the edge of the field where the ground was firmer and there were downed trees to sit on, thinking Nikki might want a beer or at least a chance to rinse her mouth out. This was also the end of the field where his uncle’s gravel access drive terminated, giving them quick access to the house, should they need it.

The next hour flew by. Sometimes he rode with Nikki, sometimes he went solo. For being out of her element, he thought she was having a good time.

“I’m gonna take your girl out,” Em said, winking at him. Her short hair was spiked with mud, giving her a rakish look. When he didn’t react, she said: “For a ride…”

“Stop,” Nikki said, laughing as she put on the ATV goggles he’d loaned her.

Em turned and patted the seat behind her, grinning when Nikki climbed on and slipped her arms around her waist. “Wish me luck!”

They took off, pulling in behind Caleb’s friend Mike as he rounded the curve of the field. He chuckled when he heard Nikki squeal, reaching into the cooler to get another beer.

Mike made a point of circling around the women and then cutting across their path, spraying them with a heavy wave of muddy water. Caleb shook his head, a little annoyed. Mike had a tendency to ride too close and go too hard, which is why the friend group often called him “Dumbass” instead of his name.

The far end of the field sloped up toward a ridge of pine trees. Em was more sensible than Mike, and she cut left pretty early before they gained much elevation. Mike, on the other hand, came around them on the right, engine roaring as he overtook them and surged up the hill.

He lost control halfway up, the weight of the ATV tipping back and carrying him and the four-wheeler downhill. He bailed, just before his vehicle crashed into Em’s. The four-wheelers collided and rolled together, dumping the women into the mud.

Caleb sat his beer down, already losing track of who was where. “Hey! Fuckhead! Em? Nikki?”

“I think someone’s hurt,” he heard Robb say from behind him. “No one’s up waving their arms around to say they’re okay.”

“Em! Nikki!” Caleb hopped onto his four-wheeler and rode across the field, his heart pounding. He’d been in a number of rollover accidents over the years and had always been fine. But when he was in elementary school, his neighbor’s dad had died instantly in an ATV accident. He’d been there, too young to exactly understand what was happening, watching people run around trying to revive him. Also, this was his sister and his girlfriend, and he couldn’t help but feel protective.

Caleb jumped off his four-wheeler, his boots squelching in the mud. The ground was especially soft here, water pooling up around his ankles. He heard another ATV roar up behind him.

Mike was bent over next to one of the overturned four-wheelers. “Em! Hey! Em!”

Caleb ran up beside him and saw his sister sprawled on her back in the mud, her eyes closed. Blood trickled from her nose and a gash near her hairline.

“Em!” Caleb shouted, shoving Mike to the side as he dropped to his knees next to her. “What the fuck was that, asshole?!”

Mike sat down hard in the mud. “I didn’t mean to! Fuck, I think one of the tires got her in the face…” Their friends Robb and Dana pulled up beside him, coming from a different angle.

Caleb leaned over her, gingerly touching her muddy skin next to the gash. Em groaned and her hands clenched. “Em?”

She didn’t respond, so he looked up, trying to see where his girlfriend had ended up. “Nikki?”

He almost didn’t spot her due to the mud, but his eyes stopped on something red and blue under one of the ATVs.

He reacted instinctively; he wouldn’t even be able to recall his actions later. Skirting around the ATVs, he slid in next to her, ignoring the sludge that lapped over the top of his boots. Her upper half was completely submerged in the thick, watery mud. He first tried pulling her up at the waist, but the weight of the four-wheeler resting on her lower half pinned her down.

Robb ran over, and they lifted the ATV off her prone body, setting it upright. Mike broke free of his stupor and grabbed Nikki under the arms, hauling her up and out of the divot she was lying in.

“She didn’t jump free?!” Mike exclaimed, mouth agape, still holding her out of the mud. “Why didn’t she jump free?!”

Caleb and Mike turned her over. She flopped boneless onto her back, covered in mud, her goggles lost in the puddle. He cradled her head in one hand and rubbed his other hand down her face, trying to wipe the mud off. Watery muck leaked out of her nose and mouth. In a panic, he pushed his fingers into her mouth, trying to scrape out the mud.

“Nikki! Nikki!” She didn’t respond, her limbs dangling as he shook her. “Fuck! I think she breathed it in!”

Caleb leaned his ear close to Nikki’s face. She was motionless, reclined back in Mike’s lap. He’d never seen someone so still outside of a casket. Her chest wasn’t rising, and he couldn’t feel any movement. “She’s not breathing!”

He pinched her nose shut, not bothering to drag her out of Mike’s lap, and sucked in a deep breath. He covered her mouth with his, felt the grit of the mud on her skin. The chill of her lips. Then he breathed into her. Or tried to. His cheeks puffed out, her cheeks puffed out, but then the air stopped, finally forcing its way out of the side of his mouth with a sputtering sound. He took a breath and tried again, with the same result.

“I can’t get any air in her!” He shouted, looking up at Mike.

“Dana’s calling 9-1-1,” he heard Robb say.

“Is your uncle home?” Mike asked. His own wild eyes reflected Caleb’s fears. “Can he help?”

“Get her on a four-wheeler with you!” Robb shouted. “Get her over to dry land! I’ve got Em!”

Mike and Caleb scrambled to their feet, awkwardly hauling Nikki’s limp body between them. Caleb climbed onto his ATV and dragged her out of Mike’s arms, setting her sideways on the seat in front of him and wrapping his arm around her middle to keep her from falling off. Holding her was like holding some kind of rag doll; there was no muscle tension in her body whatsoever.

His ATV roared and jumped forward, and Nikki’s head lolled back on her neck.

Their friends Leigh and Nina waited on the other side, and they helped him get Nikki off the ATV and over the ring of tree trunks. Then they laid her out on one of the drier sections of grass.

