0:00:02 > 0:00:03SIREN WAILS
0:00:03 > 0:00:04Hand versus chainsaw.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06That looks painful.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10Our hospitals are taking care of more patients than ever...
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Are you all right?
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- No.- Oh, poppet!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17..with medical teams under constant pressure...
0:00:17 > 0:00:18BEEPING
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Can the doctor come to Resus, please?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Somebody as poorly as this little one,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24we really need to treat them quickly.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27..to meet our expectations.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30I'm just worried about what he's going to be like afterwards.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33But there's a crucial member of the team we sometimes forget...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I've never, ever been on a bed like this.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38..the hospital bed.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Another ward, another story, another bed.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- Yeah.- Agh!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47In our lifetime,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50we are likely to need one of them at least three times.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I've probably spent a quarter of my life on a hospital bed.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58In this series, our cameras have been given unprecedented access
0:00:58 > 0:01:02to beds in four very different hospitals across the country.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04It's life. Life and death.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07And everything that goes in between.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09We'll see the world through the bed's eyes...
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Hello, my love! Hiya!
0:01:11 > 0:01:13..as they share the most challenging...
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I don't know what to do. I don't know.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17..most intimate...
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- OK.- All right.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22I know.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23..and most rewarding...
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Happy birthday!
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Ain't hospitals wonderful?
0:01:27 > 0:01:29..moments of our lives.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Thank you for being here.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32I wouldn't have been anywhere else.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35A hospital cannot function without beds.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Beds are vital.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40This is The Secret Life of the Hospital Bed.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital has 9,000 staff,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56working around the clock to look after anyone who falls ill.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Can I have one of your beds, David?
0:02:02 > 0:02:05This is the hospital day surgery unit.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07It treats around 500 patients every week.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Just closing some of his stitches.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14The day surgery beds are a small army of intensive shift workers
0:02:14 > 0:02:16that are on duty 12 hours a day.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Today, day surgery bed 40
0:02:21 > 0:02:24will be with 44-year-old Lisa O'Nions
0:02:24 > 0:02:26who's here for a life-saving procedure.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27ALL TALK
0:02:29 > 0:02:31All right, then.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32I had to get the dash in there
0:02:32 > 0:02:34- cos I pronounced it wrong, so I do apologise.- Oh, don't worry.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36- You get that a lot, don't you? - Yes, yes.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38- Own-ions. Onions. - LAUGHTER
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- But I answer to O'Nions. - I had to ask. I was like...
0:02:40 > 0:02:41we weren't too sure.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47Lisa has a serious heart defect and needs a pacemaker to keep her alive.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Sometimes, I do get a little bit angry with myself,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52I suppose, really. Cos I think,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54well, I don't drink, I don't smoke,
0:02:54 > 0:02:59I exercise regularly, I eat well - healthily.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Why me? But, at the end of the day, you sort of have to deal with it.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05It's there. It's not going to go away.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And, actually, it's keeping me alive now,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10so just get on with it.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Today, Lisa is having the battery changed on her current pacemaker.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Do you have a list of medication?
0:03:19 > 0:03:20I don't have any.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- No meds?- I'm a good girl.- Ooh!
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Nurse MacDonald is dealing with Lisa's pre-op care.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29- Just a bit about your past medical history.- OK.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So, the reason the pacemaker was put in?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Sick sinus syndrome.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Is that from a child, or...?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Well, they found it when I was 23.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39- Oh, OK. Just irregular heartbeat? - Just irregular heartbeat.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43I was just going for a routine check-up for some medication
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and my GP found that I've got an irregular heartbeat.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49- Oh, OK. - And it picked up from there.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50- Rhythm.- Mm.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57Only 2% of pacemakers are fitted in people under the age of 45.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00If Lisa's condition hadn't been picked up by her GP,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02she wouldn't be alive today.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04THEY TALK
0:04:04 > 0:04:05And your next of kin?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Stuart O'Nions. That's my husband.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Is he coming with you?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11He's going to come up
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- once I've had the procedure done. - Yeah, yeah. That's fine.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Cos I said, "Well, you'll probably be...
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- "so to speak, in the way". - NURSE LAUGHS
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I didn't know that my hubby could be here, you see.
0:04:20 > 0:04:21- Yeah, yeah.- That's why I said...
0:04:21 > 0:04:23- Has he got a job where he can just nip out, then?- Yeah, yeah.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It might keep you...
0:04:26 > 0:04:28When am I scheduled to go down?
0:04:28 > 0:04:29I've just got to double-check the list.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32I don't know how I'm going to let him know.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Do I just let him know afterwards?
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Do you want to text him now the number?
0:04:35 > 0:04:36- Oh, do you mind?- Yeah, of course.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Lisa married her husband, Stuart, 20 years ago.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42She wanted him to be here.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45But, for now, she's facing the operation on her own.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Can your wedding band come off, or do you want it taped?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- I'll have it taped, if that's OK.- Yeah.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And the one on my toe as well, please, if that's OK.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55- Is that a wedding band on your toe, too?- Yeah.- Is it?!
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Is it like a special ceremony you had?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- LAUGHTER - Is it not?
