How Sherlock Survived a Cardiac Arrest

[wellingtongoose]

The Most Miraculous Thing

The medical explanation I am about to give for Sherlock’s survival is nowhere near as uplifting or exhilaration as watching Sherlock struggling out the steps of his mind palace with the sheer determination to live for John. If you want to keep thinking about Sherlock’s “revival” as a miracle of love and a testimony to our

Comments

[wellingtongoose]

Thank you for your responses.

I would like to point out that Mary knows what the inferior vena cava is but this does not mean she knows exactly where the vena cava runs at the point of the 7th rib which is where she shot Sherlock.

I am a doctor but as I am not a heptobiliary surgeon, I don't need to remember the exact course of the IVC in relation to the midline. I had to get out my anatomy book to find out exactly where the IVC should be at the level of the 6th intercostal space/7th rib.

I would not expect nurses at a GP surgery to know the exact anatomy of the great veins. They do not need to use it in the course of their duties and therefore it is natural for them to forget their anatomy. Frankly, I would be surprised if the GPs could point out the course of the IVC using only surface landmarks.

Besides, even if Mary knew roughly where the IVC was, human vein anatomy is highly variable. Some people have IVC that almost overlap their abdominal aorta, and some have IVC that run almost at the mid clavicular line. All the pretty diagrams in anatomy text books are just pretty diagrams. If you really wanted to pinpoint the exact location of someone's IVC you have to do an ultrasound scan.

The fact that Mary managed to shoot Sherlock in the liver whilst he was fully clothed is testament enough to her anatomical and marksmen ship skill. I could only work out she had shot him in the liver after I saw the picture of Sherlock's chest.