A Risky Decision to Save a Life

The patient flatlined during my first solo shift. I'm twenty four. My attending was

in surgery. Protocol said wait for backup but the kid was turning blue.

I grabbed the paddles. My hands shook so hard I nearly dropped them. Clear.

His tiny chest jumped. Nothing. The nurses stared at me like I was insane.

Clear again. Still nothing. Then I remembered something from a banned technique

my professor mentioned once. Risky. Illegal without consent.

But his mom was screaming in the hallway and I had seconds. I did it anyway.

His heart kicked back like an engine roaring to life. He lived. My attending found