0:04:59 > 0:05:02We went into the wedding ring centre in Florida
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and he said, "I've never sized up somebody's toe before."
0:05:05 > 0:05:06LAUGHTER
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I've never seen a wedding band on a toe, I'm not going to lie.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- LAUGHTER - It's very unusual.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Oh, that's cool.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14You'll have to glitz up those toes,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- won't you, every year, every anniversary?- I've took all...
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- Yes. - LAUGHTER
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Can I pop just a little bit of tape here?
0:05:22 > 0:05:25And I'm going to go towards the toe, is that all right?
0:05:25 > 0:05:26LAUGHTER
0:05:28 > 0:05:30LAUGHTER
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I've just never seen a wedding band on a toe. Honestly!
0:05:33 > 0:05:35That's it. It doesn't come off.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36LAUGHTER
0:05:37 > 0:05:39THEY TALK
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Professor Leyva, an expert in cardiac devices,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45will be carrying out the operation.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47We know that, when you are not pacing, you just stop.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- Isn't it?- That's right, yeah.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52So, to be absolutely sure, we'll just put in a temporary wire.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And that just covers us
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- during the process of changing the box.- I know, when you're switching.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02OK. I wondered how that was going to work, cos I thought, you know...
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- Yeah. No, that's the safest way to do it.- That explains it.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Changing a battery on a pacemaker
0:06:06 > 0:06:10is an intricate procedure that can take up to an hour.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14And do you know whether you'll be using the same scar?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Yeah, I'll just use the same scar.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17I'll have a look.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20If I need to add another one, I might have to.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- OK.- But I'll try not to.- OK.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- OK.- OK?- Thank you.- Very good.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- See you soon.- Very good.- Thank you.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37It's 2pm.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Husband Stuart hasn't arrived yet,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43but Lisa's friend Kay, from school, works at the hospital.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46ALL TALK
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- THEY MURMUR - I'll go and get it now.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- You've done this before.- I know.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I know. Thank you. Thanks for coming to see me.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Day surgery bed 40 takes Lisa to theatre.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14I think Stuart might be on his way, so...
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Yeah. Yeah.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22In the next hour, Lisa will have her pacemaker renewed...
0:07:25 > 0:07:27..to keep her alive.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28See ya.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45The Royal Victoria Infirmary in the heart of Newcastle.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50It's one of only five UK centres to offer emergency consultant care
0:07:50 > 0:07:5124 hours a day.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55These A&E beds work the hardest,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59seeing more patients than any other hospital bed.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01On average, ten a day.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03That guy's been discharged now.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- He's got an outpatient appointment with us.- Champion.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Eight-year-old Mason's been treated here many times
0:08:10 > 0:08:13for an ongoing condition - pressure on the brain.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18But today it's his dad, Lee, who's waiting to be seen.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's not the first time he's been to A&E.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23I'm a little bit accident-prone, you could say.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Operations, snapped fingers...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30broken bones.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Cos I'm always doing daft things, is that right?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- Yeah.- Aye, thought it was. - LAUGHTER
0:08:36 > 0:08:42I've got suspected broken ribs and two bite marks on my back.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43It was just...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46stupidity, really. Just friends being daft.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53A&E bed 15 is ready for its next patient.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Mason and mum Michaela will be Lee's bedside support.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Hello. Is it Lee?
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- Yeah.- Right, come and have a seat up here.- Yeah.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I'm Bob Jarman, one of the consultants.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10Consultant Mr Jarman has 13 years' experience in emergency medicine.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13He'll assess whether Lee's ribs have been broken.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- And what's your name?- Mason.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- This is Mason.- Mason, OK.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21So, I'm going to ask your dad a few...
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Is he your dad, I presume? You're not his dad?
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- I am.- You're his dad?- Mm-hm. - Oh, right. OK.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28OK, what I'm going to do... Let's you examine you now.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- I'll just close the door.- Yep.- Just so nobody can see us examine you.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- I'll close the door. - And then we'll do that. OK?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Good boy. That's right, Mason. OK, well trained.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37What a helper.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45So, yeah, somebody's decided to have you for supper, then, eh?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Ah, yeah, a snack.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49So, let's just have a little feel.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- I'm just going to feel in the middle.- Yeah.- OK?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- All right down there, yeah?- Yeah.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I'll just have a little feel here.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58- LEE WINCES - Is that sore, yeah?- Mm-hm.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So, you can see there's a couple of bite marks
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- that have pushed it over a little bit now.- Mm-hm.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04There's also some bruises there,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- where it looks as if you might have been grappled a bit.- Mm-hm.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Let's just have a little feel on this side.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Can you just take a deep breath in for me?
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- LEE INHALES DEEPLY - Agh!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- Again. - LEE INHALES DEEPLY
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Ah, OK.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27OK. Can you just rest yourself back?
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Just be careful, cos it's got to be slow.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Oh, it's going to be. Oh, yeah.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Mm.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I think what I'm going to do is go and to get my little sound machine
0:10:37 > 0:10:39and we're just going to check that there's no evidence
0:10:39 > 0:10:42of your lung being collapsed down, or any blood down the bottom.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- Right.- If that's OK, then that's good.- Right.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- OK. I'll come back in a few minutes.- No problem, thank you.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'It looks as if he has got some trauma to his chest.'
