- 7 weeks ago
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00:00Our job is hardcore, it is life and it's death.
00:21Everything we do relies on this bond between us all.
00:25I've got secrets I can't believe.
00:30Just stay down. No, no, no.
00:31You're okay, you're okay.
00:32You have to be comfortable in high stress situations.
00:39In this immersive series.
00:40You're in the hospital.
00:42How much? Do you want to tell me what drugs you want and when?
00:45We take you into the theatres and wards of Sydney's busiest hospitals.
00:50And into the world of nurses.
00:53Nurses are the backbone of the hospital.
00:55Through their eyes, you'll see life.
00:58Big deep breath in. Push, push, push.
01:02Death.
01:03Unfortunately, we can't perceive her.
01:11And everything in between.
01:13Coughs, colds and sore holes.
01:18Welcome to the front line.
01:21Two, three.
01:22Of one of the world's toughest.
01:23It's all right darling, we're looking after you, okay?
01:27And most trusted professions.
01:31It was scary, hey?
01:33Nurses are superheroes.
01:34Without capes.
01:35Just in scrubs.
01:36This time on Nurses.
01:49A fall from a ladder.
01:51He has had a head strike.
01:53It's very important that you don't move.
01:55Could have life-changing consequences for a roofer.
01:57He could have a bleed on his brain or he could be paralysed.
02:02Will a man's donor heart.
02:04One, two, three.
02:06As soon as that organ hits the ice, then the clock really starts ticking.
02:10Make it to the hospital in time.
02:13Right now there's a bit of nervous energy in the room while we're waiting for the heart.
02:17And in emergency, a young woman's therapy dog.
02:21This dog is trained to detect seizures.
02:24Gives a life-saving signal.
02:26We'll sort it out as soon as possible, okay?
02:28St. Vincent's Hospital has the fourth largest heart transplant unit in the world.
02:50Last year, 71 life-saving heart transplants were carried out.
02:59In my role as a transplant coordinator, the most rewarding part definitely has to be the actual phone call to the patient to tell them we may have found them a heart or lung.
03:12It's definitely a privilege.
03:14That call in itself is such a big moment of hope for the patient.
03:19My name is Emily. I'm a transplant coordinator in the heart and lung clinic at St. Vincent's Hospital.
03:38My hometown is called Leyton Buzzard. It's a small market village about an hour north of London.
03:45And I moved to Australia five years ago.
03:49My husband's Australian.
03:52We have a wonderful life here.
03:55And we have a baby on the way.
03:57Emily has arrived at the heart-lung clinic to take over an organ retrieval mission from her colleague, Lisa.
04:03Hey, Lisa. How are you?
04:07Yeah, did you get some sleep?
04:10Eight hours ago, a donor heart became available.
04:14In terms of you guys, you're leaving at 9.30.
04:18Lisa has worked through the night, planning every complex part of the transplant.
04:22So your recipient is Craig. I called him at 9 o'clock.
04:27Now it's up to Emily to retrieve the donor heart for the patient who is anxiously waiting upstairs on the cardiothoracic transplant ward.
04:36His blood pressure is very stable.
04:41Heart recipient Craig is 52 years old and has end-stage heart failure.
04:49Any arms?
04:50Yep, any arms.
04:52A transplant is his only chance at having a longer life.
04:55I've had problems with my heart since 2016 and then last year I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and I needed a replacement.
05:06Cardiomyopathy means a person's heart has lost its ability to pump blood properly.
05:13Let's head on up.
05:15Craig does have a severely dilated left side of his heart and just under your tongue.
05:21His pumping function is severely impaired.
05:26Craig is just coming up to a year on the list now, so to get him to this point today is huge.
05:33How are you?
05:35A bit anxious. I've been excited as well.
05:38Lisa called you in overnight.
05:40Yes.
05:41And we're going to work hard to get your heart for you this morning.
05:44It could go ahead or might.
05:46Yeah, there's always a chance. Obviously when we get there and have a good look at the heart.
05:49If there's anything that doesn't look quite right.
05:52Yep.
05:54All we know so far is it's a good match. Obviously blood group, height weight and cross match.
05:58And those things are all lining up.
06:00Yeah, right. All right. Yeah, that's cool.
06:02And I'll come see you in ICU hopefully tomorrow.
06:06Yeah.
06:08All right, lovely. See you later on.
06:10All the best.
06:11Emily is one of only six transplant coordinator nurses in the state who work 24-7 to both coordinate the transplant and retrieve the life-saving organs.
06:24This esky will become the organ esky once we're on the other side of the retrieval.
06:30Having the right equipment once they reach the donor hospital is crucial.
06:36So in here it's just six bottles of sterile saline.
06:40The donor heart can only survive on ice for three hours.