Caleb leaned over Nikki again, forcing his fingers between her teeth to scoop out more muck. Leigh dropped down across from him. “Is she breathing?”

“No, and I can’t get any air into her!”

“I think we need to do chest compressions!” Leigh said, briefly resting her hand on Nikki’s motionless chest. “I know CPR from school!”

Caleb leaned over Nikki and tried to breathe for her again. When the air escaped uselessly out the side of his mouth, Leigh rose up onto her knees. She clasped her hands together and pressed her palm between Nikki’s breasts. It took her several hard compressions to figure out depth and rhythm, and then she started counting, her thrusts making Nikki’s body quake and twitch.

“One and two and three and…”

Caleb turned Nikki’s head to the side, hoping more mud would trickle out. Nina joined him, a bottle of water in hand.

“I’m going to wash off her face,” Nina said, meeting his eyes. “Is that okay?”

Caleb nodded and watched as she used a bottle of water and a cleanish t-shirt to wipe the mud off Nikki’s face.

“…twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine…”

“Mike’s gone to find your uncle!” he heard Robb call out. “And Dana took my four-wheeler to try to find cell service, we couldn’t stay connected long enough to talk to 9-1-1!”

“…thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two…” A faint sound came from Nikki’s mouth with each compression. It was disturbingly like the sound you’d expect to hear if someone were violently squeezing a bag full of liquid.

Now that Nina had washed Nikki’s face, he could see that her beautiful umber skin had gone gray, her full lips purpling. He grasped her jaw, holding her mouth open so he could sweep his finger inside. More muck came out, along with another gush of orange water.

“How’s Em?” he called, his voice cracking.

“She’s okay!” Robb called. “She’s conscious. Keeps trying to get up, but she’s making sense now, so I think she’s alright. No, dammit, stay down, they’re taking care of her!”

“…eighty-six, eighty-seven, eighty-eight! When I get to one hundred… after you try to give her breaths… I need to switch!” Leigh was breathing hard, and if Caleb weren’t so terrified, he would be impressed by her strength. She hadn’t faltered once as she forcefully compressed his girlfriend’s sternum. “Ninety-nine, one hundred!”

Caleb scraped more muck out of Nikki’s mouth and then turned her face to the sky, tipping her chin back and pinching her nose shut. Her cold mouth was still as much of a shock as it had been the last time. He blew hard, but again the seal broke from the pressure. “Fuck!”

“Nina, sit with Em,” he heard Robb say. “I’ll take over compressions.”

Caleb opened her mouth. The inside of her mouth was mostly clear, but he of course couldn’t see into her airway. He tilted her head back further and covered her mouth with his again, blowing hard.

Then Robb was on his knees beside her, his hands coming down hard between her breasts. Caleb turned Nikki’s head back to the side, his fingers lingering on her cheek. Her head was moving with each compression, but her face was still. She looked bad; he’d never seen someone that ashen color, not ever.

The squelching sound coming from her throat resumed. He watched Robb moving over her forcefully, the compressions from his burly arms making her stomach bulge out even further. Looking at her bloated abdomen, he thought she must have swallowed some water. The thrusts caved in her ribcage, jerking her shoulders and making her arms twitch. There was even movement down her legs and into her feet.

“…forty-three, forty-four, forty-five… I’m counting to one hundred, right?” Robb asked.

“I think…” Leigh sounded uncertain, and she was still breathing hard. “I think so, yes. Until we can get air into her. Anyone disagree?”

No one said anything except Robb, who was still counting.

When Caleb looked back at Nikki’s face, he could see foam, mud, and water oozing out of her nose and mouth again. “I think this is helping… the mud is coming out! Come on, baby, I need you to start breathing!”

“I can keep going,” Robb said. “After the next breaths. Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!”

Caleb quickly cleared her mouth and then leaned in to try another rescue breath. This time, though there seemed to be a lot of resistance, he saw her chest rise. He forced another breath in and got her chest to rise a little further.

“One, two, three…”

“I got some air into her!” Caleb exclaimed. “This is helping!”

“Should we switch to thirty compressions and two breaths?” Leigh asked, her voice anxious and loud. “I think we should.”

“…eighteen, nineteen, twenty…”

The wet bag sound was transitioning to a gurgle, followed by small surges of muddy water and orange-tinged foam leaking from Nikki’s nose and mouth.

A hand suddenly touched his back, and Em dropped down on her knees by Nikki’s head. She looked terrible, her face ghost pale and a dirty shirt pressed to her head wound. “Oh God… Caleb…”

“Thirty!”

Caleb turned Nikki’s face to the sky again and forced another breath into her lungs. Her chest rose, then fell. He gave her another breath.

“One, two, three…”

Caleb spared another look at Em. She was crying, her eyes locked on the violence Robb was doing to Nikki’s chest. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault,” Caleb choked out.

Abruptly, Nikki’s body heaved, and a great deal of muck shot up into her mouth.

“I need to turn her on her side for a second!” Caleb exclaimed. Robb stopped compressions and Leigh helped them roll her over so the muck would slide out to the ground and not back into her throat. Nikki made a gagging and choking sound, and then there was another flood of orange water and mud from her mouth. Robb pressed his fingers into her neck as Caleb cleared her mouth.

“She doesn’t have a pulse!” Robb shouted after several long seconds, and they put her on her back again. “Caleb, take over!”

He didn’t hesitate, thinking about what mud might still be in her lungs, and how her heart wasn’t beating. He tried to mimic what he’d seen from the others, his clasped hands thrusting into her chest with a force he never would have previously imagined using on her.

As he worked, wisps of thought kept curling through his mind, threatening to distract him.