0:10:52 > 0:10:54There are bite marks on one side,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57some bruises and he's also tender
0:10:57 > 0:10:59with bruising to the side of his chest, too.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02So, the most important thing is that we need to rule out
0:11:02 > 0:11:05things that may be serious, like a collapsed lung,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08or bleeding around the lung itself.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12And human bites can get infected with bacteria.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17And they can also transmit viruses between humans, too.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22To see two big bites to his chest is quite unusual, to be fair.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29Between them, Lee and son Mason have been in hospital more than 30 times.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Dad, how many times have you been in this hospital?
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Er...
0:11:36 > 0:11:37A few times, son.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I've probably spent a quarter of my life on a hospital bed.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Try and guess how many times I've been in.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I think I've lost count.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49How many was it? 200 more.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Have you ever snapped your finger?
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I don't think I have. I don't think I've had a broken finger.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57I'll tell you if you have.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Does any fingers look like that?
0:12:01 > 0:12:02Don't think so.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- Ah, Dad, it still hurts.- Does it?
0:12:06 > 0:12:08- Aye.- What is it?
0:12:08 > 0:12:09- Look, that.- Oh!
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Lee will have to stay on A&E bed 15 for further assessment.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Next door, at the Great North Children's Hospital,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31is the paediatric emergency department.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- PHONE RINGS - Hello, PED EME.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Its nine A&E beds are smaller,
0:12:36 > 0:12:41but they work around the clock to care for the under-16s.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43We have nine beds in total.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44We've got six cubicles
0:12:44 > 0:12:48and then we've got three monitoring beds behind us here.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51The monitoring beds are used as a step down from Resus,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55so for sick children that need a bit more one-on-one care.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00Today, paediatric A&E bed 27 is expecting a four-year-old.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- So, if I can get Theon to have a seat on the bed.- Yeah, sure.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Parents Sarah and Mark have rushed their son, Theon,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12to the emergency department with stomach pain.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13Less than a month ago,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16he had emergency surgery to remove a bowel blockage.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20He's being assessed by Nurse McGee.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Whilst on holiday in Dubai, we thought he had a little tummy bug...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- Uh-huh.- ..which turned into something a bit more sinister.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- He actually had a intussusception in his bowel.- Uh-huh.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- So, he's had part of his intestine removed out there.- OK.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And everything's been doing great up until last night,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38when he started getting a bit of
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- loose bowel movements, with no pain.- OK.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43But today he's complained quite a lot of the pain
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and on the scar tissue across.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- And has he had loose stools this morning as well?- Yeah.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49The thing is, it's a similar colour to what it was
0:13:49 > 0:13:51the day before it all kicked off.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- Right.- So, that's why we're just... - It was quite mucusy.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56So, we just want to make sure he's all right.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Can we take your jacket off, darling?
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- I don't want to... - ALL TALK
0:14:08 > 0:14:09Oh, don't cry. It's OK!
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Oh, listen. It's the tickly one.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16- Do you remember the one you liked? - ALL TALK
0:14:16 > 0:14:18It won't hurt. I promise it won't hurt.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19This one won't hurt.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Intussusception is the most common cause of bowel blockages
0:14:23 > 0:14:24in young children.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28If left untreated,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31this condition can lead to death in less than five days.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Wow. That's OK.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- Ooh! - MACHINE BEEPS
0:14:36 > 0:14:38- HE SNIFFLES - You've been very brave.- Don't cry.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44'We were just at the pool and it was a normal day'
0:14:44 > 0:14:48on our nice holiday, and he started saying he had a bit of tummy pain
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and felt a little bit sick, so, Mark took him out of the pool
0:14:50 > 0:14:51and he was sick and we thought,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53oh, maybe he's just had too many milkshakes.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55- The hotel had a...- Medical centre. - It had a medical centre,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57so we just went down to see them.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58They didn't even check him.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00They just said he needs to go to hospital straightaway,
0:15:00 > 0:15:01something's not right.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05We got sent to the hospital and they did ultrasound and an X-ray,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08which showed that he had this blockage in his bowel.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11The surgeon came out and said he needed surgery there and then,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15cos the situation he was in, it was like a life-saving operation,
0:15:15 > 0:15:16it was urgent surgery.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Just when you get a couple of symptoms that were very similar
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- to what happened before... - THEON SNEEZES
0:15:21 > 0:15:22..when it's happened in Dubai,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- you sort of get a little bit... - HE PLAYS AND LAUGHS
0:15:24 > 0:15:25..nervous.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29An X-ray is the only way of determining
0:15:29 > 0:15:31four-year-old Theon's condition.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'They're doing some more images of his abdomen, you know,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'seeing if the bowel and the intestine and everything
0:15:38 > 0:15:42'is working as it should be. You worry.'
0:15:42 > 0:15:43You hope to God that it's not...
