Blues

Helani walked into the resuscitation room, or the R room, as it is known here. When this trauma center was designed a few decades ago, they had decided a 5m x 5m square is adequate for the purpose of resuscitation. It had not changed much since then thanks to the resistance of the nursing staff; with much trying by enthusiastic doctors, its wall cupboards were now labeled to indicate what was in there; there was a trolley like the ones you see at supermarkets, which served as the crash cart. The room was air conditioned. It had 3 doors, one of which was permanently blocked by cupboards. One door opened to the triage area; staff used the other entrance, which opened to the general treatment bays. The anaesthetists and the emergency physicians chose to stay inside the R room while the rest of the staff members arrived only at the triage bell that indicated the arrival of a category 1 or 2 patient. There were 3 comfortable chairs next to a table fixed to the wall. The X ray viewers were