Summary

A nurse in a neonatal intensive-care unit was horrified when she saw one of the babies with a blue-black skin tone. She yelled for help. She knew it was a heart problem that needed immediate attention or the baby would die. When the physicians arrived, they checked the monitor and saw that the heart beat was strong. They were prepared to treat the infant for a collapsed lung. But the nurse followed her instincts. She listened for a heart beat with a stethoscope. There was no heart beat. The monitor had malfunctioned. The physicians treated the heart problem and saved the child.

The story is from a collection by psychologist Gary Klein who studies the responses of people in high-stress situations. His book, “Sources of Power” contains this and other stories about the reaction to trauma. The story about the baby is a...