The Sound of Emptiness

The Sound of Emptiness Iman Qaiser, MBBS Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06679-8 © Society of General Internal Medicine 2021? hat does emptiness sound like? W Does it sound like the secluded parking lot when you walk in for your night shift? No, you can still hear the rustling of the trees and the birds chirping. Does it sound like the abandoned hospital corridors you walk through? No, you can still hear the hum of the air conditioner and the buzz of the lights. Does it sound like the twenty minutes you have to lie down in the call room? No, you can still hear your racing thoughts about your patients. Does it sound like the patient room you just entered to pronounce death? No, you can still hear your pulse throbbing and your lips whispering. You put on your stethoscope, you listen to your patient’s chest. You listen hard. No heartbeat. No breath sounds. It’s so loud. It’s so empty. Blaring at you, that’s the sound of emptiness. J Gen Intern Med Corresponding Author: Iman Qaiser, MBBS; Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Rapids, MI, USA (e-mail: ). Publisher’s Note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Received January 5, 2021 Accepted February 21, 2021  (...truncated)