06:46All frozen.
06:48Once we run the cardiopleage solution to arrest the heart, that's our clock ticking.
06:53So it's quite time-precious from there on.
06:55Bad time to spill the ice everywhere.
06:58They just...
07:00Everyone got their belts on? Yep.
07:03Emily and the surgical team will travel across Sydney to reach the donor hospital.
07:17How long has this guy been on the list?
07:19A year, actually. It'd be a year at the end of this month.
07:26My role as a transplant coordinator is bittersweet.
07:30Someone passes for another to live.
07:34It is hard, like obviously the retrievals we actually see the donor and that can be quite confronting.
07:41Sometimes particularly young donors or traumatic losses.
07:45I really try honing on the recipient and what their life means and do they have grandkids or kids of their own
07:52and what it means for them to have another five years, have another ten years.
07:55Some hearts get thirty years.
07:58And once you start shifting the focus to the recipient's quality of life and what their goals are,
08:03that's the life that we're saving.
08:06But there are still no guarantees for Craig.
08:14It doesn't always go to plan.
08:16All right, unload and get into theatres.
08:19When we get in there, open up, have a look.
08:21If we will deem the heart not medically suitable and then we do cancel the whole transplant from there on.
08:30And at that point we have to close everything down and obviously tell Craig that it's not today.
08:35Let's see if someone will let us in.
08:38So, fingers crossed for Craig today.
08:46You're at St Vincent.
08:48Hold on buddy.
08:50There is no such thing as a typical day in ED.
08:52You can't pick how any day is going to be.
08:55I'm going to get you around for an x-ray.
08:56My role is to see people when they first come in and see what kind of treatment they need.
09:02No, no, no, she's not for you.
09:03I'm going to put a collar over just to keep your head nice and still okay.
09:06I work better when things are chaotic and loud and busy.
09:10Open your eyes, you're in hospital mate.
09:12But as an emergency nurse you've got to be prepared for anything.
09:14GAR 424, this is St Vincent Hospital, go ahead.
09:24We're coming from Bondi with a 53-year-old male who has had approximately a 3m fall from a ladder onto tile.
09:37There is a gentleman coming in that's fallen from a ladder.
09:39I'm going to be team leading this trauma.
09:44So get my sticker ready.
09:46Nurse Carly will be leading the team in the patient's urgent care.
09:51The trauma team is assembled.
09:52Everyone's got their roles, their responsibility.
09:55In critical situations we have to move quickly.
09:58Every year around 6,000 people in Australia are hospitalised after falling off ladders.
10:05Nearly 1 in 10 falls results in injury to the brain.
10:10He's a roofer, he was working on a kind of veranda roof above a balcony.
10:19He was on a ladder of approximately 2.5 to 3 metres high.
10:23Some timber slats have given way and he's fallen down.
10:27At some point on the way down he has had a head strike with a query compound fracture through the elbow and maybe a dislocation.
10:33He's received morphine, ketamine and methoxy.
10:36Don't move.
10:39The fall from a dangerous height means he could have suffered a brain or spinal injury.
10:45It's very important you don't move, okay?
10:48I know it feels a bit weird but we're going to do all the work and try to help us.
10:51Resuscitation nurse Yoon works with the doctor to replace the brace on the patient's neck to better protect it while they assess his injuries.
11:01The poor guy is in a lot of pain.
11:09Just figuring out what your injuries are does look like you've broken your arm, at least in one place.
11:22You can see the bone poking out which is something I really don't like to see.
11:27The patient's arm has been crushed on impact.
11:30Push against me.
11:32Yeah.
11:34But the team must also determine if he has suffered any life-threatening injuries.
11:38Brad, we're just going to take you around for a scan of your whole body, alright?
11:43We need to get him to CT to see what damage has been done but it's really not going to be easy.
11:48Alright, everyone's got a good hold.
11:50Yeah.
11:51We'll go on three.
11:53One, two, three.
11:54No!
11:55The worst case scenario is that he could have a bleed on his brain or he could be paralysed.
12:01Sorry, mate.
12:14In emergency...
12:15One, two, three.
12:17No.
12:18Nurse Carly is treating a patient who has fallen three metres off a ladder and is in extreme pain.
12:26It has landed on his arm and he has hit his head so he could have a bleed on his brain or he could have neck trauma or be paralysed.
12:35Sorry, mate.
12:39He's going to give you some more morphine.
12:42We really want to take the pain away but we need to follow procedures for his own sake.
12:45Uh, some water, alright?
12:47Sorry.
12:48Clean darling, alright?
12:49When we get back, we'll get a bit of ice.
12:50Just if that's broken and they need to take you to theatre, you can't have anything.
12:55The patient, Brad, needs to have a head-to-toe CT scan to check the extent of his injuries.