How relaxed he’d felt when he’d picked her up that morning, Nikki coming to the door and insisting he approve her outfit before they left. Peeling the clothing off her when they decided they had time to spare. Further back, the look on her face when he’d explained what “mudding” was, and his own surprised laughter when she’d agreed to come along. The day they’d decided to make it serious. The first time they had sex. The day he met her, just a Tinder date that became so much more.

“Hey, Caleb, that’s thirty!” Robb had his hand on his shoulder. Caleb rocked back, lifting his hands. Em had moved, and Leigh leaned over to give Nikki rescue breaths.

“Count out loud,” Robb said. “It helped me concentrate.”

Caleb forced her sternum down. “One, two, three…”

They heard the roar of an ATV coming up the gravel access path behind them.

“… eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one…”

“Caleb!” His uncle hit the ground running. “The ambulance is on its way; your aunt and your friend are in place to lead it up here. What the hell happened? Em! You’re bleeding!”

Leigh leaned over and forced a breath into Nikki, her chest rising higher than it had so far.

“I’m okay,” he heard Em say. “But… we rolled and the four-wheeler…”

Another breath.

Em couldn’t speak. Caleb started chest compressions again.

“One, two, three…” Come on, baby! Wake up, wake up…

“We found her face down in the mud with the ATV on her, sir,” Robb said. “We pulled her out and brought her over here. She inhaled a lot of water and mud. She’s not bleeding, we don’t think, but we don’t know how else she might be hurt.”

“…twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Caleb finally looked up at his uncle. The man’s face was pale, his eyes wide. His uncle David was typically stoic. He’d never seen him look so rattled.

“Rescue station ain’t far,” David muttered. “We should start hearing sirens soon.”

Then it was time for Caleb to perform compressions. He could see her stomach bulge slightly with each thrust into her chest, felt the cartilage in her ribcage give. “…ten, eleven—Are we breaking her ribs? Fifteen, sixteen…”

“I don’t know,” Robb said. His face was blotchy; pale with red splashed across his cheeks. “I think… I don’t know.”

“You’re doing the right thing, son.” he heard his uncle say. “Do you know how long it’s been? The paramedics will want to know.”

“…twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!” Caleb hovered over her, shaking his head as he watched her chest rise with Leigh’s exhalation. “I don’t know how long… Too long!”

“At least eleven minutes,” Nina said, her voice almost too quiet to hear. “That’s when I saw you pull her out.”

Caleb felt his eyes sting as he started compressions again. “One, two, three…”

“I hear the ambulance!” Nina said, her voice much louder.

“…seven, eight, nine…”

“We should switch,” Robb said. “We don’t know how long it will take them to get up here.”

“…twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, okay—”

“I’m going to stand at the top of the drive,” Mike said.

“…twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Caleb leaned back, gasping and shaking out his burning arms, his eyes flying to Nikki’s face as Leigh breathed for her. She was still gray, with bits of dried mud along her jawline. His eyes traced down along her long neck and down to her chest. The sports bra was cut low enough that he could see the top of a bruise, looking like a malevolent shadow cast on her skin.

Robb started compressions, his big hands obscuring the bruise, fingers pressing against her left breast through the sports bra. “…three and four and five…”

The siren was getting louder, and Caleb could hear the tires crunching on the gravel. He reached out, took Nikki’s hand. Squeezed it, then brought it to his lips. He thought it was a good chance he was saying goodbye, and either way they would be loading her up in the ambulance soon and he didn’t know when he would see her again.

Then he gently sat her hand down in the damp grass.

“One and two and three and four…”

The ambulance was close enough now that the sirens and the sound of the tires on the gravel drowned out the squelching sound coming from her swollen stomach and her wet lungs. Caleb’s uncle showed the paramedic driver where to stop so that it wouldn’t get bogged down.

Caleb was about to be in the way. He scrambled to his feet and almost fell back down, the scenery around him tilting madly. He stumbled backward and then dropped to a crouch as the paramedics unloaded and hurried over to Nikki’s side.

“We have another unit on the way, but they’re twenty minutes out. Where’s the second victim?”

“It’s me,” Em said, sounding miserable. “But I’m okay.”

Robb and Leigh were asked to move back, and he watched the medics quickly assess Nikki’s condition. The female paramedic restarted chest compressions.

“How long have you been performing CPR?” the male paramedic asked. He’d grabbed a duffel bag from their collection and produced a mask with a balloon coming off the top of it. He pressed the mask to Nikki’s face, squeezing the bulb twice before moving on to another task.

“We pulled her out of the mud about thirteen, fourteen minutes ago,” Robb said. “We saw the accident. The ATV rolled over her and she ended up unconscious with her face in the mud and the ATV on her legs.”

“...ten, eleven twelve… AutoPulse?” the female medic asked her partner.

Everything was going so fast, and Caleb didn’t know what a lot of what they were saying meant. He jumped in when he could with things like her name and age, and no they didn’t think she was injured but they really weren’t sure. The male paramedic gave her two breaths from the bag and then checked her abdomen and chest for obvious injury. He went on to use a pair of shears to snip the fabric of her bra down one side and across the straps. The female medic lifted her hands for a second, and he pulled the fabric to the side, revealing her breasts. Compressions started again, her breasts undulating.

The two worked together, the female medic giving Nikki forceful chest compressions, lifting her hands again so the male medic could apply a large white defibrillator pad over Nikki’s sternum. Then she went straight back into compressions, Nikki’s head bobbing with the force. The other pad was applied just below and to the side of her left breast. A few seconds later, a high-pitched whine filled the air.

Caleb watched the male paramedic grab a large, flat blue bag and set it on the grass above Nikki’s head. He opened it up, revealing large white pads attached to straps and a short blue backboard. The female paramedic was still pounding mercilessly on Nikki’s chest, her ribcage flattening and rebounding. Caleb was too far away now to hear the sound the forceful compressions made.

