• Episode 1 - The Pitt Debrief
    Sep 23 2025

    🎙️ 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

    We’d love your feedback or suggestions!

    📧 hello@n5em.com

    Want to hear about a paper? Have a topic that you want us to discuss?

    Let us know — your ideas shape this podcast!

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    1 hr and 15 mins