The St.Emlyn’s Podcast

Episodi

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  Ep 299 - Which patients with chest pain need a troponin? 03.10.2026 19min

  Chest pain that sounds like indigestion, feels mild or seems “atypical” can still be myocardial infarction. The difficult question is not whether troponin is useful, but which patients actually need testing — and how much weight we should give symptoms, cardiovascular risk factors and clinical judgement. Professor Rick Body looks at the evidence behind those decisions, drawing on his own research and other studies of patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes. He explores which clinical features genuinely change the probability of myocardial infarction, which are less useful than we might think, and how to balance the risks of missing MI against unnecessary investigation. In this podcast: Why “heavy” or “crushing” chest pain only modestly increased the probability of myocardial infarction in Rick’s study population. Why indigestion-like pain should not automatically reassure us, and why apparently “atypical” symptoms cannot safely exclude acute coronary syndrome. The diagnostic significance of associated features such as vomiting and, particularly, sweating observed by the clinician. Why dividing chest pain into “typical” and “atypical” presentations has limited discriminatory value. Why having no recognised hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, smoking history or family history does not rule out acute myocardial infarction. How clinician gestalt does track with risk, but is not sufficiently reliable on its own to rule myocardial infarction in or out. Why none of this means testing everyone: Rick’s practical approach is to seek a convincing alternative explanation and use troponin when MI remains a plausible diagnosis that has not otherwise been adequately explained. The numerical probabilities discussed come from populations already selected for investigation of suspected myocardial infarction, so they should not simply be transferred to every patient presenting with chest pain. About Rick Body Rick Body is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. His research has focused extensively on diagnostics in acute coronary syndromes, including cardiac troponin and strategies for the early rule-out of myocardial infarction. Timestamps 00:00 – Which patients with chest pain need a troponin?02:00 – What individual symptoms do to pre-test probability05:00 – Vomiting and observed sweating08:00 – The problem with “typical” and “atypical” symptoms10:00 – Do traditional cardiovascular risk factors help?13:00 – How reliable is clinical judgement or gestalt?16:00 – Avoiding both under-investigation and over-investigation17:00 – Rick’s practical approach to deciding when to test Links and resources The value of symptoms and signs in the emergent diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes Examining the signs and symptoms experienced by individuals with suspected acute coronary syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region ‘Chest pain typicality’ in suspected acute coronary syndromes and the impact of clinical experience Do risk factors for chronic coronary heart disease help diagnose acute myocardial infarction in the Emergency Department? Can Emergency Physician Gestalt “Rule In” or “Rule Out” Acute Coronary Syndrome? Multicentre validation study More from St Emlyn’s St Emlyn’s provides free, evidence-based education for the emergency and acute care community. Explore our blogs, podcasts and other resources. If you have an idea you would like to share, would like to write with us, or want to get involved with St Emlyn’s, we’d love to hear from you. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, MedPod Learn helps you turn listening into documented learning. You can use it across all your podcasts — not just St Emlyn’s — to record your listening, make notes, answer questions, reflect on what you have learned and create a record of your CPD.
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  Ep 298 - Traumatic Cardiac Arrest: Rethinking Resuscitative Thoracotomy with Laura Kocierz at Trauma 2030 26.09.2026 14min