The male medic walked around to Nikki’s feet, stepped one foot between her legs, and grasped her wrists. The female paramedic stopped compressions and he pulled Nikki up into a seated position, her head lolling back. Something about the way Nikki’s body flopped made Caleb want to cry, and he pressed his hand to his mouth.

The male medic held her there for a few seconds as the female medic dragged the blue board underneath her. They laid Nikki back, her breasts swaying, and the male medic rapidly fastened the white pads over her chest before pressing a button.

The straps moved automatically, pulling the large white pads down to her chest. Shortly after, the machine started pumping, pulling the pads down across her chest over and over again. The machine was surprisingly quiet against the noise of everything else.

Nikki’s stomach rippled and her arms twitched. The male medic folded something white down by her head to hold it in place, and then clipped a harness over her shoulders.

“I’ll get her going on an IV and epi, you intubate and suction."

The machine clicked away, stopping briefly for the male medic to provide breaths from the bag.

“I didn’t know that a… a CPR machine was a thing,” he heard Leigh murmur.

The male medic tipped back Nikki’s head and angled a device into her throat before he said: “Pause compressions.”

The female medic reached over and pressed a button. The machine beeped, and the compressions stopped. The high-pitched whine from the monitor continued. The male medic made quick work of the intubation, and shortly after he reached around and pressed something on the screen of the compression device.

Compressions started again.

This time, they continued even when the male medic squeezed the bag, which he’d removed from the mask and attached to the end of the tube.

“Caleb.”

He looked up. David kneeled next to him, putting his hand on his back.

“I called your folks.”

He had a hard time paying attention to what his uncle was saying. There was a noisy motor sound, and some commentary about what she’d aspirated. He kept looking back at Nikki. He felt hollow and distant.

“They said they have a number for her parents. They’re going to call her folks and send them on to Grace General. If anything changes, we can let them know.”

“Nothing shockable,” the female medic said, pressing a button on the machine. The pads pulled themselves down hard into Nikki’s chest. “…epi.”

“…time?”

“Caleb?” His ears were ringing.

“Coming up—twenty—”

“Caleb!”

His hearing was fading in and out.

“Give—no ROSC—load and—”

“Caleb!”

Caleb blinked in surprise at his uncle’s worried face. He was laying on back in the wet grass, David looming over him.

Leigh’s worried face joined David’s. “One of the paramedics just asked about Caleb.”

“Okay,” Caleb muttered, though he felt disoriented. “Nikki…”

“He’s conscious and talking,” David said, pitching his voice loud enough for the medics to overhear. “I reckon he fainted.”

“She’s dead,” Caleb whispered.

David’s face changed, unexpected tears glistening in his eyes. Caleb didn’t think he’d seen him cry other than at the funerals of his grandparents. “They’re still working on her, son.”

Caleb didn’t respond. He let his head fall to the side so he could see Nikki. He really couldn’t see much. A bit of her profile, with the tube protruding between her teeth. The machine pumping her chest. Her muddy sneakers, swaying.

He looked back up at his uncle and felt a tear roll down his cheek.

David held out a hand. “You up for sitting up yet?”

“V-fib,” he heard the female medic say. “Let’s shock her.”

David pulled him upright and kept an arm tight around his shoulders. “You don’t have to watch that, Caleb. It might be upsetting. See, your friends are all looking away.”

He watched anyway, as her chest jumped and her limbs twitched. There was a silent few seconds before the whine started up again.

“Damn. Asystole. Resuming AutoPulse. I’m going to push another epi. Give us back something we can work with, Nikki.”

“After that you want to package her up and do another rhythm check in the bus? Before we head on to the hospital?”

“Let’s do it.”

Caleb thought this was probably a bad sign, but he wasn’t sure. David must have felt similarly, because he said: “They haven’t called the time. They haven’t called her.”

The male paramedic stayed with Nikki while the female quickly packaged things up and hauled most of it to the ambulance. When she came back, she spoke briefly to Robb.

The female medic crouched at Nikki’s feet and leaned forward, tugging on the blue fabric at the bottom of the CPR device. It unfurled into a lightweight stretcher. Then she picked up the monitor, slinging the strap over her shoulder, and lifted the IV bag. Caleb was surprised to see Robb helping them with the blue stretcher. His friend’s face had gone white.

When they stood, Nikki’s legs hung limp over the end of the stretcher. The machine kept performing compressions, unfazed by the movement.

The female medic looked over toward David and Caleb. “When we start moving, we’re going to take her to Grace General. They can do more for her there and they’re expecting her.”

They walked her to the gurney, and then loaded the gurney into the ambulance. Both medics climbed in and closed the doors behind them.

Everyone was silent for what felt like a very long time. Caleb let his breath out in a rush and pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. He felt like he was supposed to be doing something, when there was no longer anything for him to do.

David was speaking to him, he realized, and he looked up, though his eyes immediately drifted to the ambulance.

“We’ll ride down after the ambulance and your aunt is going to pick us up at the bottom of the drive,” David said. “She’s already ready to go. Why don’t we go ahead and get ourselves ready to do that?”

Caleb nodded.

“Does she have a bag that you need to grab? She might have insurance cards that she’ll need.”

“Everything’s in my pack,” he muttered, and suddenly his was in front of his face.

Mike, his face anguished, clutched the pack. “Caleb,” he began.

“Not right now.” David took the pack from Mike. “He can’t hear you right now.”

“But I—”

“Go the fuck home,” Caleb heard himself say, his tone ice.

“Don’t push it,” Robb interjected. “Come on.”

