24 Hours in A&E

Episode 5 (1x5)

Air date: Jun 08, 2011

This episode reveals what can happen when something goes wrong with the brain, including when patients suffer a stroke (or a 'brain attack'). Sixty-five-year-old cabbie Charlie Brown is making his second visit to King's in a week. Two days previously he crashed his cab and 'bulls-eyed' the window with his head. He was stitched up and discharged, but Charlie's not been the same since, reading the newspaper upside down and becoming uncharacteristically chatty. Dr Tian is concerned that this may be as a result of a brain haemorrhage caused by his accident. When a scan shows a large dark patch on the left side of Charlie's brain, his fears seem well-founded. Also in A&E is 89-year-old Peggy Pierce. Her husband Derek woke to find her slumped semi-conscious over the bed and she's been rushed into King's with a suspected stroke. This isn't the first time Derek's had to take an emergency trip to the hospital with his wife, so he's braced for the worst. King's is a specialist Stroke Centre, treating on average three cases a day, and doctors know time is of the essence. 'It's terrifying', says stroke specialist Dr Kumar. 'It's like a heart attack. It's a brain attack.' Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Sally is comforted by her ex-boyfriend Ben while she awaits treatment for a cut finger, and two boisterous friends entertain themselves with an impromptu ride around the department in a wheelchair.