skip to main content

TRAUMA

Trauma - Ted and Irene Kennelly Image Name: Trauma - Ted and Irene Kennelly Description: Trauma - Ted and Irene Kennelly
Trauma - Ted Kennelly 2 Image Name: Trauma - Ted Kennelly 2 Description: Trauma - Ted Kennelly
Trauma - Peter Priestly Image Name: Trauma - Peter Priestly Description: Trauma - Peter Priestly
Trauma - David Keating 3 Image Name: Trauma - David Keating 3 Description: Trauma - David Keating 3
Trauma - Anne Malone Image Name: Trauma - Anne Malone Description: Trauma - Anne Malone
Trauma Image Name: Trauma Description: Trauma - Marcus Timlin, consultant in Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics at the Mater Hospital.
Trauma Image Name: Trauma Description: Trauma - Dr Sinead McArdle (Consultant in Emergency Medicine in the Mater) and Mr Marcus Timlin (Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at the Mater)
Trauma Image Name: Trauma Description: Trauma - Dr David Menzies (Consultant in Emergency Medicine in St Vincent's)
Trauma Image Name: Trauma Description: Trauma - Dr Nigel Salter (Consultant in Emergency Medicine in St Vincent's) and Dr David Menzies (Consultant in Emergency Medicine in St Vincent's)
Trauma Image Name: Trauma Description: Trauma - Dr David Menzies (Consultant in Emergency Medicine in St Vincent's)
Trauma Image Name: Trauma Description: Trauma - Dr Sinead McArdle (Consultant in Emergency Medicine in the Mater)
Trauma 1 Image Name: Trauma 1 Description: Trauma - Marcus Timlin, consultant in Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics at the Mater Hospital.
Trauma - Marcus Timlin - Ted Kennelly surgery Image Name: Trauma - Marcus Timlin - Ted Kennelly surgery Description: Trauma - Marcus Timlin, consultant in Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics at the Mater Hospital preparing for Ted Kennelly's surgery

Trauma, Episode 2 of 4, RTÉ2, October 19, 9.35pm

In episode two we meet Anne Malone, a grandmother and mother-of-five in the Resus area of St Vincent’s Hospital. Less than an hour ago she tripped while leaving the hairdressers, falling down three steps and injuring herself badly. She has a broken wrist and hip. Anne’s husband, her daughter and son wait anxiously for news. They have been here before, two years ago when Anne’s husband had a brain hemorrhage, so they know that things must be serious. Consultant Nigel Salter comes in to visit. He explains the seriousness of the injuries and the need to get her into an operating theatre within the next 12 hours for a ‘half hip replacement’.

Meanwhile 85-year-old Ted Kennelly is referred to the Mater Hospital after a scan on his neck reveals he has a ‘peg’ fracture on his spine. If his spine isn’t stabilised as soon as possible Ted will become paralysed as the bones in his neck are now pressing dangerously on his spinal chord. Ted is visited by his wife Marion, two of their daughters and grandson – they are apprehensive about the surgery but know it must be done.

Back at the Mater Emergency Department Specialist Registrar Rory Whelan treats David Keating who has been rushed to hospital after a house fire in Dublin. With his airway rapidly closing over, Rory must treat David quickly before his throats swells. Once David is intubated the medical team discover dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide in his blood from the smoke. They urgently administer two antidotes before rushing David to CT to check if his brain & lungs has been affected by the smoke.

Peter Priestly is brought to St Vincent’s Emergency Department after dislocating his shoulder while mountain biking with his friend. The team work to put his shoulder back into place.

Finally, 80-year-old Paudie Stafford is rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital after suffering a massive seizure at his nursing home. Professor John Ryan and his team stabilise Paudie who suffers with dementia. He is still unconscious and the team won’t know his condition until he wakes up. Paudie’s daughter-in-law Margaret tells us about Paudie and living with dementia. Paudie loves to sing and speak a few words of Irish.

SERIES OVERVIEW

Trauma: Ireland’s Medical Emergencies

Trauma is an ambitious four-part documentary series on RTÉ2 giving viewers an unprecedented insight into the high pressured, outstanding and skilful work carried out in the intense world of trauma and medical emergency in Ireland.  From Emergency Department staff to surgeons, nurses and intensive care specialists – a chain of people who deal with cardiac arrests, head injuries, road traffic accidents and workplace incidents.

A ‘traumatic’ injury is a serious injury to the body – from either physical violence or an accident – and one which requires crucial immediate medical attention. There are approximately 1,600 ‘major’ traumas (traumas with potential to cause prolonged disability or death) annually in Ireland, and while the optimum service may be an integrated trauma system, currently patients are treated in the hospital best suited to the nature of the injury.

In this series, we focus on four hospitals and the incredible work carried out by the medical staff: cardiac and spinal trauma in The Mater Hospital, neuro-trauma in Beaumont Hospital; emergency care in St. Vincent’s Hospital and orthopaedic trauma and emergency in the Adelaide and Meath (Tallaght) Hospital.  We also see staff from the National Ambulance Service and the Dublin Fire Brigade as they operate the 999 emergency call centres, the very first port of call in the chain of the teams dealing with these specialised cases.

From the moment the resus phone is answered in the Emergency Department, the medical staff race to prepare for the pending arrival of the trauma patient. The following minutes, hours and days are possibly the most crucial that the trauma patient will have ever faced in their life. If they survive, they may face a very different future than the one they had anticipated.

In each episode we follow the progress of several patients – from admission to hospital – to as close to the end of their medical treatment as possible – following each step of their medical care along the way. We have interviewed staff who talk intimately about working in such an adrenaline fuelled environment. The patients and their families also talk reflectively about their experience.

Trauma tells both the emotive and dramatic story of the patient as well as highlighting the collaborative, high risk and exceptionally skillful work carried out by the medical teams.