“We’re going to go,” Leigh said. “We’ll get him out of here, Caleb. Robb and Dana are going to get Em down to the house. You’ll let us know? Let us know what…?”

“He will when he can,” David said. “Come on, Caleb.”

Caleb let his uncle help him to his feet and steer him over to a waiting four-wheeler.

The back doors of the ambulance suddenly opened, and the female medic jumped out, slamming the doors behind her. She stopped long enough to call out: “We just got her pulse back. We’re transporting her now.”

Caleb climbed into the ATV behind his uncle, stunned into silence as the ambulance started, turned on lights and sirens, and headed down the gravel drive.

“Does that mean she’s going to make it?”

“It might, son. If you pray, do it now.”

#cpr resus #female resus #medical drama #resus writing

56 notes · View notes

skyloftian-nutcase · 3 years ago

Note

firstly I'd just like to say I've recently found your healthcare au and it is ✨ fantastic ✨ I love how you've written each of the boys ^-^

secondly I've been thinking about if they met the standard Lu boys, mainly wild going "oh yeah! I've died before then come back a hundred years after :D" and well, that's not possible?! and now I'm just curious whether you've ever thought about it at all?

Yay, thank you, I'm so happy you're enjoying it! :D

LOL HA I can't say that I've seriously pondered what would happen if the two groups got thrown together (though they've appeared in some of my asks/answers together), but the thought of it is pretty darn entertaining. I'd definitely throw the healthcare boys into the canon LU group's world rather than pitch the canon boys into modern land, because it's way more entertaining imagining the modern healthcare boys trying to adapt.

Legend, hissing as he gets stuck in brier the thousandth time: Okay, who said it was a good idea to just walk randomly through the woods like there's got to be a hiking trail or a visitor center or maps or freaking something. Wild, up in the trees: Who needs maps, I can see everything just fine up here! Time: So what do you see? Wild: Uh.... more woods. Legend: WHERE THE HELL ARE WE--

There would be so many questions when they meet up with the canon boys.

Canon Warriors: So... where are your weapons? AU Legend: I know where your carotid arteries are. AU Warriors, pulling out a gun: Right here. AU Legend: Wars, what the hell why are you carrying a gun-- AU Time, also whipping out a gun: We're fine, thanks. AU Wind, whispering: Freaking knew he still packed. AU Wild, pulling out a spatula: HAVE AT THEE Canon Wild, also pulling out a spatula: BRING IT ON

And of course we have to address certain things.

Canon Sky: You're saying you don't have a loftwing?? :( AU Sky: I mean, I fly but it's not on an actual giant bird. Canon Sky: Then what is it? AU Sky: It's a machine. A machine bird. But yours sounds WAY COOLER when can I meet him?? :D :D

AU Wind: You're a pirate?? That's AWESOME!! Canon Wind: You control wind too, though, you said? Just... differently? AU Wind: Yeah! But I definitely gotta add pirate to my resume AU Warriors, rubbing his temples as he actively develops an aneurysm: FFS Wind...

Canon Boys: *get hurt* AU Wars, whipping out a first aid kit: Don't worry, guys, I got this. Canon Time: *uses a fairy* All the Healthcare Boys:....WHAT THE HELL JUST--

And the big reveal you mentioned:

Canon Wild: Yes, I... well I basically died. If it weren't for the Shrine of Resurrection, I wouldn't be here. AU Twilight: The Shrine of Whatsit-Now? What is that, like an automated CPR device or something? Canon Wild:....C...PR..?? AU Hyrule: Oh is it like a Lucas device? Or Autopulse? Those things are super helpful, but by heaven their compressions are rough, I always get blood in the tube when I intubate. All the canon boys:...??????

#you ask skye answers #lovely anon #lu in healthcare #linkeduniverse #linked universe #oh the possibilities lol

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vaulttecvevo · 2 years ago

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some very effective builds i found by trial and error, u rly cannot go wrong w autopulse lasers and ion pulsers

#starsector #the paragon and radiant can solo a bigass pirate fleet individually #not luddic path ones tho theyre too aggressive u rly need fighters and a few different ships to split their forces

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threeraptors · 6 years ago

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A fantasy...

The arrest is caused by nothing more than the emotional distress of an argument with his partner, combined with a heart defect the doctors had told him wasn’t so serious. HIs partner performs CPR, breathing heavily and trying not to panic, but freaking out over the agonal gasps and the feeling of his ribs giving under the weight of the compressions, just when the ambulance arrives.

An EMT takes over compressions, and soon he is intubated and his chest is squeezed by an AutoPulse instead. He is still in cardiac arrest when they transport him to the hospital, eyes half open, going back and forth between v-fib and PEA.

In the ER they work on him for the better part of an hour until they have a pulse back. His heart has taken heavy damage - if it was ‘not so serious’ before, now it definitely is. It’s hard to tell what this has done to his brain.

Comatose, all wired up and on a ventilator in the ICU, his partner finally gets to see him again, knowing it could go so many ways, from the worst case scenario of losing him if his heart gives out again, to him maybe not waking up again or needing constant care, to a recovery that can only be hoped for...