0:15:43 > 0:15:46we're not going down the same route as before, with this obstruction.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49In less than an hour,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52the results will reveal if young Theon's life is at risk again.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06In Birmingham's day surgery unit,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09bed 40 is taking 44-year-old Lisa for her heart operation.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12- Sorry.- Yeah.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22She's having a new battery fitted to her pacemaker.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Without it, she wouldn't be alive.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27OK, that's good.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- You OK?- Yeah.- All right.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Well, we're just going to have a look at the device
0:16:31 > 0:16:32and see what it's doing.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Local anaesthetic will be about three milligrams...
0:16:36 > 0:16:38If you're anxious, we'll give you more.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Yeah.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42- I think that might be better.- Yeah.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- Don't worry. You'll be fine. - OK.- Good, excellent.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Cardiologist Professor Leyva is in charge.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Lisa will be sedated, but awake throughout.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57'This lady has had a pacemaker in for quite some years, since 1998.'
0:16:57 > 0:16:58And what we're trying to do
0:16:58 > 0:17:00is just to change the battery.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03We take out the whole pacemaker and put a new one in.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'It's less common at her age.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08'It's mainly in the 60, 70, 80-year-olds,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11'it's much more common to have pacemakers.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12'So, we're just checking, at the moment,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15'that her own heart is actually beating'
0:17:15 > 0:17:16when we take the pacemaker out.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19So that, when we change it, the heart just doesn't stop.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22The team reduce Lisa's heart rate.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27They're on standby, in case her heart stops beating.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35How are you feeling there at the moment?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37As long as it's not for too long.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40What we'll do is we'll leave you like that just for a moment,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42just to give you a bit longer to adjust,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44having been at 60 beats per minute
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and now you're down to 40 beats per minute.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50It takes you a minute or two to adjust to that, OK?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52So we'll check with you again before leaving it.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Lisa's husband, Stuart, has arrived at the hospital.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03'She doesn't whinge at all.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06'She just does take it in her stride. This morning'
0:18:06 > 0:18:08she put the girls off to school as normal
0:18:08 > 0:18:11and I went to work. I was told to...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14be as normal as possible.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17But, no, your mind's not at work.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Your mind's elsewhere. You're worrying.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21And then, as soon as she tells me...
0:18:22 > 0:18:25..you know, that there's a time for her theatre,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I just jumped ship from work and came straight here.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30And then it's just a worry, then, making sure everything's OK
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and you're here for her when she comes through from the operation.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36All done.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39All right?
0:18:39 > 0:18:40Good.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43'So, we didn't have to put in a temporary wire'
0:18:43 > 0:18:47because, actually, her heart was beating quite well.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Although, it stopped for a little bit,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53it was a very quick change of the box.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57The whole point of pacemaker treatment
0:18:57 > 0:19:03is to make it as...least intrusive to the patient as possible.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05And the boxes now are smaller, so...
0:19:07 > 0:19:09..that is much better, cosmetically.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12And I'm very conscious in patients who are so young
0:19:12 > 0:19:14who are going to have so many scars,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17to be as atraumatic as we possibly can.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20- STUART:- 'She's in good hands.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'A very good hospital. Very good surgeons.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24'They've transformed her life. She couldn't breathe properly.'
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Her heartbeat was sort of stopping for four to six seconds sometimes.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30She needs this pacemaker.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Lisa is transferred back to day surgery on bed 40.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39She'll soon be reunited with her husband, Stuart, back on the ward.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53It's 3:20pm at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57A&E bed 15 is with Lee,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59an A&E regular, and son Mason.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03I'm a doctor. I'm...
0:20:03 > 0:20:05I'm going to make us look creepy.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Watch how creepy.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- What's that? - MASON LAUGHS
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- GLOVE SNAPS - Right, Dr Mason's here to help.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Lee was admitted to A&E an hour ago,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22with suspected broken ribs and human bite marks on his back.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Sorry, sorry.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- Are you almost getting squashed?- Mm-hm.- I don't know.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Consultant Mr Jarman is back to examine Lee's chest
0:20:31 > 0:20:33with an ultrasound machine.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35THEY TALK
0:20:35 > 0:20:40It will detect any damage to Lee's ribs, or bleeding in his lungs,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44which could seriously affect his circulation.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47OK, so let's do the good side first. OK?
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Take nice, deep breaths for me.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- OK, so what we've got, some ribs.- Yeah.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Yeah?- Yeah. And this is the surface of your lung.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01And, as you take a deep breath in and out, it moves up and down, yeah?
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- Oh, aye, yeah.- So, that means that hasn't collapsed down,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- which is good. OK, that's good. Now, you just stay where you are.- Yeah.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I'm just going to change and look for any evidence of bleeding
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- in your chest, OK?- OK, no problem.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14So, we haven't found any babies yet, Mason.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- Oh!- No babies.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22I just want a brother. I've already got a sister.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23Yeah?
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Mason's used to hospitals.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28He's been in and out of them, due to an ongoing illness.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30THEY TALK
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Unsurprisingly, he's become interested in medicine.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33Whoa!
0:21:38 > 0:21:39HE MIMES
0:21:41 > 0:21:43So, where's the ribs?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- These are all the ribs, here. - Oh, them?
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Yeah. These are all the ribs.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54So...how can you tell if it's bleeding in the tummy?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I was just going to ask that.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Because what we're looking for is...
