Make or Break

The specialists at Southampton work together to treat three patients who are suffering from life- and limb-threatening injuries.

Fifty-five-year-old Chris is airlifted to hospital after a motorcycle accident, where he was thrown from his bike into a car windscreen. Critically ill, he arrives in resus as 'code red', meaning he has lost so much blood he’s in danger of a cardiac arrest. It’s trauma team leader Ursula Hartley’s job to bring together the team to save his life.

The trauma department’s next patient, 72-year-old Frank, has fallen down a few stairs at home. The mishap has resulted in a spiral fracture – a long twisting break down Frank’s tibia. After being scheduled for an urgent operation, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon Simon Tilley plans to fix the break by putting a metal nail in the broken bone. But just before the operation, Simon discovers a fracture blister at the site.

Finally, 19-year-old Hayden is rushed to Southampton after crashing his motorbike into a tractor. Trauma team leader Alasdair Moffat is in charge of co-ordinating the response of 15 specialists who assemble to save Hayden’s life.