#resus fantasy #cardiac arrest #cpr fantasy #dark cardiophilia

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defiblover27 · 6 years ago

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Finishing the Job

Emma laid unconscious in her ICU room. She had just come out of her second surgery as they attempted to repair the internal injuries that were inflicted by the stabbing. Emma’s family lived across the country and were trying to get a flight as soon as they could. Emma was hooked up to a respirator and the room was filled with the beeping of monitors and the wheezing in and out of the respirator. Emma was covered by the blue polka dot hospital gown that covered up her bandages. A white blanket covered her legs and she had IVs in both of her arms giving her pain medication and fluids. Outside of Emma’s room was a police officer who sat and protected her. It had been two days since the attack and the police department had no leads on the attacker. As the police officer finished his lunch a young man came running up to him in a panic. “Please sir there’s a man with a gun, I think he’s gonna kill somebody.” the man pointed in the direction and the officer used his radio to call in back up as he ran down the hallway. The medical team began to split up as they heard what was going on. As the chaos began the young man slipped into Emma’s room. He closed the door behind him and slowly walked toward her bed. He looked Emma up and down and stroked her long hair. “Wish I could make you mine... But the world made different plans for us.” The man said. He took some oxygen tubing from the crash cart that was place next to her bed and wrapped it with his two hands. He then wrapped the tubing around Emma’s neck and began to tighten it. The more force he put on the tubing the tighter that it got. Emma’s wind pipe began to close up and she started breathing erratically. The choking made her wake with a startle. Her eyes flew open and shew stared into the eyes of her attacker. She became increasingly panicked and began thrashing around on the bed. The attacker just made it tighter and tighter. Emma tried to scream but the tube that she was intubated with made it impossible. Her heart was pounding as she gasped for air. She began grabbing at the attackers arms in any attempt to break free. After a few moments she began to lose her strength and her body began to slow down. Her heart had raced and the monitors beeped at a high rate. Slowly her heart rate slowed and her breathing became shallow. She gasped for air one last time as her eyes rolled backward and her arms fell to her side. Her entire body gave away and she laid limp on the bed. The attacker strangled her for a few more moments to ensure that he completed the job. The monitor alarmed as the green line went flat across the screen. As he let go the dark red and purplish mark from being strangled showed on her neck. He left the tubing around her neck and kissed her on the forehead “Goodbye my love” he said as he slowly left the room.

As the police officers moved through the hallways they realized that there was no threat at all and the man hade made it all up. Fearing for Emma’s safety they rushed back to her room. The found a nurse along the way and escorted her back to the room. When they swung open the door they were horrified by what they saw. Emma laid motionless with her hospital gown half ripped off revealing half of her torso. There was oxygen tubing wrapped around her throat. The nurse rushed over and pressed the code button above the bed. “Code Blue ICU Room 7 Code Blue” the speaker system relayed around the hospital. She ripped off the rest of the hospital gown exposing Emma’s now nude body with bloody bandages wrapped around the majority of her torso. The nurse centered her hands between Emma’s breasts and started pounding away. Just seconds later a team of nurses and doctors rushed into the room. The moved the bed away from the wall slightly and removed the head board. The nurse in charge of ventilations attempted to bag her after removing the tubing around her neck. Dr. Abby was running the code and tried to hear if the ventilations were working or not. “I don’t hear any breath sounds, let’s try to intubate instead.” Dr. Abby took the largynscope in one hand and the tube in the other and attempted to see her air way. “Her chords are completely crushed and unable to be intubated, I need an endotracheal intubation tray stat.” one of the nurses uncovered the tray and Dr. Abby made a small incision in Emma’s neck and proceeded to intubate her that way instead. She secured it with the straps and gave the nurse the bag. After doing a few tests breaths they were able to confirm that the air was inflating her lungs. Emma’s bright blue eyes stared blankly toward the ceiling and her face had a look of horror and fear on it. Each compression made Emma’s entire body shake on the table. A round of drugs were given and after being in asystole for the first two minutes of the code Emma converted into V-fib. “Let’s get the pads charged to 300 and prepare to shock.” Dr. Abby said as she placed the pads onto Emma’s bare chest. Everyone backed away from Emma and the shock was delivered. Emma shook on the table and came to a pause. The shock had no result and a large male nurse took over compressions. The force of the CPR made both of Emma’s arms to fall off the side of the bed and her bare legs to shake. The nurses large hands covered up most of Emma’s breasts. After a few moments the pads were charged to 360 and the second shock was delivered. This time Emma’s head lolled to the side as her torso came off of the bed slightly. The nurse at the head had to reposition Emma’s head in order to continue giving ventilations. The shock converted Emma into asystole as the nurse resumed CPR. “Let’s attach the autopulse please and given another round of epi” Dr. Abby asked her team. They stopped CPR momentarily as they lifted Emma up slightly and slid a board under her torso. They attached the white strap on one side and draped it over her breasts. The device automatically tightened and with the push of a button began squeezing Emma’s chest delivering artificial CPR. “How long has she been down?” Dr. Abby asked the recording nurse. “We’ve been coding her for 8 minutes with unknown downtime before she was discovered.” the nurse responded. Abby became considered that they discovered her too late and that she was already gone when they found her. “V-fib on the monitor doctor.” one of the nurses announced. “Charge to 360 again please.” Dr. Abby responded. After the unit charged they paused the Zoll Autopulse and delivered the shock. Emma’s arms twitched inward as the shock coursed through her body. The shock left her in V-fib and it was charged to 360 once again. The next shock was delivered moments later, this time Emma’s wrinkled feet jumped off of the table slightly and her legs shook along with the rest of her body. The shock still had no effect so the autopulse was restarted. Each compression caused Emma’s bandage ridden abdomen to extend slightly even though she was so skinny. The defibrillator was charged to 360 again and as the shock was given Emma’s ribs showed predominantly as her best came off the table but was restricted by the autopulse. This shock was met with a flat green line on the monitor. The autopulse began compressing her chest again as Dr. Abby took out her penlight and shined it into Emma’s bright blue eyes. Her blank eyes stared back at her as they were fixed and dilated. The autopulse was paused as Dr. Abby removed the stethoscope from around her neck and began placing it on different parts of Emma’s bare chest listening for a heartbeat. The nurse in charge of ventilations also checked for a pulse as another nurse squeezed Emma’s wrist and felt for her femoral artery. They all looked at each other and almost at the same time said the same words. “No pulse” they said with a disappointed tone. Dr. Abby looked up at the wall and read the clock “Time of death 11:17 pm. Thank you all for your help.” All of the nurses began to clean up the code. Dr. Emma took off her gloves and threw them away as she walked out. The nurses removed the autopulse and defib pads once again making Emma’s still chest completely bare other than the electrodes that were stuck to her. A nurse carefully shut Emma’s eyes. They turned off the monitors and removed the pulse ox from her left pointer finger. One nurse placed Emma’s hands on her body as the other wrote out the name tag. They draped the tag off of her toe and then covered her body with a white sheet.