13:02Just lie there, we'll wheel you around.
13:07Getting the poor bugger into the CT machine is going to be hard because he's in a lot of pain.
13:11Unfortunately, we've got to roll you on and off. We've got to get these scans.
13:14Um, I don't know.
13:15I'll get you some more pain with the killer, darling.
13:17Yeah.
13:19So, you can go back down.
13:21And we're going to go across.
13:23You might need one more on that size.
13:26And then the board out on three.
13:28One, two, three.
13:33Oh, what's my arm, please?
13:34You got it, I got it.
13:36Oh, it's slow.
13:37It's because it's hanging off.
13:38We're going to strap it in, mate.
13:39When a patient's in a lot of pain, obviously, we give them as much channel G's you as they require.
13:44Oh, oh.
13:45And we just use a lot of reassurance and deep breathing.
13:47Oh.
13:48Is that all right there?
13:49Oh.
13:50No.
13:51Do you want it tighter?
13:52Yeah, it's going to have to be tighter.
13:53Oh.
13:54Oh.
13:55Sorry, mate.
13:56Oh, that's good.
13:57That's okay.
13:58That way.
13:59Oh.
14:00Oh.
14:03It's when it was on the side.
14:04Oh, I'm just giving you some more pain relief before they do it again.
14:08I'm going to give you some more morphine, darling, all right?
14:10Three, just please be careful.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Yeah, we've been careful, darling.
14:14A lot of our job is just letting people know that they're going to be okay and we're going
14:17to treat them, we're going to help them, we're going to get them feeling better.
14:20Yeah, we've been careful, darling.
14:22One, two, three.
14:25Is that all right?
14:26Yeah, yeah.
14:27You good?
14:29We get him there eventually.
14:38Can you see it?
14:40There you go.
14:42Fortunately for Brad, the CT scan shows that he has no brain or spinal injuries.
14:49But his arm is a different story.
14:52Oh, my goodness.
14:54Matt Sast strengthens are down.
14:55My phone is a little bit more than him or anybody.
14:56He's being able to do that.
14:57He's looking for the pain.
14:58He's missing at least.
14:59The time he gets him.
15:00My phone is Yakima.
15:01Oh, no.
15:02He's not being able to do that.
15:03The time he possibly has never done that.
15:04The time he's missing, he's missing out in the room.
15:05Oh, no.
15:06No, no, no.
15:07No, no, no, it's not happening.
15:08It's not happening.
15:09Oh, no.
15:10Hello, this is Craig for heart transplant.
15:16All the best, take care.
15:18Might see you later on down the track.
15:21But he won't know if the donor heart is viable
15:24until they hear from transplant coordinator Emily,
15:27who was retrieving the organ at another hospital.
15:31Alrighty, so all I'm going to do is hook you up to some monitoring, OK?
15:35Yep.
15:35It's an anxious wait for Craig,
15:37who has spent a year hoping for this day.
15:41Coming down here, I just felt like I'm being the best prepared
15:43that I could be.
15:45Yep, in the best kind of health and everything.
15:47Yes, yep.
15:49Now, all he can do is wait.
15:51We've been told it will probably be soon, but that's about it.
16:04Across Sydney...
16:06Just load up the van again.
16:08The transplant is on.
16:11After two hours in theatre,
16:12Emily and the team have successfully retrieved the donor heart.
16:16That's it.
16:18So, retrieval all went well so far, so good.
16:21But now they need to get it to St Vincent's as quickly as possible,
16:25while it's still viable.
16:29See the three, Kaya speaking.
16:31Hey, everyone.
16:32Scout nurse Kaya is one of five nurses who will care for Craig in the operating theatre.
16:38Oh, that's fine then.
16:39We'll be with you by 2.30.
16:42No worries.
16:43Bye.
16:46Oh, there we go.
16:48Cool.
16:48So, we just got the core that we could move in.
16:55One, two, three.
16:59So, now we're able to start setting up really quickly.
17:02It goes from zero to 100.
17:03The donor heart can only survive on ice for three hours, so timing is critical.
17:13The surgeons need to remove Craig's diseased heart so they can implant the donor heart as soon
17:30as it arrives.
17:31Clamp.
17:32It is precious cargo.
17:38As soon as that organ hits the ice, then the clock really starts ticking.
17:43Straight to ED.
17:47So, the pressure's now on us as a team to get the heart back to St Vincent's.
17:53The sooner, the better.
17:57Okay, cool.
17:58I've just gotten a call saying the heart's now minutes away.
18:02With the donor organ so close, it's time to take out Craig's ailing heart.
18:10He will be kept alive by a bypass machine that will replace the function of his heart and lungs.
18:18Is that on a bypass?
18:22Anything that goes wrong now can have fatal consequences.
