The Auto-defibrillator

In a previous post, we discussed the sarcophagus that stored the frozen colonists in Rome's Revolution. In Step 5 of the resuscitation process, an auto-defibrillator was used to restart the heart of the person being thawed. This is not much different from the auto-defibrillators found in supermarkets and airports today.



Those devices have sensing circuitry to tell if the victim's heart is already beating so you don't try and shock a heart that doesn't need shocking. However, in the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution, this sensing circuitry had failed and Rei got a shock even though his heart was beating normally. Reference was made to this event in the current version of Rome's Revolution using a single sentence:

Looking past the cylinder, Rei saw his sarcophagus sitting in the far corner of the room. That plus the tender spot on his chest where the auto-defibrillator had burned him confirmed this was no dream.

In the original long-form, the awakening was described in much greater detail and much more viscerally:

     The cardiac sensors glued to Rei’s torso, degraded from centuries of disuse, could not detect the slow but steady beat of his revived heart. Lacking feedback, the unsuspecting microprocessor integrated into the chamber continued on its pre-programmed sequence. The high-pitched resonance of step-up coils charging echoed off the coffin’s walls. Rei’s torpid, semi-frozen brain failed to comprehend the significance of the sound. As soon as it was fully charged, the automatic defibrillator fired off a 300-joule jolt of electricity in a misguided attempt to resuscitate him for a second time.
     Searing pain shot all through Rei’s chest. Fortunately, as a young and healthy male, his heart was able to fend off the external attack and maintain a normal sinus rhythm. Rei tried to scream but could not as there was no air in his lungs to exhale. With a superhuman effort, he reached up and clawed off one of the leads before the defibrillator could discharge for a third and possibly fatal time.
     Like a fireplace bellows, the motion of Rei’s arm stimulated his lungs. He drew in a great raspy breath, sucking wetly on the air surrounding him. The flow of air hurt going in so he held the breath for a long time, savoring its feel in his lungs before finally letting go. He drew in another breath and this time it was not nearly as painful.

I'll put the whole excised chapter in the upcoming The Vuduri Companion sometime later this year.