#pneumothorax

[1whump-dump1]

Shortland Street Episodes 6652 & 6653

[random-fandom-whump]

Daredevil S01E02 ↳ RFW's Favorite Daredevil Whump Moments (✚)

[torturing-characters-101]

Can you tell me what happens when a patient has a collapsed lung? Do they need to be in ICU? How long does healing take? Do they have to be on a ventilator? Thanks!

It depends.

A pneumothorax occurs when air enters the chest cavity either from outside the chest (a hole in the chest wall) or a hole in the lung. As air builds up in the chest it compresses one or both lungs, which means less lung space available for breathing.

First, there are 3 main types of pneumothorax:

The first type is a spontaneous pneumo, where the patient just suddenly gets a pneumo. This is common in people who are tall and thin, or who have connective tissue disorders.

With a spontaneous pneumo, most of the time it's going to come on as chest pain and shortness of breath due to a small hole in the lung, and may only require monitoring, maybe some oxygen, and a night or two in a hospital on a regular or even observation floor. They'd do serial chest x-rays and monitor pulse, respirations, level of consciousness, and oxygen saturation, and basically wait around to see if it gets better on it's own.

If a spontaneous pneumo gets bad enough that the person is having trouble breathing more than just some oxygen can fix, or is getting worse, they'd probably put in a chest tube.

A chest tube is a tube placed into the chest cavity into the part of the chest cavity that is full of air. The other end goes to a 1-way valve (called a water seal or dry seal) and may be hooked up to suction. This allows air to get out of the chest cavity but not back in, which allows the lung to re-inflate.

The second type is a tension pneumo, where there is a hole in the lung (usually from an injury like a severely broken rib) but no hole in the chest wall. Air leaks out into the chest cavity and can't escape, which puts pressure on the lungs, heart, major vessels, and other structures in the chest.

These may be an emergency initially, but once a chest tube is in (which could happen in the emergency department), the patient can be managed on a regular hospital floor and would not generally need to be in the ICU.

Nurses would then monitor the output from the chest tube. If there was a lot of air or fluid coming out for multiple days, the patient might need surgery to fix the leak.

The last type is an open pneumo. This is when there is a hole in the chest cavity, and every time the person breathes in, the air goes into the hole instead of through the nose and mouth into the lung.

This requires emergency surgery to fix the hole, a chest tube, and potentially a temporary ventilator if the patient was unable to breathe well on their own due to the extent of the chest injury. If they were on a vent, they would definitely be in the ICU.

[heardatmedschool]

Doctor: How many of you have had a thoracic decompression work with just a 14 Gauge needle?

*entire emergency department shakes head*

[whumpy-daydreams]

Air and Blood

Masterlist

Previous Next

CW: needle reference, medical whump, captivity, blood, manhandling

Not long after Rudy finished beating her to a pulp, Rowena knew something was wrong.

Her chest hurt - which was to be expected, but this wasn't just the sharp pain of a broken rib, there was a deep ache across the right side of her chest.

There was also something wrong with her breathing.

Slowly she lifted herself up, gritting her teeth and trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her legs and arms from where Rudy had kicked her. Supporting herself against the wall she banged on her cell door.

"Hey!" The effort took air out of her and she sagged a little, trying desperately to breathe enough. "Something's wrong. I need- I need a doctor."

She slid down the wall, clutching her side with hand as she continued to bang on the door with the other. A few minutes later it opened. The guard who stood there had a gun drawn at her, clearly expecting a fight.

"I need a doctor you moron."

"Why?" The guard looked her up and down, searching for an injury that wasn't just bruises.

"My rib... breathing..." The pain swelled and she grimaced.

"Fine." The guard sighed dramatically. "Can you walk?"

Rowena nodded and tried to stand but her legs buckled and she fell forwards. "Fuck!" The guard rushed forward, helping to pull her up, and looped an arm under her shoulders.

