Cardiac Arrest
This series shows the workings of an English hospital through the eyes of its junior doctors. Naive and idealistic Dr Andrew Collins (Andrew Lancel), soon realises he still has much to learn. His boss, Dr Claire Maitland (Helen Baxendale) on the other hand, has seen it all. She is a competent doctor, with a cynical view, and is ready to work the system when needed, but she and Collins work well together as she guides him through the many minefields of working in the NHS.
Episodes
The first scene sees Dr. Rajesh Rajah waking up in the bed with Nurse Reece after having had a skinful the night before. A fresh faced Dr. Andrew Collin arrives on the wards finding himself unprepared for the situations with which he has to deal, including that of the asbestos patient, Albert Gray. The suited consultant surgeon Mr. Betancourt also makes his first appearance. He is revealed to be Maitland's lover and heavy critic of SHO Monica Broome.
The pressure begins to get to Monica, who starts to drink. After Dr. Mortimer sexually harasses a nurse, Claire embarrases him in front of the other staff by pretending to fancy him. Towards the end of the episode, a patient arrives who is bleeding heavily, and needs treatment in the operating theatre. Betancourt continues his criticism against Monica.
Andrew overlooks a potassium reading and believes he is negligent over the death of an eldery lady patient, Ada Pitkin. At a hospital party, Dr. Mortimer plays a joke on Raj, and sets him up with a transvestite. This episode also introduces Diane and her child, friends of Dr. Maitland. The child later re-appears in episode 6. Raj has an encounter with Nurse Whitecoat. At the end of the episode, Raj forgets about taking a heart pacemaker out of someone who is being cremated
Raj takes a fancy to one of the medical students are shown around the wards with Mr. Docherty. A fake locum is rumbled. Hospital manager Alex Legg is introduced. A patient who has taken a paracetomal overdose asks Dr. Maitland to stop his treatment. Caroline goes on a date with Andrew. Andrew nearly falls asleep during his date! When they both get back to his place, Andrew holds back going any further than the basics because he is a Christian.
Attention turns to Monica, who fails her fellowship exam. Despite appealling to management, Dr. Collin is expected to work another night when a locum cannot be found to cover. Betancourt reveals to Claire that the hospital did not even attempt to find cover, and that because Andrew has worked an illegal number of hours, he cannot be paid. During Andrew's long night, the hospital manager Alex Legg is brought in suffering from a heart attack.
The pressure takes its toll on Claire, Raj and Andrew. After a confrontation with her husband who says their kids will be taken away to stay elsewhere, it is all too much for Monica, who takes an insulin overdose and commits suicide. Mr. Docherty confronts Betancourt about his behaviour towards Monica. Lucy Buxton, the girl from episode 3 is brought in with a chest injury sustained from an accident on a merry-go-round. The doctor treating her initially is hesitant about what to do, and the nurse contacts Claire who rushes to deal with the patient.
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