Anatomy of Love

Chapter 4

Khushi had been really disappointed coming to the hospital. Rishab was absent and she had to work with some other doctor. She didn't know why she was looking forward to seeing him. She kept telling herself that she was drunk and he helped, that wasn't a big deal. Still at the back of her mind, she kept thinking about him.

Khushi was in charge of a heavily pregnant lady the next day who had been in a car crash. She had a gash on her head and some bruises on her face. She was conscious but highly worried for her unborn baby.
"Doctor, please check my baby. Main bilkul thik hun. Mujhe kuch nahi hua. Please check my baby. "
Khushi calms her down, "I will check you and your baby as well. First you need to calm down. What is your name and how far are you along?"
"Diksha Patel. 35 weeks. My husband was with me, is he alright?"
"Relax, we will find that out as well. First deep breath."
She checks her heartbeat and pressure.

"Your baby has a strong heartbeat. Nurse, call Dr.Priya from Gynaecology and Obstetrics to check her on and she will get an ultrasound to be 100 percent sure. Your injury on the head looks superficial. Your neuro exams are fine. Still I would like to send you for a head CT."
"No.. no CT. I don't want any radiation."
"Diksha, head CT won't have any impact on your baby."
"No. I said no."
"Fine. We will keep you under observation then."
"My husband?"
"I will see what I can find and if possible, I will send him here. First, you need stitches."

"Her baby is fine. Her pressure is a little high. But rest seems good."
Dr.Priya Sharma says after checking Diksha. Her husband Dinesh Patel had joined them by now after taking first aid for minor injuries.
"Dinesh, we will keep Diksha here for observation. She has been nauseated and dizzy. It might be nothing but we want to keep her here. Diksha, I will be back in a moment to check on you."

Khushi leaves and starts looking for Rishab to update him on the patient. She finds him in a room with a patient who was bleeding profusely. His hands are almost inside the patient's abdomen as he screams.
"Two more O neg blood now!"
"He is crashing!"
"Crash cart. You, come inside and put pressure here."
He screams at Khushi who rushes inside. She could see the intestines coming outside a huge gash on the abdomen. She immediately puts on gloves and holds on to a bleeder.
Rishab screams, "One dose of Epinephrine. Starting compression."
Rishab starts compression on his chest to revive him.
Nurse says, "He has a rhythm."
"Get the OR ready. Pack the wound and get him in. Quick."

Khushi runs towards the room where Diksha was. She finds her breathing hard and coughing up blood.
"What happened?"
Dinesh says, "She was talking and suddenly she started feeling uneasy. Please doctor, do something."
Khushi gives her oxygen to breathe. She starts checking her and Rishab enters the room.
"What's going on?"
"She was fine but now.."
"What's her symptoms?"
"Shortness of breath, chest pain, faster heartbeat and coughing up blood. She was complaining of nausea and dizziness. She is 35 weeks pregnant. Her head injury is superficial and she passed her neuro test."

Rishab lifts her sheet to check her leg.
"Check this out!"
"Swelling in legs."
"What can it be?"
"DVT leading to Pulmonary embolism."
"Correct. How will you diagnose?"
"Imaging but she is pregnant."
"So?"
"MRI."
"Take her right away. I will join you in a minute."

Rishab is in his room with Dr.Ajinkya, Khushi and another resident. Khushi points at the scan and says, "There, in her right lung. It's huge"
Rishab asks, "What will be the course of treatment Dr.Khushi? "
"Surgery is not possible because of her pregnancy. And we have no idea how much longer her heart will take the pressure. We can wait and give her blood thinner."
Ajinkya says, "If she goes into labor, her heart would give out. We can't even give her CPR because of the baby inside."
"We can do a C-Section and remove the baby then we can try to remove the clot."
"With blood thinners, the risk of bleeding out is high."