Episode 1

Catch up on episode 1 on All4 here.

The first episode of Emergency sees London’s Air Ambulance dispatched to 58-year-old Peter who has been crushed under a 400kg crate whilst at work. Dr Chloe’s job is to “bring the hospital to the patient” and assess which injuries are the most critical. She rushes him to St George’s Hospital – one of the four dedicated Major Trauma Centres in London treating the most severely injured. Here the team discover breaks to his pelvis that will need to be painstakingly repaired if he is to walk properly again.

28-year-old Danilo is brought by HEMS to St Mary’s following a serious motorbike crash. Danilo has multiple serious injuries designating him a “polytrauma”. Most concerning of all is a rupture to his aorta that could blow at any moment. Vascular Surgeon Colin tells us “90% of these die at the scene” as Danilo is fast-tracked to theatre.

A night of violence in the capital sees hospitals flooded with stabbings – one of whom – Wayland arrives at St Mary’s where Trauma and Vascular Surgeon, Morgan is leading the team. “A stab wound can be very catastrophic….if the laceration is big enough you can bleed out in minutes.” Wayland is rushed to emergency surgery.

78-year-old Wesley is transferred to St Mary’s, following a fall. Scans reveal a spinal emergency – one small move and his skull could detach from the top of spine. Wesley will require urgent, complex surgery, but an underlying condition and his worries about the operation may prove difficult to overcome.