By the time they reached the med bay Rowena felt like she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. Luckily Sam was on shift.

"What the hell happened?" He was angry. She had never heard him sound angry. "Why didn't you call us to come get her?"

"Does it matter?" The guard said as they helped Rowena onto a bed. "Do you have handcuffs or do I need to get some?"

"Trust me she's not going anywhere. Now get out." Sam got busy putting monitoring on Rowena and the guard sulked out. "What's hurting? And don't say everything."

"My... my ribs. And I can't breathe properly."

"Okay. It's probably a pneumothorax but I'll get an x-ray to make sure."

It didn't take long to x-ray and confirm that a broken rib had indeed punctured a lung.

"Do you have any allergies?"

"No. Why?"

"Some people are allergic to local anaesthetic. Which is what I'm going to give you."

"I can have that?"

"To drain the air out of your lung I need to stick a big needle in it, and there's no way I'm doing that without giving you some kind of pain relief - no matter whether you're allowed it or not."

The procedure was over in ten minutes after almost a litre of air had been syringed out of her lung. And thanks to Sam's kindness, it was almost entirely painless.

"I should really cuff you to the bed you know." He mused while tidying up. "So you're just going to have to promise not to get off this bed."

"Pinky promise."

Suddenly there was a commotion outside the med bay. Rowena looked up as someone was carried in and dumped on the bed. And gasped as she recognised Dani.

She was conscious, but only just. Blood soaked her clothes and the layers of gauze piled on her bicep.

People were shouting - for blood transfusions, for a surgeon, for more gauze.

Rowena knew she shouldn't. She should stay where Sam told her. Sam, who was shouting orders and doing three things at once. But Dani was over there bleeding out.

So she got up. Her whole body cried out in protest and she almost collapsed but somehow she was halfway there-

Two guards grabbed her and threw to her to the ground. "Stay back."

"No. Please, I can help," she begged, groaning as she tried to stand up. The next time a guard tried to touch her they were pushed back by a wall of air.

Lacking the strength to stand, Rowena resorted to crawling. The shouting increased as more people tried to grab her and more were forced back by the magic that flowed out of her.

And then she was by Dani's side. Rowena pushed the layers of gauze away and clamped a hand over the wound, closing her eyes.

Someone had mentioned an artery, so she imagined seeing it. Seeing the artery and the hole in it. Imagined the walls fusing back together.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as Dani screamed. Healing was painful. More painful than the injury itself. But at least she wouldn't die.

Once the bleeding had stopped Rowena allowed the wall of air around her to drop. To hell with what they did with her, she had done what she could.

So she didn't resist when she was dragged back to her bed and handcuffed. And she didn't fight back the next day when Rudy broke her hand. Because Dani was the second person she had saved.

Medical record and incident report

[spockvarietyhour]

Pneumothorax - used by Norman Bethune while suffering from tuberculosis to collapse his lung, thereby resting it in order to recover from the disease. 1930s

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

Late to the party, again, but I’m catching up... Sorry I forgot the subtitles.

[drpriya]

Pneumonectomy is a lung surgery where lung is removed due to lung disease like lung cancer, lung injury, lung failure, birth lung defects, lung infections like TB causing lung failure. If patient has symptoms like chest pain, coughing constantly, blood in cough, weightloss, breathing problems, then patient is asked to get tests like chest xrays, blood tests, MRI scans, lung biopsy, lung function tests. If lung has failed, lung is removed by pneumonectomy and later replaced by lung transplant. There are best hospitals and best cardiac surgeons in India, where pneumonectomy is done with success. To know more, click below-

Pneumonectomy

[faofinn]

Day 21 - Field Medicine

@mediwhumpmay

“Are we nearly there?”

Fao rolled his eyes and smacked his brother lightly on the thigh. “Finn I swear to God if you say that one more time I'll do 30 the rest of the way there.”

“I’ve only asked it like ten times. Wait until you’ve got kids.”