18:32Amazingly, Craig's heart will continue to beat outside of his body for a short time due to its own electrical system.
18:46The heart keep quivering away and just eventually stop beating.
18:51Craig's chest is now empty.
18:53It's quite an incredible thing to see no heart in Craig's chest for a brief period of time.
19:00So, what's keeping him alive is the heart-lung machine.
19:03There's no going back now.
19:08The bypass machine can only be used as a temporary measure.
19:15Just waiting on the organs.
19:16They should be here any minute.
19:20I just went to check if the heart had arrived.
19:22It just hasn't yet.
19:24Right now, there's a bit of nervous energy in the room while we're waiting for the heart.
19:30Not yet, Nicole.
19:31Not yet.
19:32In emergency...
19:38Oh!
19:39This is not enough.
19:39Sorry, mate.
19:40Oh, that's good.
19:42That's good.
19:43That's good.
19:43Oh!
19:45Nurse Carly has taken a patient who has fallen three metres off a ladder for a CT scan.
19:52Can you see it?
19:54I need to go.
19:55Luckily, the scan indicates there is no head or spinal injuries,
20:00but the man's arm is another story.
20:03Oh, my goodness.
20:06It's very displaced.
20:07Yeah, I can see it.
20:09Trying to poke out of the skin.
20:11It's very broken and it's kind of going like this.
20:16Well done, darling.
20:16How are you going?
20:17You all right?
20:19Oh!
20:20Stop.
20:20That's it.
20:21So, Brad has completely snapped his humerus
20:24and it also looks like he's done his elbow as well.
20:26He's going to probably need pins and plates to get it back together.
20:32Yeah, he'll have to go to surgery as soon as I can get him in.
20:35We can't wait much longer.
20:40It's the way you reckon it will happen, mate.
20:43You'll have to go to theatre and have it fixed.
20:46For Rufa Brad, the news is devastating.
20:50It's the bones just sticking out or something, isn't it?
20:52It's snapped and so instead of it being straight like that,
20:56it's sort of going like this.
20:59Well, I'm f***ing up.
21:00Yeah.
21:02But yeah, it worked.
21:03You worked for yourself?
21:04I think the gravity of the situation has started to hit Brad.
21:07What, do you need to tell anyone you're here?
21:09As he waits to go to theatre,
21:11Carly helps Brad contact a family member.
21:14You have 57 missed calls and only three text messages.
21:17I don't look at the emails.
21:18You need to clear this thing out.
21:20Yeah, whatever.
21:216,976.
21:23There you go.
21:24Hello.
21:25There you go.
21:27I've done a job by myself.
21:29Fell off the ladder and broke my right arm.
21:33What if I said?
21:34Humorous.
21:35Yeah, it's very humorous.
21:38I love coming to work every day,
21:40being able to help people and make them feel better.
21:44How's the pain at the moment?
21:46It's okay.
21:47The people that are walking in the door,
21:51some of them think it is the worst day of their life.
21:53It's all about helping people.
21:55We want good outcomes.
21:56I'm just really trying.
21:59Yeah, I know.
21:59Do you want me to get you a bit of ice?
22:00Something.
22:01All right.
22:02Do you need to?
22:02Not in a mess.
22:04The plan for Brad now is ice
22:06and he's going to get prepped for surgery.
22:08Brad is taken to theatre,
22:14where orthopaedic surgeons will work to repair his shattered bones.
22:19It's difficult to say at this stage
22:20how much use he'll have back in his arm.
22:24It just all depends on how the surgery goes.
22:26Try to speak.
22:27That's for us to Brad.
22:29Brad is going under.
22:31But there is no rest for the team
22:34back in the emergency department.
22:46Paramedics are on their way
22:47with a young woman
22:48who was suffering a life-threatening seizure.
22:50I will be with you in five minutes, thanks.
22:54Copy clear.
22:57A trauma team quickly assembles.
23:00I'm going to get an airway pack and stuff.
23:02We're about to receive a young lady from a GP
23:04who's experienced a seizure.
23:07Seizures are electrical disturbances
23:09that happen in your brain
23:11that can affect breathing,
23:12can affect the cardiovascular system
23:14and potentially can cause you to die.
23:17Can I please get a warm-up?
23:18Thanks.
23:19Resuscitation nurse Yoon
23:22will be assisting doctors Judy Alford
23:24and Andrew Jones
23:25in the young woman's critical care.
23:29When you're dealing with life and death,
23:31it's very stressful.
23:32Do you want any more drots out?
23:34You just have to focus on your job
23:36and hope for the best.
23:39Alrighty.
23:40And over...
23:41Oh, three.
23:42One, two, three.
23:4724 hours, three miles.
23:49She's got a history of rigidity and dystonia condition.