0:21:58 > 0:22:01it looks like black fluid.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06And we can't see any down here. This is where we get it, all down here.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07But there's nothing to see, really, is there?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- And that's all very good, isn't it?- Oh, yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14And, looking at it, there's nothing that looks bad. It all looks good.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- Oh, well...- So, that's good.- Yay!
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Mr Jarman now needs to deal with the human bites.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Oh, Dad, you're bad. Your back's bad.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27There is a risk that hepatitis B and tetanus
0:22:27 > 0:22:29could have been transferred to Lee.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I'm presuming you haven't been vaccinated for hepatitis B.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- No.- But we'll do it as a precaution. - Yep, thanks.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Cos the bugs in human mouths can be quite nasty.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40You're going to have a couple of injections now.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- One of them is for hepatitis B. - Right.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- We take human bites very seriously. - Mm-hm.- OK?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- Look after yourself. - You as well, mate.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49And no more getting bitten, yeah?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- Thank you very much.- No problem.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53- Thank you.- Bye-bye. Bye, Mason.- Bye!
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- THEY TALK - Is your name Bob?
0:22:55 > 0:22:57It is.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58But you can call me Dr Bob.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59Dr Bob.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Lee is given tetanus and hepatitis jabs.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06He can now leave A&E.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Dad, how many lives you got left?
0:23:10 > 0:23:11Cos I think you've got one.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- Aye. - LAUGHTER
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Hopefully, I've got more than one, like.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16LAUGHTER
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Lee is on and off bed 15 within an hour.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The next patient will be here soon.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Today, all 29 beds in A&E are busy.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Bed nine has being allocated to 30-year-old Emma.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Have a seat on the bed, if that's OK.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46She has a numb feeling in her arms and face
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and is anxious she may have had a stroke.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51What's brought you in?
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Dr Earl-Wright, a junior doctor in his second year of training,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57needs to make a diagnosis.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Erm, for a couple of weeks, I've had pins and needles down my arm.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03- Down my right arm.- OK.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07- In my fingers especially, but a kind of numbness at the top.- Right.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08I woke up with it,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11so I thought I may have kind of slept on it funny...
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- Yeah, laid on something.- Yeah.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17But I've woken up this morning and my face feels like I've had...
0:24:17 > 0:24:19you know like a dental injection?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- Mm-hm.- You know when it's kind of wearing off.- All feels really numb?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Yeah, it's all just this right side.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26And is it the same sort of feeling you're getting in your hands?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28- Like a pins and needles feeling? - Yeah.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31And is it mainly in your fingers, the pins and needles?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- Or is it worse in your entire arm? - It kind of...
0:24:33 > 0:24:37does kind of radiate, but I've got like a numbness up here.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- Mm-hm.- And it's my fingers that are pins and needly.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41But it's more my face that's bothering me.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It's just really quite strange.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- Really strange?- Mm-hm.- Do you want to relax down on the bed for me?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I'll have a quick examination of your arm.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- Can you feel that on there?- Mm-hm.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Does it feel the same on both sides?
0:24:53 > 0:24:54No, it feels peculiar on this side.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Feels strange?
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Yeah, it just doesn't feel as prominent on this side.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Like pinky and pinky is the same, yeah? Thumb and thumb is the same?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- Mm-hm.- It all feels...?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I can't describe it. It just feels...bizarre.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Bizarre. Right.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17The tingling could indicate a number of serious conditions,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20including a stroke, or multiple sclerosis.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And nothing runs in your family, does it?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28- My mum's dad died of a heart complaint when he was younger.- OK.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31No neurological problems run in the family at all?
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- A few strokes.- OK.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Right...
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I think we should do some baseline blood tests, OK?
0:25:39 > 0:25:42We'll check your calcium and make sure that's OK.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And a few others just to make sure there's nothing, you know,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- aberrant there that could possibly be causing this.- OK.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54'Emma has a very strange constellation of symptoms'
0:25:54 > 0:25:57that basically adds up to her having numbness and paresthesia,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59which is abnormal sensation,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02'down her arm and the side of her face.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04'It doesn't really make any sense at the moment.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07'So, we're going to do some blood tests and'
0:26:07 > 0:26:09once those are back,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I'm going to have a chat with one of the consultants and see whether
0:26:12 > 0:26:13we can have any fresh ideas.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Cos it doesn't really quite add up yet
0:26:16 > 0:26:18'to anything that makes sense.'
0:26:18 > 0:26:22It's handover time, so I've been here for 12 hours,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24so I will hand your case over to someone else.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28- OK.- And they'll come in and see you.- OK.- All right?
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- We'll see whether we can get to the bottom of it.- OK.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33But it might be that it might need further investigation.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35But, if that is the case, we can sort that out.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36- That's fine. - Does that sound all right?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- Yeah, that's fine. - Do you have any questions?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40- No.- No? Good stuff. All right. - Thank you.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42You just chill out in here.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- Oh, in here? - Yeah, you just hang out here.- OK.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Someone will be in soon. All right? - OK, thank you.- Cheers.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Emma's family history of strokes puts her at greater risk.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Dr Earl-Wright decides more tests are needed.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58For now, Emma will remain on A&E bed nine.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02BEEPING
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Next door, in Newcastle's Great North Children's Hospital,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17four-year-old Theon has left paediatric bed 27.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21He is on his way to X-ray.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Wow, look! The toys!