“If I wanted kids, I'd have kids. You're fucking 25. Look it up on your phone if you want to know.” He teased. 

“Such a grump.”

“And you're surprised?”

“We’re on holiday, you’re meant to be happy.”

“I am happy, I'm back home.”

“Tell your attitude that.” Finn yawned as he tried to stretch out.

“I'd be happier if I wasn't driving a literal child.”

“I’m not a child! You said yourself I’m 25.”

“Acting like you're five.”

“You’re acting like you’re five.” Finn grumbled back. 

Fao laughed. “If you're really that desperate to know, we're about twenty minutes away.”

“Forever away. Want a snack?”

“Sure, if you've not eaten them all.”

“Saved you some.” Finn struggled to keep a straight face as he passed Fao half a crisp. “There you go.”

Fao rolled his eyes, taking the crisp and throwing it back at Finn. “Aw, you shouldn't have.” He replied, laughing. 

“Seriously though, what do you want?”

“Whatever you've got, you know I'm not fussy.”

“That’s a lie.” He laughed in response, passing Fao a snack for real. “We’ve still got plenty of stuff if you’re hungry. Mum made emergency sandwiches.”

“Mum makes emergency everything.” Fao replied. “We'll eat for real when we get there.”

“I hope so.”

“Promise.”

“Full three course meal.”

“Well, I wouldn't go quite that far.”

“I would. I’m starving.”

“I'm a good cook but I'm not that good.”

“Should have got a cottage.”

“You wanted to camp!”

“Yeah, well!” Finn was stumped for an answer.

“You can't be pissy with me for listening to you.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

“Come on, it'll be fun. We're gonna roast marshmallows.”

“I can tell you about the stars, if we see them.”

“Yeah, exactly. Hopefully the clouds will clear.”

“It’s not London. You’ll actually be able to breathe.”

Fao laughed. “I've not been able to breathe for years. Beginning to doubt I even have lungs.”

“Smoking does that to you.”

“Ah, save me the lecture. I get it from Mum every time I go home.”

Finn grinned at Fao. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

“Yeah, yeah.”

There was a pause, Finn looking at his phone for a moment before he spoke. “How-”

“Fucking hell, Finn! It’s two minutes from the last time I told you!” Fao exclaimed. 

Soon enough they reached Fao’s place, and got their little campsite set up. It had been a long day travelling, and they were glad to get the tent up and the fire going. After that they ate, laughing and joking between themselves. 

Once they’d finished eating, they toasted marshmallows, Finn deliberately trying to steal Fao’s. More laughter ensued, and they spent a while afterwards just sitting by the fire enjoying the warmth. That was when Finn turned to him, a grin on his face. 

“I’m hungry.”

“Finn, you literally just ate.” 

“And? I’m hungry again.”

“Jesus. Fine, let’s go get some snacks or something.” Fao grumbled, standing up and grabbing his keys. 

"You should have packed better."

“I packed fine!” Fao protested. “You’re just eating me out of house and home.”

"I'm growing."

“You’re an adult, you’re not growing!” Fao unlocked the car, getting in and waiting for Finn to join him. The village near to his big house was small, but there was a little shop he could keep Finn happy by buying some snacks. Halfway there, Fao frowned. “I think we’re being followed.”

"You didn’t tell anyone, did you?" Finn glanced in the mirror. "I can't read the reg from here."

“I only told Dad.” Fao said. “Nobody else, I swear. Think you could get the reg if I brake test him?”

"Don't crash into anything." He muttered, twisting in his seat to have a better view. "Ready?"

The stretch of road was straight, Fao would have plenty of time. He knew he was testing the limits, this could end badly, but he had to try. 

“Ready.” He checked his mirror, eased off the accelerator and hit the brakes sharply, hoping to reduce the distance between them and the other car. 

Finn struggled to read the reg behind him, but quickly made a note. It wasn’t one of theirs, and not one he recognised as being on their lists. His frown deepened, and he reached for his phone to text Fred.

