Maria walked over, placed her fingers gently on Victor’s wrist, and closed her eyes.
The room fell silent.
She then looked at the man’s fingers. His nails were slightly bluish. She lifted the sheet and gently pressed on his feet.
Then she asked a simple question: “Has anyone checked for cardiac sarcoidosis?”
The room froze.
“What?” Dr. Shaw snapped.
Maria looked up. “The arrhythmia, shortness of breath, conduction blocks… His symptoms don’t follow the usual patterns. But the swelling in his legs and the lack of fever suggest something systemic but not infectious. His skin and eye tone… it’s all there.”
Elaine’s eyes widened. “Wait, my husband had some strange inflammation in his eye months ago. They thought it was uveitis!”
Maria nodded slowly. “That fits. It’s rare, but in people over 60, cardiac sarcoidosis can mimic other heart conditions.”
Dr. Shaw scoffed. “That’s absurd. It’s too rare. And you’re a janitor.”
Dr. Bell, however, was typing frantically into his tablet. “Actually… she might be onto something.”