23:52She was seizing for at least 20 to 30 minutes
23:55before we arrived.
23:56That's true.
23:58Yes.
23:59She's now verbal with us.
24:01She's answering questions about her pain level.
24:04That's good.
24:05We won't integrate this company.
24:06Maybe she doesn't need it.
24:07The patient is known to the emergency team.
24:11She suffers from a rare neurological disease
24:15known as progressive encephalomyelitis, or PERM.
24:19There are only around 100 known cases worldwide.
24:23PERM is characterised by quite severe muscle spasms and rigidity.
24:29It typically involves the brain stem as well,
24:31so it is potentially a life-threatening condition.
24:34She was at her doctor's surgery getting a flu-back shot.
24:37She received her flu-back shot,
24:39and then she had a reaction.
24:41Her condition can be set off by pain stimuli,
24:44and it seems her seizure may have been brought on
24:48by the pain of the vaccination.
24:51Was anyone with her?
24:53Anyone coming?
24:53Yeah, the dog and the wheelchair,
24:57so I think she's heading up.
24:59The patient's therapy dog, Maisie,
25:01is being rushed to the hospital to be with her.
25:04You're OK, you're ridiculous again.
25:08She's fortunately received midazolam on the way here,
25:11and she is improving.
25:12I guess we want to make sure
25:13that we're keeping her airways open,
25:15and monitoring her closely
25:17and giving her some supportive measures
25:18and some reassurance.
25:20It looks like you've had a good dose of bentoes.
25:23We just calmed things down for you, all right?
25:26The medication that has been administered
25:28has settled her painful spasms for now.
25:32She has had treatment by the paramedics,
25:35and it's helped her a lot,
25:37but she's still in the danger zone.
25:39She could have another seizure,
25:40and we just need to watch out for that.
25:42Great play as well.
25:44While watching her closely,
25:46the team also need to run some tests
25:48to determine whether her 30-minute seizure
25:51has caused any oxygen deprivation to her brain.
25:56In terms of blood, I think you just do a gas,
25:59electrolyze.
26:00The initial test we'd like to run
26:02the blood gas
26:02and having a look at her oxygen saturation.
26:05Also on her blood tests,
26:06we want to look at her markers
26:07of infection or inflammation.
26:09So we just watch and wait.
26:11We're certainly concerned
26:12that there is potential for deterioration,
26:15and we need to monitor her very closely
26:17to make sure that she doesn't get any worse.
26:20While they wait for the test results,
26:22her therapy dog, Maisie, arrives.
26:24Therapy dogs are assigned for specific conditions.
26:32Maisie is trained to sit up on the patient's lap
26:35if she detects signs of an oncoming seizure.
26:38The dogs just jump, so we know now that seizure is imminent.
26:48Maisie is right.
26:50She's taken a turn for the worse.
26:52We'll sort it out as soon as possible, OK?
26:57The worst-case scenario is her to lose her airway.
27:01Seizures can cause that,
27:02and if she loses her airway,
27:04stop her breathing,
27:05can't oxygenate her brain or her heart.
27:07We have to make sure that that doesn't happen.
27:18You're in quiet as well.
27:20In emergency, a young woman's dog, Maisie,
27:24has alerted the team to her oncoming seizure.
27:27The therapy dog is trained to recognise
27:30the symptoms of having a seizure.
27:32Good girl.
27:34The patient's painful seizures
27:35are caused by a rare neurological condition.
27:40Oh, dear.
27:42She's breathing quite shallow.
27:45Respiratory rate is elevated,
27:46which are some red flags for us.
27:50But luckily, she's in safe hands.
27:54That's the one with that.
27:55That might be a good idea.
27:56Let's give it to 2.5.
27:572.5?
27:58Yeah.
27:58OK.
28:00A midazolam can be a relaxing agent
28:02that can help to settle
28:03the firm, tight muscle condition
28:05that she's developed.
28:06If the medication doesn't work,
28:13they'll have to resort to intubation,
28:15which carries its own risks.
28:17Yeah.
28:18So, I'll see you guys.
28:19Come on.
28:25The anti-convulsant drug starts to work.
28:30There you go, sweetie.
28:31And has prevented her
28:33from going into respiratory arrest.
28:37What?
28:38Just giving it a flush, OK?
28:42It's never easy seeing anyone
28:43go through a seizure,
28:44but due to a condition,
28:48regularly has these seizures.
28:49So, it's really sad
28:50for someone to experience so much pain.
28:52The seizure has placed
28:54major stress on her body,
28:56so now she needs to rest and recover.
28:59Let you rest for a while, OK?
29:04OK.
29:04I'll be back.
29:05Any medical condition
29:07you come into hospital with
29:08is scary.
