Critical Care

Moving a critically ill patient from the ED can be a high-risk part of their care. Natalie May and Simon Carley’s podcast notes explore patient preparation, equipment, team selection and handover, with contingency plans for delays, deterioration and airway problems.

Does love have a place in critical care? In this companion to her SMACCDub talk, Liz Crowe explores compassion for patients, colleagues and ourselves, arguing that human connection, supportive leadership and psychological safety belong alongside clinical expertise.

Should selected cardiac arrest patients bypass their nearest hospital for a specialist centre? This 2017 review examines a London pilot trial, explaining its narrow patient group and why demonstrating feasibility is different from establishing an improvement in survival.

What does critical illness feel like to a child? Eimear and her mother Rachel share their experience in a smaccMINI conversation, with written takeaways about fear, clear explanations, the ICU environment and preparing patients and families for recovery and discharge.

Can emergency medicine remain a broad specialty as clinical practice becomes more specialised? Reflecting on his SMACCDub debate with Scott Weingart, Simon Carley examines generalism, critical-care skills and the risk that subspecialisation fragments the team’s ability to care for undifferentiated patients.

What does an ED handover look like from the other side of the stretcher? Ashley Liebig draws on prehospital experience to discuss respect, a calm reception and uninterrupted communication, then asks teams to agree and practise a shared approach to transferring care.