  Traumatic cardiac arrest demands rapid treatment, but one of the hardest decisions is whether a resuscitative thoracotomy is likely to help. Can the location of a penetrating injury and the rhythm on the monitor give us better information than an uncertain history of when the patient arrested? Recorded at Trauma 2030 at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Iain Beardsell speaks with Laura Kocierz about a data-driven approach developed from London’s Air Ambulance experience. They discuss distinguishing cardiac tamponade from exsanguination, using ECG rhythm as a surrogate for arrest duration, and why thoracotomy should target the underlying pathology rather than simply the diagnosis of traumatic cardiac arrest. In this podcast: Why traumatic cardiac arrest is better thought of as a clinical low-output state rather than relying on a simple binary definition. How the surface location of a penetrating injury can help estimate whether cardiac tamponade or exsanguination is the more likely cause. Why a wound within the cardiac box or epigastrium was associated with more than a 30% chance of isolated tamponade in the London data. Why treating presumed exsanguination should not stop the team actively looking for concurrent tamponade, including with ultrasound. How the presenting ECG rhythm may provide useful physiological information when the reported duration of traumatic cardiac arrest is uncertain. The observed progression from organised sinus rhythm through bradycardia and agonal complexes to asystole as arrest duration increases — and why these are population-derived timings rather than precise clocks for an individual patient. Why an organised rhythm in a patient with suspected tamponade may support immediate resuscitative thoracotomy even when the reported arrest time appears prolonged. Why resuscitative thoracotomy is not, in itself, a treatment for exsanguination, where haemorrhage control, blood transfusion and rapid movement towards definitive care may need to take priority. About Laura Kocierz Laura Kocierz is a consultant in intensive care medicine and anaesthesia in Worcester and a consultant with London’s Air Ambulance. Her work includes research examining how clinical information available at the scene can support decision-making in traumatic cardiac arrest. Timestamps 00:00 – Defining traumatic cardiac arrest02:00 – Injury location, tamponade and exsanguination05:00 – When should resuscitative thoracotomy be considered?07:00 – Using the ECG as a surrogate for arrest duration11:00 – Combining likely pathology with presenting rhythm13:00 – Moving beyond a simple 15-minute rule14:00 – Why thoracotomy is not the treatment for exsanguination Links and resources Read the paper: Improving decision-making for prehospital Resuscitative Thoracotomy in traumatic cardiac arrest Read the London’s Air Ambulance study of 601 prehospital resuscitative thoracotomies Find out more about Trauma 2030 More from St Emlyn’s St Emlyn’s provides free, evidence-based education for the emergency and acute care community. Explore our blogs, podcasts and other resources. If you have an idea you would like to share, would like to write with us, or want to get involved with St Emlyn’s, we’d love to hear from you. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, MedPod Learn helps you turn listening into documented learning. You can use it across all your podcasts — not just St Emlyn’s — to record your listening, make notes, answer questions, reflect on what you have learned and create a record of your CPD. Subscribe to the St Emlyn’s Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Trauma 2030 TRAUMA 2030 united experts and innovators to shape the future of trauma care. Over two days, it explored breakthroughs in science, systems, and frontline practice, fostering collaboration across disciplines. The symposium aimed to inspire research, inform policy, and build a bold roadmap for trauma care worldwide.
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  Ep 297 - The 5th Universal Definition of MI - what emergency clinicians need to know 18.09.2026 17min

  The Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction changes some familiar language around MI and puts new emphasis on how we interpret troponin, myocardial injury and imaging. For emergency clinicians, these changes affect both how we describe what is happening and how confidently we can make the diagnosis. Iain Beardsell introduces Rick Body, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Manchester, who works through what has changed and what it means in practice. In this podcast: Why the familiar type 1–5 classification has been replaced by primary, secondary and procedure-related myocardial infarction. How conditions including plaque rupture, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, coronary vasospasm and embolism now fit within primary MI. Why the definition now supports sex-specific 99th percentile high-sensitivity troponin thresholds, and what this may mean for commonly used assays. How coronary or cardiac imaging has become more important when moving from a likely MI diagnosis towards confirmation and defining the underlying mechanism. Why a raised troponin is not synonymous with myocardial infarction, and how acute myocardial injury may result from inflammation, haemodynamic stress, physiological stress, catecholamine excess, toxicity or trauma. The challenge of diagnosing chronic myocardial injury in the emergency department when the definition describes assessment in a stable clinical setting. Why interpreting a troponin delta remains nuanced: absolute versus relative change, time from symptom onset and the interval between samples all matter. Where occlusive myocardial infarction (OMI) now sits: the terminology has not replaced STEMI/NSTEMI, but recognised occlusion patterns including de Winter T waves, Wellens syndrome, Sgarbossa criteria and posterior MI are explicitly discussed. About Rick Body Rick Body is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant at Manchester Foundation Trust. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Emergency Medicine Journal and chairs the NICE Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction and why the new definition matters02:00 – Primary, secondary and procedure-related MI04:00 – Sex-specific troponin thresholds05:00 – Imaging and confirmation of myocardial infarction06:00 – Acute myocardial injury and its causes09:00 – Chronic myocardial injury in the ED11:00 – Absolute versus relative troponin deltas15:00 – OMI, STEMI and NSTEMI terminology Links and resources Read the accompanying St Emlyn’s article Read the Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction View the IFCC high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assay reference tables More from St Emlyn’s St Emlyn’s provides free, evidence-based education for the emergency and acute care community. Explore our blogs, podcasts and other resources. If you have an idea you would like to share, would like to write with us, or want to get involved with St Emlyn’s, we’d love to hear from you. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, MedPod Learn helps you turn listening into documented learning. You can use it across all your podcasts — not just St Emlyn’s — to record your listening, make notes, answer questions, reflect on what you have learned and create a record of your CPD.
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  Ep 296 - Trauma, Systems Thinking and High-Risk PE (April 2026 Round Up) 12.09.2026 25min