0:27:24 > 0:27:25Around a month ago,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28he had life-saving surgery to fix a bowel blockage.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Mum Sarah and dad Mark fear the blockage has returned.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37We've had some blood taken.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39That's just to check for any infection, anything like that.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Hopefully, they'll come back soon.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43And, in the meantime, we've been sent here for an X-ray
0:27:43 > 0:27:47of his abdomen to check everything, all the bowels and intestines.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50So, he thinks he's having a photo taken.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53He quite enjoying it in here,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56cos there's lots of toys and it's nice and bright for him.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00We are just concerned, obviously,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04until we have the X-ray done and the bloods back to know what's going on.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06There's the worry about the operation
0:28:06 > 0:28:07that he had done out in Dubai.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Is there some complication that has arisen since that?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Or is it something else going on?
0:28:12 > 0:28:15There's still a lot of anxiety until you know.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17When we were in Dubai, I was worrying then.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But now I'm sort of trying to be a little bit more hopeful
0:28:20 > 0:28:22that it's nothing sinister
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and hopefully we'll get those answers shortly.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Theon?- Ready?
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Radiographer Wilson will be carrying out the X-ray.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35There you go, big boy.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Right, Theon, I'm Nicola.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39I'm going to take your X-ray, OK?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41- Are you speaking?- How old are you? - How old, Theon?
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- Four.- Four! - SARAH LAUGHS
0:28:44 > 0:28:45- Right, are you ready?- Yeah?
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Ooh!
0:28:51 > 0:28:54The last time Theon was on a hospital bed,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56he needed a life-saving operation.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05That's it. Breathe in.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06- Breathing in.- Hand out!
0:29:08 > 0:29:11And just hold your breath. That's it.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13The X-ray will determine
0:29:13 > 0:29:16if four-year-old Theon is at risk again.
0:29:16 > 0:29:17Oh, bless him.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22Theon, you're all finished!
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Looking at his bowel...
0:29:28 > 0:29:30- He's had previous surgery. Is that correct?- Yeah.- Yes.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Three-and-a-half hours after being admitted,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Theon is taken back to bed 27.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Why are you moving up here, Mummy?
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- To sit next to you. - To sit next to you.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45If that's OK with you.
0:29:45 > 0:29:46LAUGHTER
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Hm?
0:29:48 > 0:29:50How beautiful are you, Theon?
0:29:50 > 0:29:52LAUGHTER
0:29:52 > 0:29:54How beautiful are you?
0:29:54 > 0:29:56- What's the time, Mummy?- The time?
0:29:56 > 0:29:59The time is 1:10.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01So we can go home now?
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Not much longer now.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04Hello, how are we doing?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06How's your tummy?
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- OK.- Is it feeling OK?
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Nurse McGee has the results.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14His X-ray is all clear.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Four-year-old Theon does not have a blocked bowel.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Lovely. If you have a little seat in the waiting room.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21OK? Okey dokey.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Theon and his parents can go home.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Well, that's good news. His X-ray looks absolutely normal.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Everything's healed from the previous surgery that he's just had.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33His blood tests were all normal.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36And it's fine for us to go home and just keep a check on him.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Things look good for the future for him, so we're happy.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41And you've no more pain, have you? You're doing good.
0:30:41 > 0:30:42Do you want to go home now?
0:30:42 > 0:30:44- LAUGHTER - I think he's absolutely delighted
0:30:44 > 0:30:46to go home to his own bed. He can't wait.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- And neither can I. - LAUGHTER
0:30:53 > 0:30:56BEEPING
0:31:02 > 0:31:04In the adult emergency department
0:31:04 > 0:31:06of Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10A&E bed nine has been with 30-year-old Emma for an hour.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14She arrived with numbness in her face and arms.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18I don't feel unwell.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20I just feel strange, really.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Thought maybe that I'd slept on it funny
0:31:23 > 0:31:25and trapped a nerve, or something.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Maybe I've been bitten by something.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30That's the only thing I can think of.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34The priority is to rule out a serious illness.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Despite Emma's young age, there's a concern it could be a stroke.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41With a family history of the condition,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44this puts Emma at greater risk.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Blood tests have been ordered to help the diagnosis.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53I don't think I could do it, be a doctor or a nurse.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56I struggle to decide whether I want a pair of red shoes or black shoes.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02A&E bed nine will be with Emma until her results are back.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09- Hiya.- Hi.- Hi.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Dr Seeley has just come on shift.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14He's taken on Emma's case.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16- I understand you met Ben before.- Yeah.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20And he's told me that you've had pain in your right arm
0:32:20 > 0:32:23and then you've developed some numbness in your face
0:32:23 > 0:32:25- and on your arm. - Yeah.- Is that right?
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Kind of like pins and needles in my fingers.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30And a kind of numbness at the top of my arm.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33And now it's this kind of side of my face.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35I feel like I've had a dental injection.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37- And it's just gone a bit numb? - Yeah.- OK.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Just, for my peace of mind, do you mind just...
