Lost soul

"1 mississippi 2 mississippi 3 mississippi..."

I'm looking down on a 26 year old chinese lady whose heart just arrested 30 minutes ago on a Chinese New Year morning.

She got admitted via the A&E the night before with breathlessness, diagnosis of pneumonia was made and she was treated accordingly.

Her breathing became more laboured in the wee small hour of the following morning and the high flow mask device just couldn't cope up with her deteriorating lung function.

" 20 mississippi 21 mississippi.. i need more adrenaline!..." a sense of agony & frustration fills my voice..

She was supposed to attend the CNY's reunion family dinner that night...Alas, she ended up collapsed and intubated, it can't get any more tragic than this.

"Let's call it... time of death 0900." Our futile resuscitation attempt lasted almost an hour.

A message to my dear future young doctors out there... learn your arterial blood gas good. As the frontliners in our public hospital settings you will be doing on calls at night --- and trust me that between 2 and 6am in the morning what you know could save or lose your patients' lives. 'nough said.