  Small decisions in the resus room can save minutes; badly designed systems can waste thousands of hours. In the April 2026 St Emlyn’s round-up, Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley move between both ends of that spectrum, from external haemorrhage control and chest drains before CT to ED crowding, clinician productivity and the reflex to solve safety problems with more mandatory training. There is also new evidence on smoking cessation in the emergency department and HI-PEITHO, a randomised trial of catheter-directed thrombolysis for higher-risk pulmonary embolism. In this podcast: A practical escalation approach to external haemorrhage control: why accurate direct pressure still matters, when to escalate, and why a tourniquet should not automatically be the first intervention. Chest drains before trauma CT: when physiological compromise makes drainage necessary and when inserting one first may simply delay definitive imaging. How Stevan Bruijns’ idea of a cognitive bridge can help clinicians explain ED crowding to colleagues who do not experience the problem themselves. Why asking how many patients per hour a clinician sees can be misleading if staffing, crowding, IT, physical environment and workflow are ignored. Jesse Spurr’s challenge to healthcare’s instinct to respond to errors with another training module, and why systems thinking may identify more useful solutions. What a systematic review tells us about smoking cessation interventions in the ED, including the difference between behavioural advice alone and interventions incorporating nicotine replacement therapy. The HI-PEITHO trial of ultrasound-facilitated catheter-directed fibrinolysis plus anticoagulation for intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism, and why the composite outcome and balance of benefit and harm need careful interpretation. Why putting a major trauma patient straight onto a portable monitor, checking transfer oxygen and preparing equipment early can remove avoidable delays on the way to CT or theatre. Links and resources Read TTL Tip 8: External Haemorrhage Control Read TTL Tip 9: Chest Drain Before CT? Think, Decide, Communicate Read Explaining Emergency Department Crowding Using a Cognitive Bridge Read Marching Backwards into the Future: Why Healthcare Needs Fewer Modules and More Systems Thinking Read How Many Patients Should We See Per Hour? Read Fit to Quit? The Trial Evidence for Smoking Cessation Interventions in ED Read the Emergency Medicine Journal systematic review of ED smoking cessation interventions Read the St Emlyn’s review of HI-PEITHO Read the original HI-PEITHO trial in the New England Journal of Medicine Read TTL Tip 10: Put the Trauma Patient Straight onto the Portable Monitor More from St Emlyn’s St Emlyn’s provides free, evidence-based education for the emergency and acute care community. Explore our blogs, podcasts and other resources. If you have an idea you would like to share, would like to write with us, or want to get involved with St Emlyn’s, we’d love to hear from you. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, MedPod Learn helps you turn listening into documented learning. You can use it across all your podcasts — not just St Emlyn’s — to record your listening, make notes, answer questions, reflect on what you have learned and create a record of your CPD.
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  Ep 295 - PE, Whole Blood, HEMS and Smarter CPR (March 2026 Round Up) 13.08.2026 30min

  In this month’s St Emlyn’s podcast, Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley work through some of the most interesting recent posts and papers from the blog. The conversation ranges from the latest pulmonary embolism guidance to the persistent problem of emergency department crowding, and from pre-hospital whole blood to the uneven availability of enhanced critical care across the UK. They also look at whether TOE might help us deliver more effective CPR, why arterial pressure may be a more useful resuscitation target than simply watching compressions, and a remarkable report from Gaza that challenges some long-held assumptions about pericardiocentesis in traumatic tamponade. As ever, the focus is less on simply repeating what the papers say and more on what they mean in practice. Some of the evidence is reassuring, some of it is uncomfortable, and several of the studies raise as many questions as they answer. It is a discussion about uncertainty, physiology, systems and the importance of being willing to change your mind when the evidence does not fit what feels intuitively right. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing.
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  Ep 294 - Experts Are Made, Not Born: Sara Crager on Mental Models and Rapid Sequence 11.07.2026 33min