0:32:40 > 0:32:42- I'm just going to examine your neurology again.- Mm-hm.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44So, squeeze my fingers.
0:32:44 > 0:32:45That's lovely.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Like you're a chicken.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48Don't let me push them down.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Push them down.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Great. OK. That's all fine, isn't it?
0:32:53 > 0:32:55All right. The first thing to say is your blood tests
0:32:55 > 0:32:57- are all completely normal, so that's great news.- Yep.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59We certainly don't need to bring you into hospital.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03What we look for in A&E is anything that might be A, life-threatening.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05- Yeah.- Or B, worrying in the next couple of days,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07which I don't think this is.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09It was just the concern about my face, really.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11Yeah, so it's a little bit of reassurance
0:33:11 > 0:33:14- that it will probably sort itself out.- Mm.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Sometimes we never get to the bottom of it.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19- OK.- But the majority do, eventually, resolve.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Things to worry about, and to come back if it changes,
0:33:22 > 0:33:23- so if it starts spreading.- Mm-hm.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25So, if you get more numbness elsewhere.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27If you start getting weakness, or if anyone notices
0:33:27 > 0:33:30you've got a bit of a droopy face.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34Anything to do with getting drowsy, or confused, or anything like that.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- OK.- Or troubles with your balance or your speech.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38- OK.- OK?- Yeah, that's fine.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40- That all all right?- Mm-hm.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41Lovely. In that case, we can let you go home.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Is it causing you any pain? Do you need painkillers to take with you?
0:33:44 > 0:33:46No, it's just a little weird.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48OK. Great. All right.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50- Thank you.- In that case, thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:33:52 > 0:33:53Emma has not had a stroke.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55One of the things that we're told as juniors,
0:33:55 > 0:33:57when we first come into the department is,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59when you first see someone, to look at them and work out
0:33:59 > 0:34:01if you think they're going to need to come into hospital,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04or whether it's something that we can sort out and get people home.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Obviously anyone who needs to come into hospital has to come into hospital.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09If they need a bed, they need a bed.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12But, if someone has got something that can be followed up
0:34:12 > 0:34:15safely in the community, then it's our job to make sure
0:34:15 > 0:34:17they then get plugged into the right services.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22A&E bed nine is released for its next emergency patient.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29BEEPING
0:34:37 > 0:34:40At Newcastle's Great North Children's Hospital,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43paediatric bed 27 is about to meet seven-year-old Brandon.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46He's hurt his cheekbone.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51'Brandon woke up this morning with a swollen eye.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54'Not too bad, so I sent him to school.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57'And I got a phone call at ten o'clock,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59'saying that he was sobbing.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02'Pain down his face and his tooth.'
0:35:02 > 0:35:03Got him to dental hospital -
0:35:03 > 0:35:05"It's definitely nothing to do with his teeth,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09"so you're going to have to go over to the A&E".
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Brandon will be assessed by trauma consultant Dr Carol.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14So, what's happened to you?
0:35:14 > 0:35:18I've had something smack my eye socket.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21OK. Is your eye socket sore?
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- Yeah.- OK. Have you got hit by a swing? Is that the right story?
0:35:24 > 0:35:28- Yeah.- What sort of swing was it? A big wooden one, or a plastic one?
0:35:28 > 0:35:30- It was plastic.- OK. And when did that happen?- Different colour.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Yesterday.- OK.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35And were you knocked out, or do you remember everything that happened?
0:35:35 > 0:35:37I remember everything, but I didn't get knocked out.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39OK, good lad.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41And do you hurt anywhere else, apart from your face?
0:35:41 > 0:35:43- No, just my face.- OK.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- I had a toothache.- OK.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47And I've got clean teeth.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- Good lad.- "And I've got clean..." - LAUGHTER
0:35:49 > 0:35:50So have I.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Brandon has been sent to A&E by the dental hospital.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58I'm going to start by looking down from the top of your head.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01So, a bit swollen on the right, isn't he?
0:36:01 > 0:36:04So, whereabouts is your face most sore?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06That's it. This side OK?
0:36:06 > 0:36:08- Yeah.- So, the swing only hit you on that side?
0:36:12 > 0:36:13How does your nose feel?
0:36:13 > 0:36:14- Good.- Good.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19- And that cheekbone feels OK?- Yeah.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20Open your mouth nice and wide.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23'He's clearly a clever little lad. He takes things very quickly.'
0:36:23 > 0:36:26He seemed to know exactly what I was talking about and was happy
0:36:26 > 0:36:28with the explanation that we've given him.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Keep it open. Don't let me push it shut.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31Is that sore? Does that hurt?
0:36:31 > 0:36:34It's probably the ideal environment to have him on a bed,
0:36:34 > 0:36:36so you can look over the top.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40It's very important to assess symmetry in facial injuries.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Just one pen over there?