29:10It's important to provide medical care,
29:12but it's also important
29:13to show compassion.
29:15Just pushing in slow, OK?
29:18Making sure they're emotionally OK.
29:20Providing that support
29:21is just as important
29:22as giving them the initial treatment.
29:24Does that hurt?
29:25Want to put something?
29:26Huh?
29:28Seizures have passed.
29:30Blood results are OK,
29:31so she'll be able
29:32to go home soon.
29:33With the patient now stable,
29:35her loyal dog, Maisie,
29:36is also having
29:38a well-earned rest.
29:40I think therapy dogs are great.
29:42Seeing one come into the hospital
29:43is always a warm welcome.
29:45I mean, dogs are amazing in general.
29:47They provide you with comfort,
29:48companionship,
29:49but I think Maisie's
29:50extra-amazing
29:51because it also helps
29:52with medical condition
29:53and it's very invaluable.
30:13In theatre
30:14at the Heart Lung Clinic,
30:16the surgical team
30:17have removed Craig's
30:18ailing heart.
30:19in preparation
30:24for his new donor heart,
30:26which has just arrived
30:29at the hospital.
30:31Thanks, Dave.
30:33They've made it,
30:34but the heart won't survive
30:36for much longer on ice,
30:37so it's headed straight
30:38to the operating theatre.
30:41All right,
30:42that's patient
30:42you've got on the table
30:43and the AVO.
30:44So the heart's
30:55just been milled in
30:56on ice,
30:57so we need to move
30:59quite quickly
30:59to reimplant his donor heart.
31:01Our time is quite precious
31:02at the moment.
31:06Craig's new heart
31:07is ready.
31:08The heart's gone
31:26into the patient.
31:31And now they're just
31:32anastomosing
31:33the major vessels,
31:35which is when we join
31:36one structure
31:37to the other.
31:38While surgeons
31:43begin the delicate process
31:44connecting the vessels
31:46of the donor heart,
31:47Hi, is that Jenny speaking?
31:49Transplant coordinator
31:50Emily makes a special
31:52call to his sister.
31:54It's good news.
31:56It's all going ahead
31:57for him today.
31:58When it comes
31:59to that phone call,
32:00it's normally
32:01quite emotionally fuelled
32:03and to be the person
32:04that makes that call,
32:05yeah, it's definitely
32:06a privilege.
32:07You're up in Queensland,
32:09I hear.
32:10So, yeah,
32:11I always enjoy that bit,
32:12no matter what time
32:13the night is.
32:14He will be very well
32:15looked after.
32:20After almost
32:21two hours in theatre,
32:22it's time to see
32:23and see if Craig's new heart
32:25will beat by itself.
32:35Bloods off.
32:37Rings off,
32:38still in the heart.
32:41So right now,
32:42there's a bit of nervous energy
32:43in the room.
32:44We're just waiting
32:45and hoping now
32:47that the heart
32:47will start beating.
32:48It's quite intense
32:55just waiting
32:55for the new heart
32:56to take.
32:57It's a really
32:58crucial time
32:59right now.
33:04It's been close
33:05to a minute
33:06and the heart
33:07isn't beating.
33:08Over in theatre two,
33:23Craig's heart transplant
33:25is still underway.
33:26The team
33:30are anxiously
33:30waiting to see
33:31if his new donor heart
33:33will beat
33:33inside his chest.
33:37Bloods off.
33:39Rings off,
33:40still in the heart.
33:44It's quite intense
33:45just waiting
33:46for the new heart
33:47to take.
33:47It's a really
33:48crucial time
33:49right now.
33:56If you just look
34:05on the top reading,
34:07that's like
34:07the cushion's
34:08beating.
34:09Yeah,
34:09his heart beating.
34:11Which you can see
34:12also on the screen
34:12over there.
34:19It's incredible
34:19to see
34:20Craig's heart beating.
34:23What a gift
34:24someone else
34:25has given him
34:25today.
34:26It's very special.
34:28With his new
34:29heart beating well,
34:31the surgeons
34:31begin closing
34:32Craig's chest.
34:38I just wanted
34:39to please hand
34:40over to Craig
34:40after the heart
34:41transplant.
34:42Craig will go
34:43to our ICU
34:44and then the
34:46nursing teams
34:47there will take
34:47over.
34:48Take good care
34:49of him.
34:50It's a privilege
34:51to be part of
34:52this team
34:52and give Craig
34:54a new heart
34:54today.
34:55It's a really,
34:55really great
34:56outcome.
34:57So we're all
34:57feeling very good,
34:58very happy.
35:00It's been a good
35:01day.
35:02The surgery
35:03has gone well
35:04but the nurses
35:05in intensive care
35:06will need to
35:07monitor Craig
35:08closely.
