Last Laugh

In the Jocular Vein

A cry for help

I admitted a patient who had just had a large MI. He was in cardiogenic shock—dyspneic, clammy, diaphoretic, and anxious. We wanted to place him on an aortic balloon pump, but had trouble cannulating the femoral artery. When he sensed our difficulty, he grew increasingly desperate. Finally, he raised his arm and yelled "Code blue! Code blue!" at the top of his voice. Our tension broke, and we had all we could do to control our laughter.

—Charles M. Daniel, MDDublin, OH

Last Laugh.

Medical Economics

Aug. 8, 2003;80:104.