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- It's blurry.- OK. And over this way?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Still blurry.- OK. Look up.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50- Still blurry.- Look down.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52- Still blurry.- OK.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54It's very, very unusual for youngsters
0:36:54 > 0:36:56to break the bones in their face.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58He does have quite a bit of swelling there
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and that will be affecting his vision to some extent,
0:37:01 > 0:37:02cos he'll be able to see it.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05And, because it's swollen up from below,
0:37:05 > 0:37:09it will just change the way he sees the world through that eye.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12I think it'll all go back to normal, as the swelling settles.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14It might be worth trying to get an ice pack on that
0:37:14 > 0:37:18for five or ten minutes this evening, just to try to reduce the swelling.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21He had one on at school as well. And he's had ibuprofen.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23It seems to have taken it down quite a bit.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25So, I'll put another one on when he gets home.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Dr Carroll is satisfied that no further tests are needed.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32The facial bones are quite well protected in children,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35because there's adult dentition in the sinus cavities.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37And that forms an extra layer of protection,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40so you've got basically two layers of bone.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44'So, it's very unusual for children to break the bones of their face.'
0:37:44 > 0:37:46- All right.- That's fab.- I'll let you away.- Thank you very much.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48After you, sir. Thank you.
0:37:48 > 0:37:49Brandon can head home.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51This way.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Paediatric A&E bed 27...
0:37:53 > 0:37:55- Bye!- Bye!
0:37:55 > 0:37:56..may soon be needed by someone else.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Bed 40 is heading back to the day surgery ward.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Its patient, 44-year-old Lisa,
0:38:21 > 0:38:23has just had a new pacemaker battery fitted.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26THEY TALK
0:38:26 > 0:38:29You can come on in. You can come in.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33Husband Stuart is by her side as she comes round from sedation.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Take care.
0:38:35 > 0:38:36THEY TALK
0:38:43 > 0:38:44SHE WINCES
0:38:59 > 0:39:00SHE SOBS
0:39:16 > 0:39:19'Lisa's a very brave, lovely woman.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24'Lovely mother. Couldn't wish for a better wife, or mother.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26'The children are her world.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32'She looks after me and the children more than enough
0:39:32 > 0:39:34'and it's our time to repay her.'
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Lisa has a serious heart condition.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42This is the third heart operation she's had to keep her alive.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Lisa's friend, Kay, is back to visit.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- They brought you a coffee.- Ooh!
0:39:49 > 0:39:51A woman after me own heart!
0:39:51 > 0:39:53You know, don't you?
0:39:53 > 0:39:54How are you?
0:39:54 > 0:39:56All right. It was just the box change,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- so it was quicker than anticipated, which was good.- Yeah.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Do you notice a big difference once they've changed the box?
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Not yet. I will do...
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- In a few days?- Yeah.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Yeah.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Oh, thank you, Lisa!
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Thank you ever so much, chick.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15You're a star.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17So, if you're feeling up to it after this,
0:40:17 > 0:40:20- we'll go for a little stand and see how you're feeling.- OK.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Lisa's pacemaker is now fully charged.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Her life can begin to return to normal.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30She'll be released as soon as she can find all her belongings.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33They made me take my underwear off in the theatre.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35So, somewhere...
0:40:35 > 0:40:37I don't know where...
0:40:37 > 0:40:40- Is your...- Undercrackers. - There'll be some undercrackers.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42They'll turn up the end of the day!
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- LAUGHTER - Oh, no!
0:40:45 > 0:40:47- Normally, they're under here.- Oh!
0:40:47 > 0:40:50So, I'm just apologising to the cleaners.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52- LAUGHTER - Oh, no!
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Don't worry. I can get...
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- They weren't special pants, were they?- No. I can get home...
0:40:56 > 0:40:58- Anniversary pants or anything? - LAUGHTER
0:40:58 > 0:41:01I can get home commando. You're OK.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02- LAUGHTER - I know, but...
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Oh, has she put them there? Has she?
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Bless her. Yeah.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09- LAUGHTER - Do you recognise them?
0:41:09 > 0:41:11LAUGHTER
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- Anyway...- Right, then.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15I'm just going to get you up, OK?
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Problem solved, Lisa is now ready to leave day surgery bed 40.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- You're very welcome. - You've been a star.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- Thank you.- Thank you.- You really have, you've worked really hard.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Thank you ever so much. Thanks to all your staff as well.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33- Thank you.- OK? Bye.- Bye.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36'I can't explain the feeling.
0:41:36 > 0:41:37'It's sort of like a heaviness'
0:41:37 > 0:41:40that I had before and just felt, you know...
0:41:40 > 0:41:42But I do feel lighter.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Rest up for a few days.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Easy exercise to begin with.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50And then, gradually, build up back to my three times a week.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54- She's in good hands.- You've done it before.- Yeah, I've done it before.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58- He is quite domesticated, so... - Yeah.- ..you'll be OK.- Yep.
0:41:58 > 0:42:03Well, we'll see if he can look after the house and the girls.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07Obviously, he won't be as good as me, but I shall...
0:42:07 > 0:42:11rest up for a couple of weeks and I'm sure he'll do a grand job.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Our hospital beds have given us
0:42:24 > 0:42:26intimate access to the work of the NHS.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34After a short stint on A&E bed 15,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36the pain in Lee's chest has gone.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Theon had to go back to hospital with tummy pain,
0:42:42 > 0:42:43but is now OK.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47And Lisa's heart is beating well.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49She's back at work and enjoying family life.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54The beds are now back on their wards,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57ready and waiting for their next round of patients.