Emma’s parents arrived a few hours later to receive the terrible news and the killer slipped through the police departments fingers once again. The killer got away and started stalking his next victim

#icu #resus #resuscitation #cpr #defib #doctor

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leftcomputerpost · 3 years ago

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Automated CPR Devices Market will grow at a robust CAGR of 13%

The demand for automated CPR devices has been increasing significantly with rising prevalence of sudden cardiac arrest across the globe, according to ESOMAR-certified Future Market Insights’ (FMI) latest research report. As per the study, the global automated CPR devices market is slated to grow at approximately 13% CAGR throughout the forecast period from 2021 to 2031.

Major progress has been witnessed with 3D automatic CPR devices, especially when normal CPR device coupled with torso restraints providing vertical compression and high quality resuscitation.

Automated CPR devices experienced a surge in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. COVID-19 infected heart patients were more susceptible to cardiac arrest in comparison with non infected patients. With rapid mutation of virus, the patients were facing higher risk of cardiac arrest.

The market is anticipated to grow significantly over the forthcoming decade, as majority of coronary and intensive care units are inclining towards automated CPR devices for its high effectiveness.

Key Takeaways from FMI’s Automated CPR Devices Market Study

Presence of modern healthcare infrastructure and high per capita income will bolster demand across the U.S.

The U.K is expected to offer growth opportunities as governments and private organizations are working towards spreading awareness regarding dangers of cardiovascular diseases.

Rising prevalence of obesity and high blood pressure which are precursor to cardiac arrest will increase automated CPR devices adoption across France.

China will offer lucrative opportunities owing to increasing alcohol and tobacco consumption and developing healthcare infrastructure.

India is expected to exhibit impressive market growth owing to increase in geriatric population and growing incidence of sudden cardiac arrest in the country.

For more insights into the market, request a sample of this report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-720

Competitive Landscape

Automated CPR market is highly consolidated owing to presence of regional and global market players. Key market players in automated CPR devices market are focusing towards employing inorganic market strategies to expand their global foothold.

Inorganic strategies include strategic merger and acquisition and forming an alliance with regional distributors to strengthen their supply chain channels.

They are also emphasizing towards faster product approvals, product development and patenting. New market entrants are focusing on new product launches to establish their market presence.

For instance, Michigan Instruments launched hand-free automatic CPR device which is light weight, portable and helps in smooth transition from manual CPR to automated compressions.

ZOLL Medical Corporation introduced a new automated CPR devices system “Autopulse” which assists EMS personnel in providing high quality chest compressions in cramped spaces and steep down stairwells.

Prominent players operating in the automated CPR devices market are SunLife Science Inc., ZOLL Medical Corporation, Michigan Instruments, Physio Control Inc., Brunswick Biomedical Technologies, Zhuhai Kindway Medical Science & Technology Co. Ltd, CPR Medical Devices Inc., and Medtronic Inc.

More Insights on the Global Automated CPR Devices Market

In its latest report, FMI offers an unbiased analysis of the global automated CPR devices market, providing historical data for the period of 2016-2020 and forecast statistics for the period of 2021-2031. In order to understand the global market potential, its growth, and scope, the market is segmented on the basis of power source (pneumatically driven CPR devices, battery driven CPR devices, and mechanically actuated and battery driven CPR device), device type (piston devices, load distribution devices, and 3D compression devices) and end user for (Ems, hospitals, ambulances, coronary & intensive care units, cardiac catheterization labs, air med-evac units, and EMT rescue units) across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.

Request a Complete TOC of this Report with figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-720

About FMI: Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI’s latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact Us: Mr. Debashish Roy Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative For Sales Enquiries: [email protected] For Media Enquiries: [email protected] Website: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com

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clarepreed · 2 years ago

Text

Resus Stories: Drowning

Symbol Key:

🏳️‍🌈 (patient/rescuer is LGBTQ+)

Death Diving - 5,821 words. Off-duty lifeguard Charlotte tries Norwegian death diving at a snowy national park. Drowning, arrhythmia, hypothermia, on-site resuscitation. 🏳️‍🌈

Double Trouble - 4,942 words. Two women drown on a beach vacation. Drowning, two victims, on-site resuscitation.

First Person Drowning - 4,227 words. A departure from my usual writing, this story is written in first person point of view, present tense. Elin is knocked unconscious, only she can still feel everything happening to her as her wife, Devin, tries to save her life. Public explicit sex, drowning, on-site resuscitation. 🏳️‍🌈

Molasses - 5,806 words. A waterless drowning at a molasses processing facility. Can Ryan save his crush Kayla from what seems like certain death? Drowning, on-site resuscitation.

Moonlit Mistake - 4,205 words. An intoxicated woman, Isla, wanders away from a party and drowns in the surrounding wetlands. Her girlfriend Sarah discovers her, and the party is interrupted by a drunken resuscitation attempt. Intoxication, vomit, drowning, on-site resuscitation. 🏳️‍🌈

Mud - 5,100 words. Northerner Nikki may not survive her first mudding date with her Southern boyfriend. Suffocation/drowning and on-site resuscitation. Features Zoll AutoPulse.