  What separates an expert from someone who simply knows a lot? Sara Crager argues that expertise is less about accumulating facts or hours of experience and more about developing better mental models: structured ways of organising knowledge and approaching difficult problems. Iain Beardsell speaks with Sara about deliberate practice, how experts can make their thinking visible to learners, and Rapid Sequence, the clinical simulation game she developed with Ryan Ernst to let clinicians practise complex decision-making, cognitive load and critical care physiology without putting real patients at risk. In this podcast: Why the familiar idea that expertise comes from simply accumulating 10,000 hours misses the importance of deliberate practice, feedback and progressively refining how you think. How mental models allow experts to organise large amounts of knowledge into practical approaches they can use at the bedside. Whether expert ways of thinking should be taught earlier in medical education, rather than expecting learners to develop them through experience alone. Why teaching the H's and T's of cardiac arrest may be less useful than showing learners how experienced clinicians structure a differential diagnosis around respiratory, haemodynamic and metabolic problems. The challenge for experienced clinicians of recognising and explaining what they actually do, rather than simply teaching medicine in the way they themselves were taught. How Rapid Sequence combines simulated clinical cases, interruptions, competing priorities and expert debriefing to create a safe environment for repeated practice and failure. Why “multitasking” may be better understood as rapid task switching, including deliberately pausing, bookmarking and returning to clinical problems as interruptions occur. Why gamification is not intended to replace clinical experience, podcasts, simulation or teaching, but can add another way to practise applying knowledge under realistic cognitive load. About Sara Crager Sara Crager is an emergency physician, intensivist and medical educator with a particular interest in making complex critical care physiology understandable and clinically useful. She created ICUedu and co-developed Rapid Sequence with emergency physician and educator Ryan Ernst. Links and resources Explore Rapid Sequence and play a sample case Visit ICUedu More from St Emlyn’s St Emlyn’s provides free, evidence-based education for the emergency and acute care community. Explore our blogs, podcasts and other resources. If you have an idea you would like to share, would like to write with us, or want to get involved with St Emlyn’s, we’d love to hear from you. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, MedPod Learn helps you turn listening into documented learning. You can use it across all your podcasts — not just St Emlyn’s — to record your listening, make notes, answer questions, reflect on what you have learned and create a record of your CPD.
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  Ep 293 - Making Feedback Sticky, TTL Tips and more (February 2026 round up) 27.06.2026 17min

  In this episode of the St Emlyn’s Podcast, Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley catch up on the February blog posts, recorded in the rather unseasonal context of a UK heatwave. They begin with congratulations to Simon on his reappointment as Dean of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, before reflecting on recent conferences including IFEM in Hamburg and Don’t Forget The Bubbles in Glasgow. The clinical focus this month is trauma team leadership, with practical tips on interpreting trauma CT reports, maintaining momentum after the scan, performing safer log rolls, and making feedback more useful for learners and colleagues. Key learning points Look at trauma CT images yourself as part of your own clinical learning and to integrate the scan with your examination findings. Treat the first CT report as a primary survey, not necessarily a definitive final report. Speak to the radiologist and share clinical concerns or uncertainties. Do not lose momentum after CT; this is a vulnerable phase in trauma care. Log rolls should have a purpose and should minimise movement, pain and physiological risk. Use clearer team communication: “Is anybody not ready to move?” and “ready, steady, move.” Feedback sticks when it is specific. Add “because” to positive feedback so the learner knows exactly what to repeat. Leadership and followership skills apply everywhere, not just in formal trauma team leader roles. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing.
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  Ep 292 - Leadership, Culture and Psychological Safety in Pre-Hospital Care with Anna Dobbie at Trauma 2030 17.06.2026 21min

