26 July 2013

An egregious medical mistake

If there were an award for the Worst Description of a Medical Procedure in a Novel, I would nominate this dialogue:
"Does it really take twenty minutes from here to Lundeby?"

"Yes, unfortunately, it does.  And twenty minutes back.  They didn't have personnel with them who could perform a tracheotomy.  If they had, he might have been saved."

"What are you talking about now?"

"About going in between two vertebrae and opening up the windpipe from the outside."

"You mean cutting open his throat?"

"Yes, It's actually quite simple.  And it might have saved his life..."
Of course he would have been left quadriplegic after they dissected their way past his spinal column.

My wife found this passage in Chapter 13 of Karin Fossum's otherwise-enjoyable "Don't Look Back."

5 comments:

  1. Sometimes it is nice simply to stop and take the scenic route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe Anon may be referring to the opening line of the passage:

      "Does it really take twenty minutes from here to Lundeby?"

      Which is to say, the twenty minute trip to Lundeby may have included glorious vistas of unparalleled grandeur, and were not to be missed under any circumstances.

      Delete
  2. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vertebraapophysis - (anatomy) 'a natural outgrowth or projection on an organ or body part such as the process of a vertebra.'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no such compound word as "vertebraapophysis." It must be a typo for "vertebra apophysis" or "vertebral apophysis." And how is it relevant to the post?

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...