"It's not a plate I recognise." He murmured. "Maybe they're just being a dick? Take a few turns and see if they drop off."

Fao had caught enough of it, and quickly sped up again. “Not one of Tomas’, either, I don’t think. I’ll see if we can lose them.”

"Maybe just an arse on the roads. There's plenty of them."

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

"Youre one of them." He tried to joke. 

“Careful, or you can walk.” 

"Go on, I dare you."

“I will!”

As they drove, Fao taking endless turns, he was sure he’d managed to lose the car that had been following them. He was still on edge, though, as they pulled up outside the shop and hopped out. He had an unsettled feeling, as his brother dragged him round, constantly on edge. 

He was right to be worried, because moments later there was an almighty crash, followed by an even louder explosion. 

The explosion had Finn shoved away from Fao, the flash and noise disorienting him further. The pain came next, burning down his abdomen and leg, blood already dripping in his eyes. 

It ripped through the building, tearing walls apart and showering bricks everywhere. Fao was knocked to the ground, his ears ringing, and it took him a moment to recover. When he did, he was aware of the searing pain in his shoulder, the tingling in his fingers. Almost certainly dislocated, he realised sluggishly. As he took stock of the rest of his body, the headache was something, distracting enough, but nothing else seemed bad. Coughing, he forced himself to his knees, his bad arm held close to his chest the best he could. 

“Finn!”

There was rubble and debris everywhere, the air thick and choking. Finn struggled to get a breath in, his chest tight and each breath a stab of agony. He tried and failed to sit up, instinctively curling onto his side. This was going to be how he was going to die.

Finn didn’t respond, only fuelling Fao’s anxiety. He struggling to his feet, hauling himself up. He seemed to take weight okay, but his knee twinged and definitely wasn’t comfortable. He didn’t have much of a choice, he needed to get to his brother. 

“Finn!” He called again. “Where are you?!”

"Fa-" Finn broke off, coughing again. Spots danced in his vision and he dropped his head back to the concrete. 

Finn’s cough was just about enough for Fao to find where he was and he rushed towards him as best he could. When he found him, he fell to his knees, reaching for him. 

“I’m here, I’m here.”

Finn managed to grab at Fao's hand, gripping it as tight as he could. They'd be fine if they were together. 

Fao squeezed his hand. “I’ve got you. Just breathe.”

If only it was that easy. He could feel the dizziness pulling at him, the darkness teasing him with emptiness and pain free.

Fao could see him giving up. “Hey, hey, no. Stay with me, that’s it. What hurts?”

What didn't? He could have laughed, but that was just energy he didn't have. He forced his eyes open again, trying to focus on Fao’s face. 

“That’s it, look at me. I know it sucks, I know. Can you let go of my hand so I can have a look at you?”

"Don't go." He managed, voice cracked. 

“I’m not going, I just need my hand.”

He let go of Fao’s hand, letting it drop to the ground by his side. "I want to go home."

“Me too.” Fao murmured, looking over him. 

"Sorry." 

“It’s alright. Let’s just look after you.” He murmured. He could see the blood on his forehead, but that wasn’t what was concerning him the most. With the hand that he could use properly, he skimmed over Finn, feeling for blood, for pain, anything that could tell him what was going on. 

Finn winced, biting his already bloody lip to stop the scream that was building. He knew Fao had to check; he could feel the break to his ribs himself, and he knew they were the least of his problems. 

“I know, I know.” Fao tried to soothe. He could feel the ribs himself, but there wasn’t much he could do about them. 

As Fao’s hands reached his leg, Finn shoved them away. "Off."

“I need to check Finn.” Fao said, reaching for his knife. It was easy enough to cut Finn’s trousers, and then at least he could see what he was dealing with.

"Fao, no." His voice cracked again, choking on the thickness of the air. Panic flared through him as the pain took over, pushing him under. 