  In this episode of the St Emlyn’s Podcast, Iain Beardsell speaks with Anna Dobbie, consultant in emergency medicine and pre-hospital care, and Clinical Lead for London HEMS. Recorded at Trauma 2030 at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, the conversation explores what it means to lead exceptional teams in one of the most high-pressure areas of emergency medicine. Anna reflects on six years as Clinical Lead for London HEMS, sharing lessons on leadership, culture, psychological safety, difficult conversations, managing strong personalities, and supporting clinicians to do their best work. The discussion also touches on the unique nature of pre-hospital care, where teams move rapidly between downtime and high-intensity clinical decision-making, and where trust, openness and mutual respect are essential. Anna describes the importance of making sure all voices are heard, not just the loudest, and explains why leaders need to be consistent, approachable and willing to have honest conversations when things do not go as well as they should. Anna also reflects on learning leadership on the job, the value of formal leadership training, the challenge of maintaining boundaries when you care deeply about a service, and the relationship between London’s Air Ambulance and its supporting charity. Finally, Iain and Anna look ahead to the future of trauma care and pre-hospital medicine, including research, ECMO, marginal gains, quality improvement, and the continuing ambition to reduce preventable deaths from trauma. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing. Trauma 2030 TRAUMA 2030 united experts and innovators to shape the future of trauma care. Over two days, it explored breakthroughs in science, systems, and frontline practice, fostering collaboration across disciplines. The symposium aimed to inspire research, inform policy, and build a bold roadmap for trauma care worldwide.
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  Ep 291 - January 2026 Round-Up: RSI Trial, Trauma Leadership, and the Reality of Corridor Care 17.04.2026 34min

  In this episode, Iain and Simon catch up on the papers, posts, and conversations that have been sitting with us since the start of the year. Some are familiar. Some are uncomfortable. All of them feel relevant on shift. We start with the RSI trial — ketamine versus etomidate. A study that generated a lot of noise, and perhaps more certainty than it deserved. We move through trauma team leadership. Not as a checklist, but as a set of decisions made under pressure — when to call a Code Red, how to structure a handover, and what it means to lead a team that hasn’t worked together before. There’s a discussion about trauma units. Not the big centres. The places where most patients go. Fewer resources. Different pressures. The same expectations. We talk about spinal cord injury and blood pressure targets. Numbers are useful. But they’re still just numbers. And then corridor care. Not a new problem. But one we may have started to accept in ways that should make us uneasy. We discuss: • What the RSI trial actually showed — and what it didn’t• Why secondary outcomes should make you pause, not pivot practice• How and when to activate a massive haemorrhage protocol• Why early senior decision-making matters more than perfect diagnosis• What good trauma handover looks like — and why it often doesn’t happen• How trauma teams function differently in trauma units• The limits of blood pressure targets in spinal cord injury• Why corridor care is not just operational — but ethical This is not a guideline episode. It’s a conversation about practice. About judgement. About the small decisions that shape outcomes long before the data catches up. If you’re listening after a shift, you’ll recognise most of it. If podcasts are part of how you learn, you can log your listening, reflect, and build CPD through MedPod Learn. It works across podcasts, not just this one. As always, thanks for listening. these ideas are tested in practice. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing.  
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  Ep 290 - Shock with Rich Carden at Trauma 2030 11.04.2026 18min

  Shock is one of the most used words in emergency medicine. It’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, recorded at Trauma 2030 at the Royal College of Surgeons, I sit down with one of St Emlyn's own, Rich Carden — former emergency physician, now intensive care trainee and PhD graduate in trauma sciences — to explore what shock actually means beyond the blood pressure reading. We discuss: • Why shock is fundamentally about oxygen delivery and utilisation at a cellular level• The difference between pressure and perfusion• The concept of the “dose” of shock — magnitude and duration• Why haemorrhage may only be the first phase• How trauma patients transition between haemorrhagic, inflammatory, vasoplegic and septic states• The glycocalyx — and why losing it matters• The risks of early vasopressors in an empty system• Why doing the basics exceptionally well remains our best intervention This is not a protocol episode. It’s a physiology conversation. A systems conversation.A reminder that restoring a number is not the same as restoring oxygen to mitochondria. If you’re interested in pre-hospital and trauma systems thinking, do take a look at Tactical Trauma — spaces where these ideas are tested in practice. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing. Trauma 2030 TRAUMA 2030 united experts and innovators to shape the future of trauma care. Over two days, it explored breakthroughs in science, systems, and frontline practice, fostering collaboration across disciplines. The symposium aimed to inspire research, inform policy, and build a bold roadmap for trauma care worldwide. As always, thanks for listening.
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  Ep 289 - Refractory VF, Double Sequential Defibrillation, and the Future of Cardiac Arrest 20.03.2026 28min

