Gasping for breath, the priest dragged over... Garrett didn’t see the person at first, but rather five twig-like fingers, thin and dry, probing the nostrils of the injured just like Garrett would. Then, they retracted and checked the patient’s pulse.
In the midst of busyness, Garrett raised his head. Wow! What... What race is this orc...?
Not like a dog, nor a cat, and if it were a minotaur—judging by the horns on its head, sowhat similar—then it’s too short and too thin. It also has a hunched back, its entire body trembling and huddled together, its face etched with sorrow.
If it had anything to do with the word ’bull,’ it could only be a snail...
Regardless of snail or beetle, healing the injured is what counts as good. Unfortunately, the elderly orc kneeling on the other side had a very unpleasant expression, his hand trembling as it reached towards the injured’s chest, hesitating multiple tis to pull out a dagger, yet not daring to:
"My healing magic level is too low, let’s maintain his condition together for now, and wait for a higher-level healer..."
He bowed his head, muttering a chant. Even with [Comprehend Languages], Garrett couldn’t make out what he was singing, just as understanding Chinese doesn’t necessarily an one can recognize song lyrics. Only a pale red glow of light rain could be seen falling on the injured, and in no ti, the old priest was gasping for breath, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Hey, you help too! Aren’t you a priest?" a young orc called out. Garrett glanced around, dropped a minor healing spell casually, and continued observing the injured:
This room full of orcs, so resembling dogs, others cats, and so foxes; their skin colors deep and light, yellow and white; their physical traits significantly different from humans, now making it difficult for him to use as a reference to judge whether the patient’s complexion was pale or not...
Too many references, unable to judge, I take my leave.
Garrett, drawing on his decades of ergency clinical experience, quickly assessed the injured’s condition. The patient’s eyes were wide open, his gaze following their movents, his consciousness still clear; a wound on his chest, about 2cm long, the depth unknown, not daring to remove the knife. The stabbing was in the left-center of the front chest, the... the fifth rib interstice...
How many pairs of ribs should this damned orc have?
Is the heart damaged?
Did it pierce the lung?
Garrett quickly pulled out the [Endless Ink Pen] and shoved it under the orc. Inhaling deeply, focusing, he released [Detect Magic]...
And saw nothing.
Uh... This is awkward...
The [Endless Ink Pen] is a level 9 magical item, capable of observing objects five levels lower than it. This warrior, clearly of a higher level, has too strong a life force. The magical aura of the [Endless Ink Pen] couldn’t penetrate the injured’s body...
The old priest continued to chant fervently, maintaining the injured’s vital signs. Garrett seized the mont, casually wiping the sweat from the injured’s forehead;
The neck’s veins bulged prominently, suggesting, perhaps, the jugular vein?
The pulse... The normal pulse of an orc is unknown, but the feeling under his fingertips was shallow and rapid, and getting faster, no different from the weak sensation of hypovolemic shock due to a sudden drop in blood pressure from blood loss in his previous life;
He took out a copper stethoscope to listen...
Thump, thump, thump. The heartbeat sounds were weak, muffled, and vague, as if coming from far away!
A stab wound to the precordial area, not much bleeding, jugular vein bulging, blood pressure plumting, heart sounds low and distant—all these symptoms, one by one, all pointed to a critical condition, acute cardiac tamponade!
—Outside the human heart, there’s a layer of muscle called the pericardium. Extrely dense, it envelops the heart, with pericardial fluid inside for lubrication. Like now, with the heart stabbed and bleeding, the pericardial muscles contract on their own, trapping the blood within the pericardium, preventing it from flowing into the chest cavity.
With this layer of protection, the bleeding from the heart won’t be too much, not quickly leading to hypovolemic shock; but, if there’s too much bleeding, the blood accumulated in the pericardial cavity increases pressure, externally compressing the heart. ??
When the pressure reaches a certain level, surpassing the heart muscle’s pumping force, the heart will be unable to beat, causing cardiac arrest!
Without the heart’s beating, arterial blood can’t be transported throughout the body, and the patient will quickly enter a state of hypoxia. In just three to four minutes, the hypoxic brain tissue will suffer irreversible damage.
By then, even if they were revived, it would be futile!
Garrett imdiately sprang into action:
"Who’s in charge here? Who can make decisions?"
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