Save the Veep

By Clarence M. Agress

Save the Veep The Vice-President Veep, has suffered a life-threatening heart attack, and is on life-support awaiting a transplant, Just when he has to decide on the Canadian pipe-line oil deal, because Congress is dead-locked. A young boy with the same rare blood type is also on life-support. Priority is decided by the National organization, UNOS, policy: organ transplant to the recipient with the best life-expectancy. But the President has designated that the first heart is to go to the Veep. Complicating the situation a Mexican running a fattening house , an organ trafficking horror, which takes organs from live Victims, has offered a heart for the surgeons nephew, the boy, out of gratitude for saving his life. It is amoral and illegal to accept.
Further complicating the story, a Saudi Prince, fearful that a decision to accept the oil from the pipe-line will end the dependence of the US on OPEC, sends an assassin to kill the Veep.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481779623

Clarence M. Agress

The author is a retired cardiologist from a star-studded practice in Beverly Hills CA He is noted most for thrombolytic-clot busting, use of intravenous enzymes to dissolve the clot and prevent a heart attack. Thousands of lives have been saved. In addition to other medical firsts such as a blood test for heart attack, he has written several other novels. He resides in Santa Barbara, ca with his lovely wife Joan. He has two daughters, four grandchildren and at the age of 102, four great-grandchildren.

Book preview

CHAPTER I

St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Emergency Room

Houston, Texas

Joe! Wake up! I have Vice-President Harlan Adams here. He’s had a massive heart attack and is in shock. I need you now! Hurry!

Rousing from a deep sleep I was startled to hear the urgency in my associate Bob Murchison’s voice. Calling me, Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Joseph Bain—in desperation!

The Vice-President! in coronary shock! Mortality over 80 per cent! My heart beat skipped with fear.

All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind as I threw on my clothes—Could Bob be drunk again—How would I be regarded if Adams died—I had just lost a victim of a stab wound of his heart, impossible to repair, but raising doubts in my staff—and now the eminent Vice-President in my ER threatened with death! As I dashed for the elevator I remembered that Adams had undergone a triple by-pass only two years ago!

I found Murchison frantically working over Adams in near panic.

He’s in cardiogenic shock, Joe—pressure down to 50/30, fibrillating. I started a Dopamine drip, but I can’t bring the pressure up. What to do?

I made a quick appraisal. Oxygen being administered through an endotracheal tube, Dopamine being infused at a high rate with little effect. This was a man with a previously badly damaged heart now in perilous shock from another attack—not just another patient but next to the President, the most important man in the country! And here he was in my surgery, his life in our hands!

Change to Dobutamine, I ordered the charge nurse. To the assistant resident I said, Call the Echo lab, and get Dr. Rubin down here to assesses the damage. He’s going to require cardiac assist by intra-aortic balloon pumping! There’s not a moment to waste!

Dr. Rubin set up in record time, unflustered. In a clear voice he called out his findings as he proceeded: "Old Circumflex by-pass blocked. Left Main non-visualized. Right Coronary only partly open, ejection fraction feeble, severe scarring of left ventricle.

Joe, there’s nothing to by-pass! This guy, I mean the Vice-President needs a new heart!"

Does that mean a transplant? asked a small man who had slipped in unnoticed.

No visitors allowed, sir, I admonished.

I’m Harry Gerson, aide to the Vice-President. I’m never more that a few feet away from him. He always consults me. I have been with him since he first ran for a seat in the house. Harlan would want me here. Besides, do you know how many calls from Congress and the President I’ve taken? I didn’t want you to be diverted from your demanding work here Do you realize how important he is to the country?

I was impressed by Gerson’s polite, but authoritative manner. I was feeling my heavy responsibility and thought I might need this man.

Yes, sir, I do. You understand that his condition is critical! He’s going to require a heart transplant, and meanwhile his condition is so precarious he will have to be on life support. Excuse me, sir. Would you please wait outside. I’ll keep you informed.

Nurse, alert Surgery for Tandem Intra-aortic Ventricular Assist!

To my vast relief, with the help of the Surgical Fellows, we were able to stabilize our VIP patient with the aortic balloon pump and provide him with specially trained nurses 24/7.

I was proud of our trained staff and modern equipment. We had the latest in monitoring the ECG and blood pressure, oxygen administration, a pharmacy with all the latest emergency medications, but never so proud as at this moment of prolonging the life of the Vice-President, now in his private cubicle off the ER. We got a comfortable chair for Mr. Gerson and received a grateful smile from the Vice President.

The Veep had a protective netting around his bed and strict control of traffic in his room, all designed to avoid an infection that could easily prove fatal in his weakened status. Gerson insisted on staying in the room, and I had to accede, but I warned him about touching anything. He said helpfully that he would handle the relatives and continue to block the phone calls.

But I couldn’t escape Gerson’s questions: What was the prognosis? What should he tell the President? How long was life support effective?

Despite my fatigue and tension I tried to answer patiently.

Prognosis? Uncertain. Length of life support? Dependent on many variables, but could be weeks, sometimes months. I told him about the young boy, Lennie, Bob Murchison’s nephew with congenital heart disease, already on life support for over a month.

Mr. Gerson, I don’t want to bear the total responsibility. The Veep should have a consultation by a recognized authority."

I heartily agree. I will inform the President immediately.

Meanwhile, sir, I will alert Maggie Delaney, in charge of Procurement, to search for a compatible heart transplant. She has already applied to UNOS for Lennie.

It won’t be easy, interrupted Bob who was attending nearby. The Vice-President is a rare blood type-AB Rh positive, would you believe it? The same as Lennie, my nephew. That’s why Lennie is still waiting for a transplant.

It was only an hour later when I was amazed to receive a call from the President of the United States, a personal call to me!

Hello, Dr. Bain. Thank you for your excellent care of Harlan. Gerson has told me the problems. By all means have a consultation. May I suggest Dr. Arnold Wetherby, head of Cardiology at Peter Bent Brigham? He takes care of me. And, Dr. Bain, I want Harlan to have the first available heart.

"Sir, I don’t control that. It is up to the controlling organization UNOS. There are rules governing priority.