  What do we really know about treating refractory ventricular fibrillation?And why are we still waiting to use strategies that might actually work? In this episode, we talk to Sheldon Cheskes about the evolving science of cardiac arrest, with a focus on refractory and recurrent ventricular fibrillation. We explore the evidence behind double sequential external defibrillation (DSED), how it compares to standard defibrillation, and what the DOSE VF trial has changed in practice. This is not just about adding another shock.It’s about understanding why defibrillation fails, how vector and energy delivery matter, and when a different approach might improve outcomes. We also discuss: The difference between refractory and recurrent VF — and why it matters What DSED and vector change actually do in physiological terms Why guidelines have been slow to move despite emerging evidence The role of antiarrhythmics, adrenaline, and sequence of care Practical considerations for introducing DSED into real systems What comes next — from smarter detection to post-arrest recovery This is a conversation grounded in real-world resuscitation.It challenges current practice without overselling the evidence. Key Learning Points Refractory VF (persistent after multiple shocks) and recurrent VF (returns after ROSC) are distinct clinical problems with different implications Double sequential external defibrillation (DSED) may improve outcomes in refractory VF by altering current pathways and myocardial depolarisation Timing matters — waiting too long to escalate may reduce the chance of success Current guidelines remain cautious, reflecting the balance between evidence and implementation risk Defibrillation strategy is only one part of a complex system that includes high-quality CPR, drug therapy, and post-resuscitation care Why This Matters Cardiac arrest survival remains low. Small improvements in early resuscitation can have large system-wide effects.Understanding when standard care is failing — and what to do next — is where expertise matters. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing. If you are already listening, you may as well make it count.
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  Ep 288 - Training Reform, Trauma Leadership, AI on the Shop Floor and more (November/December 2025) 03.03.2026 29min

  You’re about to hear a conversation that ranges widely — from training reform and trauma leadership to ondansetron, paracetamol protocols, and artificial intelligence. But it isn’t really about any single topic - It’s about where emergency medicine is heading. And whether we are ready for it. This is our November and December 2025 round-up, and revisits the blog posts from the end of last year. A pause. A reset. A chance to look again at ideas that still matter on shift. We explore The Medical Education Training Review and what it might mean for emergency medicine in the UK Flexibility, bottlenecks, and the portfolio route Why culture and team matter more than workload alone Trauma Team Leader tips — from missed wounds to managing presence in the room Ondansetron in paediatric gastroenteritis — symptom control or over-medicalisation? The SNAP protocol for paracetamol overdose in children How long it can take for good data to become everyday practice AI in the consultation room — and what happens when patients arrive with ChatGPT What this means for trainers, medical schools, and the future of clinical judgement This episode closes Season 12 of the St Emlyn’s podcast. Season 13 is coming — including London 2030 content and more from recent conferences. Upcoming events Tactical Trauma returns 2–4 November in Sundsvall, Sweden. It remains one of the most focused and practical trauma meetings in Europe — small faculty, serious discussion, no fluff. If you are interested in pre-hospital and in-hospital trauma care, it is worth your time. IncrEMentuM is approaching fast, with limited places remaining. If you’ve heard us talk about it before, you’ll know why people come back. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing. If you are already listening, you may as well make it count. More conversations from recent meetings — including Trauma 2030 — will follow in upcoming episodes. Thanks for listening
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  Ep 287 - Damage Control Pre-hospital Care with Harriet Tucker at Trauma 2030 24.02.2026 29min

  You’re about to hear a conversation about doing less. But it isn’t really about doing less. It’s about time. Recorded at Trauma 2030 at the Royal College of Surgeons, this episode explores a shift in mindset in pre-hospital trauma care — away from maximal intervention on scene and towards rapid recognition of the patient who cannot be fixed pre-hospital. I’m joined by Harriet Tucker — consultant at London’s Air Ambulance, HEMS Governance Lead at Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, and Trauma Team Leader at St George’s Major Trauma Centre — to talk about damage control pre-hospital care. We discuss: Using time as a treatment Recognising non-compressible haemorrhage Why one line may be enough Moving interventions into the ambulance Changing the pre-alert The “pit stop” resus Taking patients straight to theatre Cultural resistance to doing less Governance, debrief, and looking after teams This approach focuses on a small but critically unwell group of patients — often penetrating trauma with rapidly exsanguinating haemorrhage — where the only definitive treatment is surgical control of bleeding. The key intervention is speed. Harriet also discusses the governance work behind this change, the importance of reviewing every case, and how to bring ambulance services and in-hospital teams along with the shift in thinking. This episode is part of a series recorded at Trauma 2030. More conversations from the meeting will follow in upcoming episodes.  Upcoming events Harriet will be speaking at Tactical Trauma, 2–4 November, Sundsvall, Sweden. IncrEMentuM is now only eight weeks away, with limited tickets remaining. Learning from podcasts? If podcasts form part of your CPD, you can log your listening time across all podcasts on MedPod Learn — not just St Emlyn’s — and generate structured reflection. The app is free to download, includes a one-month free trial, and offers globally adjusted pricing. Trauma 2030 TRAUMA 2030 united experts and innovators to shape the future of trauma care. Over two days, it explored breakthroughs in science, systems, and frontline practice, fostering collaboration across disciplines. The symposium aimed to inspire research, inform policy, and build a bold roadmap for trauma care worldwide.  
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  Ep 286 - Building HEMS in Northern Ireland: Systems, People, and the Legacy of John Hinds with Nigel Ruddell at BASICs 2025 14.02.2026 17min

