Critical Condition

This week, motorcyclist Danny is rushed into the emergency department following a highspeed road traffic accident in north Wales. He's already had two chest drains inserted into his lungs at scene to save his life, but what immediately concerns trauma team leader Diane Adamson is his blood pressure, which remains stubbornly low. Suspecting that he's bleeding internally, Diane rushes her patient to the CT scan, aware that his condition could deteriorate drastically if the problem isn't diagnosed quickly. Across the hospital, dialysis nurse Rita is booked in for life-saving surgery to remove her cancerous kidney. This is a time-critical procedure. The tumour is large and is starting to grow into Rita's veins, and consultant urological surgeon Mr Golash knows that he must act fast before the cancer spreads and the situation becomes inoperable. Back in A&E, trauma team leader Vicky Burnham helps Yuen, a 49-year-old female rushed in after being crushed by a tree. With a transected pancreas and a laceration to the liver, Yuen is in a critical state and Vicky fears she may have to go straight into emergency surgery. But the results of the scan cause a dilemma for consultants — should they operate, or should they not? Finally, the pressure is on for trauma team leader Richard Fawcett, who needs to stabilise Chris, a marathon runner who has collapsed during a race with heat stroke. As his internal temperature soars, Chris's body literally starts to cook itself to death and he begins to have seizures. Richard knows that he has to act fast, as he has a limited window to cool Chris down before his patient has multiple organ failure.