Yesterday, I met with my medical beta reader, registered nurse Andrew Brannan. Andrew has spent a lot of time working in ICUs — which was great, as the entire human race, in my forthcoming novella, All the Humans are Sleeping, is basically in ICU (while their minds and nervous system are wired into a global virtual reality simulation).
I could have easily called the novel All the Humans are in ICU.
Andrew read the beta copy of All the Humans are Sleeping and said he agreed with my editor that the story is rather "psychedelic." Speculative fiction, psychedelic fiction, close enough.
The novella passed for medical accuracy, though Andrew was invaluable in helping fine-tune many details. He mercilessly increased the heart rate of one character, altered the EEG patterns of another and changed the catheter in a third.
I also consulted with him about my research into defibrillation. It seems Hollywood has been fibbing about defibrillation. Just think of how many times we've seen a character in a movie or TV show who has died (or whose heart has otherwise stopped). The paddles are brought out and laid on his or her chest. "Clear!" And the supine patient is launched into the air.
Well, Andrew confirmed that such productions could also use a medical consultant.
First off, defibrillation is never used when the heart has stopped. It's only used when the heart of an unconscious patient is experiencing an irregular heartbeat (a precursor to heart failure). If the heart has stopped completely then old-fashioned chest compressions are your best chance at saving the person.
Likewise, the violent shock that sends the patient flailing upward is Hollywood fiction. While the muscles may contract, it's nothing so dramatic.
Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story
Also, did you know that using a defibrillator to shock beef before you roast it dramatically improves the flavour? My source for such a dubious fact comes from the Canadian radio comedy, The Vinyl Cafe.
The Vinyl Cafe was written and performed by the legendary Canadian storyteller Stuart McLean. The stories centred around Dave, the owner of a used record shop in Toronto, and his wife and two kids.
In one episode Dave and his neighbours all pitch in to buy a defibrillator and decide to practice on raw beef from the local Wong's Scottish Meat Pies. To their surprise, it makes the meat taste so good the restaurant is quickly overrun with customers from all over the city. The story culminates with Dave accidentally shocking more than just the beef.
Sadly, Stuart McLean died from skin cancer (treatment) in 2017 after producing 22 seasons of the show. The Vinyl Cafe stories were always amusing and often hilarious, with their clever plots and touching character interactions. The show certainly encouraged traditional family values and community.
If you've never heard the show, I recommend you give it a try. And why not start with the "Defibrillator" episode?
position=1&v=6eJv9MGPB5shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?
And for a sneak peek of All the Humans are in ICU (I mean Sleeping) check out "The robot at the top of the mountain."
John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. You get free chapters from his novels by subscribing to his Blazing Pine Cone email newsletter at https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/
Image: Pixabay
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Follow us on SoMee, Telegram, HIVE, Minds, MeWe, Twitter - X, Gab, and What Really Happened.
Provide, Protect and Profit from what's coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.
Life has been made much easier with the help of technology
#hive #posh
It's just like technology has become so fast that we are facing a lot of problems now and on the other hand things are becoming much easier in life.
Sharing on Twitter.
Definitely correct!! Nowadays people tend to stop thinking themselves...
Although in my opinion, the critical minds will get the farthest!
~~~ embed:1775999126557368738?t=bmrII2_F4szlch6dcgK3uA&s=19 twitter metadata:V2F5U2hvbGE4NDE1Nnx8aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9XYXlTaG9sYTg0MTU2L3N0YXR1cy8xNzc1OTk5MTI2NTU3MzY4NzM4fA== ~~~
The way technology is really advancing and it seems new and innovative things are been created at a very rapid rate is really quite astonishing. Well we are actually in that world so we should be expecting it though and I am so sure that more will still come in the future. Yes more will certainly come
!LUV
activistpost, valggav sent you LUV. 🙂 (1/1) tools | trade | connect | wiki | daily
Made with LUV by crrdlx.
it is right tough, in movies they all use defibrillators as you described...
Technology is growing/advancing at a rapid pace and it's a good thing
$PIZZA slices delivered:
(5/15) @atma.love tipped @activistpost
We often see defibrillators in scenes of various dramas and movies where a character's heart has stopped, and they receive several electric shocks. In my childhood, I used to think that someone is already dying, and on top of that, they are being given high-voltage current to make their death easier. I later understood that these shocks are given to maintain the person's heartbeat or to restore normal heart function.
Hi, i'm curious to know if you share a % of he rewards on your posts with the authors?
Yes, we have done that 50/50 net. It was nice when the payouts were higher :-)
Good. Thanks.
Some free Hive-engine tokens for you:
!PGM !PIZZA !LOL !LUV
Thank you so much!!
Though I will add that we haven't done it in some cases where we are helping authors promote books, products, etc.
Sharing for more engagement