Fao swore to himself, but it was easier with Finn unconscious. The leg was in bad shape, the ankle obviously broken and his knee badly dislocated. Fao reached with his bad arm and swore at himself, pain lancing through it. Stupid thing. There was a cut above his eye which was stinging with sweat and bleeding stubbornly down his face, and he wiped it away roughly. He needed to focus. The leg looked like the worst of it for Finn, but as he watched him breathe he realised his brother was struggling. If only he had some kit, anything. This was so hard flying completely blind. 

Finn didn't bother moving as he came to, too much of his energy just being spent on breathing. Even that wasn't enough, feeling like he was trying to breathe from underwater. The more the dust settled, the more the thoughts became clearer. If whoever had done this had a tiny bit of brain, they'd make sure the job was done, and done completely. Not wanting to stay the sitting duck he was, Finn fidgeted, only growing more agitated against Fao's hands as he tried to find his gun. 

“Finn, Finn. Settle, it’s okay.” Fao told him. 

Maybe Fao had his, a moment of slight clarity from Finn before he tried to reach for his brother’s gun. "Not bein' a duck."

“A duck? Fucking hell, you are concussed.” Fao muttered, moving Finns hands away from him. “Relax, okay? I’m not finished checking you over.”

"Need…need the gun."

“No. I need you to stay still.”

"They're gon-gonna be here."

“I’m trying to help. I can’t help if you keep moving.”

"They're not the ducks." Finn managed, frustrated. "Up."

“Good fucking luck getting up on that leg.” 

"Then help."

“I can’t, I need you to stay put.” He said. The dark patch on Finn’s top was worrying him, and his breathing was getting worse. 

"Please." He started coughing, specks of blood collecting on the concrete.

That wasn’t a good sign. Fuck. Why did this have to happen here, with no resources? He hoped emergency services were coming, but it already felt like an eternity. Maybe it wasn’t safe yet. Fao’s head was still pounding, every cough from Finn just jolting it and making it so much worse. He swiped at the cut on his brow again, and couldn’t work out if the blood on his hands was his or Finn’s. 

Finn had managed to get more upright, but it barely lasted a moment. His chest pulled and darkness loomed wit each forced inhale. He twisted to grab at something, but the movement made everything so much worse. He pitched forward into Fao's chest.

Fao groaned. “Fuck, Finn. Lay down, Jesus.” 

"Help me then." He slurred, though didn't dare move. 

“I’m trying!” Fao snapped. “But you’re not fucking listening to me!”

He pulled away at that. "Fuck you, then."

“Jus’ do as I fucking say!”

There was a flash of hurt across his face, confusion at why his brother would snap at him when he was just trying to get some help. It didn't last long, crumpling back onto the ground, his head bouncing off the concrete. With a bit of space between the two, and despite the thickness of the air, it was all too obvious that Finn was very not well. 

He was paler than usual, his hair matted with blood and dust. The worst, more worrying sign was the cyanosis to his lips, and, as he lay still, the hiss to his chest with each forced breath. 

Fao winced. He’d not meant to snap like that, but he was so stressed, so anxious about the whole situation, he’d just lost it with his brother. Hopefully he wouldn’t really remember it. He adjusted his focus to Finn’s chest, concern building as his brother struggled for each breath. He had no chest X-ray, no stethoscope, nothing, but he knew things weren’t right. The wound on Finns chest was a massive cause for concern, and he knew it was more than likely his brother had a collapsed lung. But how the fuck was he supposed to fix that in the rubble of a little shop? 

Now Finn couldn’t fuss when he left, Fao could get up and look for supplies. There wasn’t a lot, but something was surely better than nothing. Something to stop the bleeding, alcohol to disinfect, some stuff he was hoping he could fudge into a chest drain of sorts. Maybe that would give Finn enough relief until they could get help. He found his phone then, it finally occurring to him to use it, and was relieved it had a tiny bit of signal. If proper services weren’t coming, he’d take matters into his own hands. 