Secondary: Part One - 4,021 words. Part Two - 5,625 words. Summer and Kees are on a vacation in an isolated location when Summer drowns. She is successfully resuscitated, only to succumb to secondary drowning. Injury, drowning, pulmonary edema, tension pneumothorax, on-site resuscitation x2, resuscitation in a boat.

Slip and Fall - 4,518 words. Ellie and Mateo are on a hike and Ellie has an accident. Drowning and on-site resuscitation.

Water - 4,921 words. Natalie finds her wife drowned in the bath. Drowning, heart attack, two victims, on-site resuscitation. 🏳️‍🌈

Table of Contents

Series stories fitting this category

Read out of series order at your own risk! (below cut)

Larissa & Mitchell

Not for the Faint of Heart: Part One - 3,473 words. Part Two - 4,869 words. Larissa has long term side effects from her multiple hypoxic injuries. First aid, explicit sex, seizure, drowning, status epilepticus, on-site resuscitation, respiratory arrest in an ambulance.

Drowning - 5,642 words. Mark and Samuel convince Mitchell to take a break from Larissa's bedside in the ICU, only for Mitchell to have a serious accident at home. Drowning, male victim, sexual references, on-site resuscitation. 🏳️‍🌈♂️

Lifeguard Not On Duty - 4,544 words. Larissa and Mitchell pull a drowning neighbor from the ocean. On-site resuscitation.

Protect - 9,394 words. Larissa grows stronger and healthier as she and Mitchell recoup on a private beach in Hawaii. When they choose to return home for Kieran's wedding, however, events take a violent turn. Explicit sex, violence, blood, mention of self-unaliving, drowning, hypovolemic shock, on-site resuscitation, resuscitation in a moving ambulance, resuscitation in the Emergency Department.

Cheating Death - 8,111 words. Larissa receives pictures and video of Mitchell having an affair with another woman and the stress has a deleterious effect on her health. Depicted sexual acts, masturbation, seizure, drowning, on-site resuscitation, angst, hurt/comfort. Resus Scene: Larissa's POV - 2,181 words. Larissa's resuscitation from her point of view. Drowning, angst, hurt/comfort, on-site resuscitation.

Table of Contents

#resus writing #cpr resus #female resus #medical drama

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skyloftian-nutcase · 2 years ago

Note

OKAY BUT PLEASE RESESITATE ME FIRST @shyrule KILLED ME WITH LAUGHTER BUT I HAVE TO HEAR THEIR NEW ANGST CONCEPT AND THEY EONT TELL ME *pouts*

*slaps an autopulse on you and sends medic Hyrule your way* On it!

#you ask skye answers #lovely silvercaptain24

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threeraptors · 6 years ago

Note

Paddles or AED Pads?

I like paddles, I really do. Pressing them against the chest and hesitating a moment before you press the buttons...

But the sticky pads fit under a LUCAS or AutoPulse. Makes it almost a draw.

#ask #resus

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newsinsights · 4 years ago

Text

Worldwide Automated CPR Devices Market is expected to grow at approximately 13% CAGR by 2031

Major progress has been witnessed with 3D automatic CPR devices, especially when normal CPR device coupled with torso restraints providing vertical compression and high quality resuscitation.

Automated CPR devices experienced a surge in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. COVID-19 infected heart patients were more susceptible to cardiac arrest in comparison with non-infected patients. With rapid mutation of virus, the patients were facing higher risk of cardiac arrest.

The market is anticipated to grow significantly over the forthcoming decade, as majority of coronary and intensive care units are inclining towards automated CPR devices for its high effectiveness.

Key Takeaways from FMI’s Automated CPR Devices Market Study

Presence of modern healthcare infrastructure and high per capita income will bolster demand across the U.S.

The U.K is expected to offer growth opportunities as governments and private organizations are working towards spreading awareness regarding dangers of cardiovascular diseases.

Rising prevalence of obesity and high blood pressure which are precursor to cardiac arrest will increase automated CPR devices adoption across France.

China will offer lucrative opportunities owing to increasing alcohol and tobacco consumption and developing healthcare infrastructure.

India is expected to exhibit impressive market growth owing to increase in geriatric population and growing incidence of sudden cardiac arrest in the country.

Request For Sample Copy @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-720

Rising consumer awareness regarding benefits of CPR devices and increasing adoption in EMT services will amplify sales of automated CPR devices during the forecast period,” says the FMI analyst.

Competitive Landscape

Inorganic strategies include strategic merger and acquisition and forming an alliance with regional distributors to strengthen their supply chain channels.

They are also emphasizing towards faster product approvals, product development and patenting. New market entrants are focusing on new product launches to establish their market presence.

For instance, Michigan Instruments launched hand-free automatic CPR device which is light weight, portable and helps in smooth transition from manual CPR to automated compressions.

More Insights on the Global Automated CPR Devices Market

Get TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automated-cpr-devices-market/table-of-content

Reasons to Buy the report

We provide authentic and detailed an analysis on various market trends to enable businesses to make informed and beneficial decisions to attain competitive edge over key players.

Our analysts provide detailed market segmentation along with meaningful insights and extensive reports that other companies fail to include.

The report includes accurate analysis of the market and the current developing trends affecting the growth. FMI speaks to stakeholders across the spectrum, including C-level executives, distributors, product manufacturers, industry experts. This ensures that the data collected is from highly reliable sources.

FMI’s Healthcare Research Reports:

Automated Suturing Devices Market

Automated Cannabis Testing Market

Neurointerventional Devices Market

About FMI

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact

Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A,

Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai,

United Arab Emirates

MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative

For Sales Enquiries: [email protected]

For Media Enquiries: [email protected]

Press Release: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/automated-cpr-devices-market-share

#Automated CPR Devices Market

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