Now I had to join them up to get at his heart. I made a surface incision with the scalpel across the chest, tracing from one armpit horizontally below the nipple to the breastbone and then following the same route across to the other side. This got through the skin, but to go deeper I had to use scissors. I took hold of my Tough Cuts, scissors I kept in my suit and normally used to cut off a patient's clothes. Carefully, I slid them into one of the holes and with one finger under the blade to make sure I didn't go too deep, I leant over and began to cut between ribs.
Muscle is tough and thick and it was taking valuable time.
I struggled on, eventually reaching the breastbone. The scissors were not designed for this and they threatened to buckle or break. Alastair returned and started on the other side. He cut and I cut, struggling with the scissors. All at once I felt the last of the bone give.