It was Harrison that answered Fao’s call, half asleep and confused. "What's happening?"

“Hars.” Fao rasped, relieved he’d answered. “I need you to go and wake Fred. Finn and I-“ He broke off to cough. “We’ve been hit.”

"What? Fuck, where are you? What's happened?"

“Some co-op near the house. I don’t know, we were followed an’ then…” He trailed off. “Finn’s in bad shape.”

Harrison could feel the fear from Fao. "How badly?"

“Bad. I think he’s got a pneumo, he’s struggling, and his leg’s fucked. I’m going to have to do a drain.”

"Have you got kit?" Harrison was struggling to get sorted. "I can scramble the heli?"

“I’ve got nothing.” Fao admitted. “Bottle of vodka and a knife. I’m going to need something.”

"I'll get everyone going." Harrison said. "Just keep him stable."

“I’ll send my location.” Fao muttered. 

"I'm just getting Steve up, we'll get the team to you, yeah? Just hold on."

“Tell Fred that reg was important, I’m sure of it.” Fao muttered. He let Harrison go to sort everything out, whilst he had to focus on Finn. There wasn’t much he could do, he knew that, but he had to try. The fact he was still unconscious was worrying, but it worked in his favour. His chest was not good at all, the blue tinge to his lips just compounding that. The side with the injury was more pressing, but he wouldn’t be surprised with the way finn was struggling if both sides were compromised in some way. 

He awkwardly opened the bottle of vodka, trying not to think about what he was doing. He doused his knife, equipment and Finn’s skin, as well as his hands, and looked for his landmarks. He really, really didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed to work quickly, in case his brother came round again, and made the cut. It was hard, his broken ribs blurring landmarks, but he got where he needed to be, making the cut deeper to get all the way through. It was hard with one fully working arm, but he had to carry on.  He had a straw, which was completely shit, but it would do the job, just until the team got there. That’s what he hoped, anyway. He hated every second of what he was doing, the smell of the vodka burning his nose, but he got it in and the blood came rushing out, soaking into his jeans. It was partially fear, partially relief that Fao felt. It was good that he was going some of the way to fixing the issue, but it was a lot of blood for Finn to be losing.

[mcatmemoranda]

On my IR rotation. The PA just showed me an ex vacuo pneumothorax (obviously, this is not the patient’s image). There was a pt who had a chest tube placed and it didn’t help because this is what he had.

Pneumothorax ex vacuo is a little-known complication of lobar collapse. In this condition, acute bronchial obstruction from mucous plugs, aspirated foreign bodies, or malpositioned endotracheal tubes causes acute lobar collapse and a marked increase in negative intrapleural pressure around the collapsed lobe.

The PA said he should never have a chest tube placed there again and that this space will fill with fluid.

[staydandy]

Doctor Prisoner (2019) - 닥터 프리즈너 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Doctor Prisoner centers around an ace doctor in a university hospital’s emergency care center, a skilled professional who treats his patients with full devotion and without discrimination. However, his medical license gets suspended as a result of a medical malpractice incident that arises when the hospital board director causes a ruckus. He then gets his certificate as a medical internist and applies to work at a prison, where his plan is to cozy up to all the bigshots there and to win allies, with the ultimate goal of getting revenge against the hospital that ousted him. (MDL)

Whumpee : Na Yi Je played by Namkoong Min

Country : 🇰🇷 South Korea Genres : Thriller, Law, Crime, Medical

Notes : This is a Partial List - I didn't list every bit of whump, just what caught my attention the most • Apparently a 2nd season is planned (& maybe even finished filming), but I'll believe it when I see it. • Two versions available: 32 episodes ~30min each, or 16 episodes ~1hr each. On my list I will use the 32eps numbers first, but include the 16eps number in parenthesis : 00 (00)

Episodes on List : 2 Total Episodes : 32

*Spoilers below*

30 (15) : Na Yi Je fails to save someone & zones out for a bit

31 (16) : Stabbed, pneumothorax

[dranandhinduja]

Testing Preparedness of EMS Personnel in Identification and Decompression of Tension Pneumothorax using High Fidelity Simulation--A Pilot Study.