  In this episode of the St Emlyn’s Podcast, we’re joined by Nigel Ruddell, Medical Director of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, recorded live at the BASICS Conference. This is a conversation about Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) — but not in the way you might expect. It’s not really about aircraft. It’s about people. Nigel talks us through the long, often uncomfortable journey to building Air Ambulance Northern Ireland. From early fundraising attempts in the 2000s, through the influence and legacy of Dr John Hinds, to the eventual partnership between charity and the statutory ambulance service that made a doctor–paramedic HEMS model possible. We explore: • Why the helicopter isn’t the intervention — the team is• The charity–NHS partnership model in Northern Ireland• Geography, rurality, and the realities of serving 1.9 million people• Dispatch challenges and the use of video triage (including the GoodSAM platform)• Cross-border working with the National Ambulance Service of Ireland• The cultural work required to convince colleagues that HEMS is not a “Cinderella service”• Humility, leadership, and the people who quietly build systems We also reflect on John Hinds's legacy and how his passion catalysed change, including the significance of the Delta 7 callsign. This is a thoughtful conversation about system design, pre-hospital care, and what it actually takes to introduce enhanced critical care capability into a region that has never had it before. If you enjoy thinking about pre-hospital medicine, trauma systems, and the future of emergency care, you may also want to look at: the IncrEMentuM Conference and Tactical Trauma And if you want to go deeper into the evidence behind the conversations we have on this podcast, explore MedPod Learn — now hosting nearly 5,000 medical podcast episodes with linked multiple-choice questions to support structured learning. As always, thanks for listening.
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  Ep 285 - Resuscitative Hysterotomy with Caroline Leech at BASICs 2025 27.01.2026 21min

  In this episode of the St Emlyn’s Podcast, Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley talk with Caroline Leech at the BASICs Conference about resuscitative hysterotomy following maternal cardiac arrest. This is a calm, evidence-led discussion of a rare, high-stakes intervention that most clinicians will encounter once, if at all — and still need to get right. What we cover Why the term resuscitative hysterotomy has replaced perimortem caesarean section The physiological rationale: relieving aortocaval compression to improve maternal resuscitation What the evidence actually shows about timing, maternal survival, and neonatal outcomes Findings from Caroline’s systematic review of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in pregnancy Why the “4–5 minute rule” does not reflect real-world pre-hospital care Neonatal survival at far longer timelines than traditionally taught Practical decision-making in pre-hospital and emergency department settings Who should perform the procedure, and why speed matters more than seniority Aftercare challenges: open abdomen, placenta management, bleeding (or lack of it) Team cognitive load, role allocation, and when termination at scene is appropriate The emotional and professional impact on clinicians and families Key takeaways Maternal survival after out-of-hospital arrest is rare, but not zero Neonatal survival is higher than often appreciated, even with prolonged timelines Delaying purely to reach hospital or a specialist may reduce benefit The hardest part is not the incision — it is the decision, coordination, and aftermath Training should focus as much on judgement and communication as on technical skill This episode is not about heroics.It is about realism, evidence, and being prepared for one of the most confronting moments in emergency care. About MedPod Learn MedPod Learn is a medical podcast player designed to help turn listening into structured learning, with tools to support reflection, CPD, and appraisal. Available on the App Store and Google Play. IncrEMentum 2026 - April 22 - 24 IncrEMentuM was born to revolutionise how we approach emergency medicine. It’s not a traditional conference — it’s an immersive experience that pushes professionals to act, think, and make decisions in real time. Our mission is to bring together healthcare providers, experts, and emergency personnel from around the world to share experiences, train in realistic scenarios, and test their skills under extreme pressure. In 2026, we return with an even more intense and lifelike edition — all with one clear goal: to prepare you for what cannot be predicted. Tactical Trauma - April 22 - 24 This is an international conference covering various aspects of working in high-stakes environments, primarily related to pre-hospital trauma and critical care, with a tactical twist. Our program is rich and diverse, featuring state-of-the-art lectures from world-class speakers. We aim to bring together all organisations working with pre-hospital trauma in tactical/hostile environments, including physicians, HEMS, EMS, police anti-terror units, military, fire and rescue services and more.  
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  Ep 284 - Trauma, Cardiac Arrest, and the Myth of the Silver Bullet (October 2025) 13.01.2026 24min

