🎙️ Episode 1: The Pitt Debrief 

Duration: ~74 minutes

Hosts: Shreyas, Pramod, and Caroline

Topic: Podcast relaunch, clinical updates, and our review and take-homes from The Pitt, Episode 1.
Show notes generated with AI assistance.

🎞️ Episode Synopsis 

In this debut of The Critical Debrief, the team reflects on personal changes and the transition from Network 5 to a more independent, creative podcasting approach. The core of the episode unpacks the clinical realism and challenges featured in The Pitt, using it as a springboard for nuanced discussions about real emergency medicine, ethics, teamwork, and clinical procedures.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro
• 14:00 – Updates segment: Staff turnover and patient mortality
• 23:00 – Chance fractures in children
• 38:00 – NGT insertion in children – NSW Health policy
• 45:00 – Main segment: The Pitt – Is it real?
• 50:00 – Involuntary detention – ethics and law
• 57:00 – Hyperkalaemic arrest
• 1:05:00 – Tamponade and pericardiocentesis
• 1:12:00 – Rhabdomyolysis and renal failure

📚 References & Resources (in order of discussion)

1. BMJ Open (2023) – Nurse and doctor turnover and patient outcomes in NHS acute trusts in England

🔗 Nurse and doctor turnover and patient outcomes in NHS acute trusts in England: retrospective longitudinal study | The BMJ

⏱️ ~14:00

2. Meta-analysis: Intra-abdominal injuries in Chance fractures

🔗 A meta-analysis of the incidence of intra-abdominal injuries associated with thoracic or lumbar flexion-distraction injuries - PubMed

⏱️ ~23:00

• Summary of 8 retrospective studies (no direct source linked)
• Key figure: 55% intra-abdominal injury rate in paediatrics

3. NSW Health Policy (2025) – Nasogastric and Orogastric Tube Insertion and Management in Neonates, Infants and Children

🔗 Nasogastric and Orogastric Tube Insertion and Management in Neonates, Infants and Children

⏱️ ~38:00

• Confirm NGT position based on pH < 4 with approved strips
• X-rays not routinely required

4. The Pitt – TV Series

⏱️ ~45:00

• Used as a case-based teaching tool for this episode
• Discussion includes realism, pace, portrayals of ED culture

5. NSW Mental Health Act (2007)

🔗 https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2007-008

⏱️ ~50:00

• Discussed in the context of involuntary detention criteria

6. NSW Capacity Toolkit

🔗 Capacity Toolkit | Communities and Justice

⏱️ ~50:00
 
7. ACI Emergency Procedures App

🔗 https://app.emergencyprocedures.org/

⏱️ ~1:05:00

• Referenced during the pericardiocentesis segment
• Contains guidance, videos, and checklists

8. Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Scores

🔗 https://www.pressganey.com/

🔗 JAMA Study – Fenton et al. (2012)

⏱️ ~47:00

• Debated as a metric for quality care
• Study showed association with increased hospitalisation and mortality

📬 Contact the Team

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📧 hello@n5em.com

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