35:08transplant surgery.
35:13Transplant surgery
35:14itself comes with
35:14huge risks of
35:15bleeding and
35:16stroke.
35:19Obviously until we
35:20know Craig is stable
35:21post-operatively in
35:22intensive care, that
35:23kind of first 24 hours
35:25is really critical for
35:26him.
35:27when you've been
35:29involved in the
35:30retrieval side of
35:31someone's transplant,
35:32I feel kind of
35:33responsible that it
35:34goes well and
35:35until I see him
35:36tomorrow in an ICU
35:37and know that
35:38things are trending
35:39along the right
35:40way, it is an
35:41anxious wait.
35:42patient Brad fell
35:55off a ladder from a
35:56balcony and is on
35:57his way to theatre in
35:59the hopes that
35:59orthopaedic surgeons
36:00can repair his
36:02crushed arm.
36:03So Brad has
36:04completely snapped
36:05his humerus and it
36:06also looks like he's
36:07done his elbow as
36:08well.
36:09Brad is a roofer by
36:10trade so his
36:11livelihood is at
36:12stake.
36:14Nice deep breath
36:14for us there, Brad.
36:16One, two, three.
36:19One, two.
36:22Perioperative nurse
36:23Nikita will be
36:24leading the nursing
36:25team in the surgery.
36:27So today I'm being
36:28the scalp which
36:29means I'm running
36:30around getting
36:31everything that the
36:33surgeon needs.
36:33Two, two blades.
36:36Orthopaedics is
36:37very intense.
36:39Your patients are at
36:40their most vulnerable
36:40so you have to be on
36:42your game all the
36:43time.
36:47Beautiful.
36:49I think Brad's
36:50injury would be so
36:52painful.
36:53He's got two
36:54fractures and it's a
36:56nasty injury.
36:58This is definitely
36:58quite an intense
36:59trauma.
37:03The surgery will
37:04involve putting plates
37:05and pins in Brad's
37:07arm and elbow.
37:09So probably a little
37:09small plate down
37:10there.
37:10Yeah.
37:12Yeah.
37:18First the surgeons
37:19must examine the injury
37:20to assess the extent
37:22of the damage.
37:26Usually you find with
37:27anything that's a
37:28trauma, the surgeons
37:29have to do a lot of
37:30exploring.
37:31They need to, you know,
37:32make sure that there's no
37:32nerve damage, they need
37:33to make sure that
37:34there's no vessel
37:34damage.
37:39Once they reach the
37:40broken bones, the
37:43surgeons can start
37:45fixing Brad's arm.
37:47Use the x-ray to see
37:49where we've aligned the
37:50fracture so that it's
37:51anatomically correct.
37:55Once aligned,
37:57screws will hold the
37:58bones in place so that
37:59Brad can hopefully use
38:01his arm.
38:04But working with
38:05power tools to drill
38:07into bone doesn't
38:10always go to plan.
38:12We have a little
38:12issue where one of
38:13our drill bits broke.
38:14We do have this
38:15happen quite often when
38:16patients have got really
38:17strong bone.
38:19The drill bit actually
38:20isn't strong enough to
38:21actually go through, so
38:22this gentleman has got
38:23very strong bones.
38:28After hours of cutting,
38:30drilling and pinning, the
38:33surgeons have rebuilt
38:35Brad's shattered arm.
38:41I love orthopaedic, so
38:43this is my favourite
38:43specialty.
38:45It's one of my favourites
38:46because it's very clear
38:47cut.
38:48It's broken and we can put
38:50it back together and 9 out
38:52of 10 that patient's going
38:53to be back to normal again.
38:55And we're done.
38:56Yay!
39:01We had a great result with
39:02Brad.
39:03Bones are put back together
39:04and there was no damage done
39:06to his nerves.
39:07Brad, hello.
39:09All finished.
39:11So after I think about
39:12six or eight weeks,
39:13depending on Brad,
39:15he should be back to normal,
39:16back on the tools.
39:17Now that we're finally done,
39:22it's cleaning time.
39:23And then we get ready
39:23for the next surgery.
39:25Good job, sister.
39:27I love being a nurse
39:29and I think that all the
39:30nurses will agree with me
39:31when we say we don't do it
39:33for the glory.
39:35We actually just do it
39:35because we genuinely love
39:37what we do and we love
39:38caring for people and making
39:40sure that everything works
39:41out well for them.
39:41I actually can't imagine
39:43myself doing anything else
39:46than being a theatre nurse.
39:49Okay, bye.
39:50Thanks for today.
39:51It's the morning after Craig
40:11received his new heart
40:12and Transplant Coordinator Emily
40:14is keen to check on his condition.
40:18We're on route to ICU.
40:20It's a level five.
40:21to check in on Craig.
