Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 279,875 playable programmes from the BBC

Surgeons: At the Edge of Life

Series 6

Make or Break

Duration: 59 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Two EnglandLatest broadcast: on BBC Two Wales HD

Available for 5 months

The specialists at Southampton work together to treat three patients who are suffering from life- and limb-threatening injuries.

Fifty-five-year-old Chris is airlifted to hospital after a motorcycle accident, where he was thrown from his bike into a car windscreen. Critically ill, he arrives in resus as 'code red', meaning he has lost so much blood he’s in danger of a cardiac arrest. It’s trauma team leader Ursula Hartley’s job to bring together the team to save his life.

The trauma department’s next patient, 72-year-old Frank, has fallen down a few stairs at home. The mishap has resulted in a spiral fracture – a long twisting break down Frank’s tibia. After being scheduled for an urgent operation, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon Simon Tilley plans to fix the break by putting a metal nail in the broken bone. But just before the operation, Simon discovers a fracture blister at the site.

Finally, 19-year-old Hayden is rushed to Southampton after crashing his motorbike into a tractor. Trauma team leader Alasdair Moffat is in charge of co-ordinating the response of 15 specialists who assemble to save Hayden’s life. Show less

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More