[autobot2001]

Proven Wrong

@themerrywhumpofmay: sidewalk @mediwhumpmay: short of breath TW; death, murder

Joshua Weber walks down the street late at night in an area of the city that is quiet late at night. He has heard of the Holiday Killer. How whoever they are disappeared for a year and now has returned. The city news talks about how there's no clear pattern, and many fear they're next. Joshua isn't worried. "Cowards scared for no reason," he says out loud as he walks down the sidewalk. "Are you sure they're afraid for nothing?" Someone asks from behind him. "Yes, there's nothing—." Joshua stares at the person who asked the question. A man dressed entirely in black, and all he can see is the man has blonde hair and red eyes. "Nothing to fear, you say?" the man charges towards him, grabs his jacket, and drags him into the nearby alleyway.

"I thought you didn't have to fear me," the man taunts, seeing the fear on his victim's face. He gets out his knife from his hoodie's pocket and cuts the man's jacket, "should I kill you or terrify you so you'll warn the others who think I'm not a threat?" Joshua isn't sure how he's to run away and warn others in the city as the killer cuts his chest, "now get lost!" Joshua runs before the killer changes his mind.

Joshua runs down the sidewalk until he's short of breath and his chest hurts. He looks around the area, realizing he's in a part of the city that's not very populated. He thinks he's in the industrial area, and Joshua believes his only choice is to keep walking.

Joshua walks for ten minutes but feels like he's been walking for hours, but also that he ran a marathon as he struggles to breathe. He's still determining if he sees a person in the distance but keeps walking.

Two guards stand at their post. Not expecting to watch someone staggering toward them. "Are you ok?" One guard asks, and the person falls to the ground. The guards realize this is a man and see their shirt is soaked with blood, "get Ratchet!" The other guard rushes into the base.

Jolt and Ratchet can't believe what they're seeing and rush to get the man into the medbay. The guards can only hope they'll find out what happened to the guy, and there's good news.

Jolt and Ratchet are concerned about the amount of bleeding they're seeing. Worried the man is quickly running out of time, but they need to at least get x-rays. The X-rays adds to their worry that they don't have much time. The only action they can take is a chest tube, but both are uncertain about this treatment considering his vitals. "If there's no improvement by tomorrow, we need to do surgery," Ratchet decides. The two medics return to their office. Ratchet finds out who the patient is and is relieved there is no one he'd have to call if Joshua dies.

Austin returns to the base now as his disguise, Dylan. He's certain Joshua made his way to the base and knows he will likely find out if Joshua is dead in the morning.

Everything is fine for an hour until Joshua starts rapidly declining. They struggle to get him stable and are unsuccessful. Hating the dreaded sound from the monitor, and they struggle to be hopeful they'll get Joshua back. They try for ten minutes with no change. "Time of death, midnight," Ratchet sighs. The two medics hope to find out what happened, even though this man isn't a soldier. Austin smiles, seeing the city coroner walking into the base. He goes up to his room before he's questioned since it's rare for anyone to be out of their rooms at midnight. They'll never find out who killed him. He smiles.

[perfectionnightmare]

You guys k ow when ur skull itches ong it's so annoying

Not to flex 😜my artistic skills😎

[mother-lee]

shoutout to blueneck

[dabblesco]

Medical progress, quackery, and the profit motive

The last couple of days I’ve been disabled with back pain. This is new for me as my multiple sclerosis means most of the time I rarely feel any pain. Anywhere. Which can make for missing some essential things going on in my body. Right now I am wondering if it is a kidney stone or a bulging disc or I’m just generally falling apart but I have places to go and things to do and I haven’t got time…