40:24He's only just sort of
40:26about 14 hours close to up now.
40:30Being a Transplant Coordinator
40:31comes with the highs and the lows.
40:34The highs are finding them
40:35an organ and the lows of those
40:38that sadly don't always make it
40:40post-transplant.
40:4117.
40:42Bad day is when you go up to ICU
40:45and see them with their family
40:46at their bedside
40:47and you kind of know
40:49things aren't going the right way.
40:50They're pulling out on the patient
40:53because there's nothing else
40:55we can do.
40:55So, fingers crossed for Craig today.
40:59Hello, hello.
41:02Hi, Craig.
41:03How are you going?
41:06I'm not here to bother you too long, but...
41:08You're all right.
41:09You look great.
41:10I feel good.
41:10And pains and under control.
41:12It's all good.
41:13It's all good, yeah.
41:13It's all okay.
41:14You're only just 14 hours post-op.
41:16Yeah, that's right.
41:17So, yeah, you're doing amazingly.
41:20All that gym work
41:21paid off, hey?
41:22Yeah, well, that's right.
41:23It helps you get...
41:23It helps you get through
41:24these big surgeries.
41:25Yeah, it's good.
41:26Yeah.
41:26I won't pest you too much.
41:28We've got a long way to go,
41:29but, yeah,
41:30it's all moving
41:31in the right direction.
41:32Yeah.
41:32All right, well, keep it up.
41:33You look great.
41:34So, no worries.
41:36Cheers, guys.
41:38Looks good, huh?
41:39From yesterday.
41:41Yeah, day one post-transplant
41:44for him to look like that.
41:45I mean, he's not even 24 hours yet.
41:46So, yeah, thanks to the work, obviously,
41:49of our surgeons
41:50and wonderful ICU team.
41:57Hi, it's Jen here for Craig.
41:59Craig's sister, Jennifer,
42:00didn't know if she'd see
42:02her brother again.
42:03Now she's flown from Queensland
42:05to find out he's doing okay.
42:08Hello.
42:10Hello, darling.
42:13Good to see you.
42:14So good to see you too.
42:16Yeah.
42:17Yeah, doing good.
42:18Doing good.
42:18You look great.
42:19Yeah.
42:20Yeah, no.
42:21Oh.
42:23It's just amazing.
42:25Just amazing.
42:26The whole...
42:27Yeah.
42:27Nursing, it's a lot more
42:31than the stereotypical bedside nurse
42:34in that patients become
42:36like a small family,
42:37a small unit.
42:39And we are involved in their care
42:41at so many different points
42:43in their life
42:43other than at the bedside.
42:45But I can feel
42:46your fingers pumping.
42:49Yeah.
42:49Pulsing.
42:49Yeah.
42:50It's strong.
42:52The impact that you have
42:53on someone's life
42:54isn't generally at the bedside.
42:56It's that conversation
42:57that you've had with them
42:57at 2 o'clock in the morning.
42:59It's the breaking the good news,
43:00breaking the bad news,
43:02sitting down,
43:03not with the patient,
43:03but their husband
43:05or their sister.
43:07It's all those little hidden bits
43:09that go on
43:10in between giving IV medications
43:12and dressing changes.
43:14And I think that's what
43:15patients, I hope,
43:17remember of us
43:18is where we stepped in
43:19in their life
43:20and what changed
43:22from there on.
43:23Yeah.
43:24It's good.
43:27Got a future now.
43:29Rise up, rise up
43:31Open your heart
43:34and greet the day
43:35As a transplant coordinator,
43:37you feel that you've given
43:39them the lifeline,
43:40you've given them
43:40the second least of life,
43:42but that's just where
43:43the journey starts for them.
43:46We fixate on this whiteboard
43:48out here.
43:49I don't know if you can see it
43:50on our numbers.
43:51So it's a good feeling
43:53to come back from a retrieval,
43:54update the whiteboard.
43:56So that's 23 transplants
43:58for the year.
44:00I couldn't imagine doing
44:01a job that's any more rewarding
44:02than what I do now.
44:03No worries.
44:06Cheers, guys.
44:07Do you want me to do airway?
44:08Yeah.
44:09And working together
44:10as a team in emergency
44:11and stabilising someone.
44:13All right, mate.
44:14Just don't move your neck, OK?
44:15And then hearing later
44:17that they've gotten out of hospital
44:18is one of the best parts
44:20of their job.
44:21It's why I became a nurse.
44:25The most rewarding thing for me
44:26is being able to care for people
44:28when they need it the most.
44:30It's such a privilege
44:31to be a nurse.
44:32I couldn't see myself
44:34doing anything else.
44:35This is me.
44:36Risen, risen, risen, risen.
44:42Risen, risen, risen.
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