  In this (rather delayed!) October round-up, Iain Beardsell and Simon Carley catch up on recent St Emlyn’s blog posts and papers that continue to shape emergency and resuscitation practice. The discussion moves across trauma, analgesia, cardiac arrest physiology, emergency department systems, and antimicrobial stewardship—less about novelty, more about what actually holds up on shift. Trauma and haemorrhage The episode opens with a discussion of the FIRST-2 trial, examining fibrinogen concentrate and prothrombin complex concentrate versus fresh frozen plasma in severe traumatic haemorrhage.Despite promising physiological theory, the trial shows no meaningful reduction in blood product use compared with standard care, reinforcing the ongoing role of FFP in early trauma resuscitation. Upper limb injuries and regional anaesthesia The team explore the SUPERB trial comparing supraclavicular brachial plexus blocks with Bier’s blocks for upper limb reductions.Both techniques provide excellent analgesia. The conversation reflects on changing practice, procedural sedation pressures, ultrasound access, and how physical space—not evidence—often dictates what we do. Cardiac arrest: signals worth paying attention to Three recent cardiac arrest papers are reviewed, focusing on physiological markers rather than new devices: End-tidal CO₂ as a CPR quality target Ventilation strategies during arrest, including chest-compression-synchronised ventilation Cerebral oximetry as a potential prognostic signal These are not definitive answers, but they point towards cardiac arrest management that is more physiological and less ritualistic. Emergency department systems: repair, not reinvention A reflective discussion on “designer repair” challenges the idea that emergency departments need constant transformation.Instead, the focus shifts to recognising and supporting the clinicians quietly holding fragile systems together every day—and why fixing small, broken things often matters more than grand redesigns. Sepsis and antibiotics The episode closes with a critical look at broad-spectrum antibiotic use in suspected sepsis.Observational data suggest significant overtreatment and real harm, reinforcing the need to pause, think, and choose the right antibiotic—not just the fastest one. This episode is a reminder that good emergency medicine is rarely about silver bullets.It’s about judgement, physiology, and paying attention to what actually works in the real world. About MedPod Learn MedPod Learn is a medical podcast player designed to help turn listening into structured learning, with tools to support reflection, CPD, and appraisal.Available on the App Store and Google Play.
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  Ep 283 - Best Bits of 2025 — Bonus: Clinical Pearls 02.01.2026 14min

  This bonus episode is a quick-fire collection of clinical pearls drawn from across the St Emlyn’s podcast in 2025. Short, practical, and deliberately focused, these are the moments that make you stop and think:“That’s useful — I want that in my head.” There’s minimal commentary and no deep dives. Each clip stands on its own as a clear takeaway, designed to be listened to in one go or dipped back into when needed. In this episode Practical triage language that lowers thresholds and prompts earlier action Time-critical decision-making in pre-hospital thoracotomy Resuscitation physiology and why diastolic pressure matters Intraosseous access and the reality of long-term complications Analgesia strategies for rib fractures, including posterior injuries Hydrofluoric acid burns and why improvised treatment is a trap Recognising and acting on decompression illness Cognitive HALOs and preparing for rare, high-load decision moments Building excellence in teams, not just avoiding failure Compassionate resuscitation and the value of the pause This episode is designed to be saved, revisited, and shared — the kind of learning that pays off later. Featured episodes Clips in this episode are taken from the following full St Emlyn’s episodes: Episode 257 — Ten Second Triage with Sean Brayford-Harris Episode 270 — Insights on Cannabis Edibles, Pre-Hospital Thoracotomy and more Episode 266 — Monthly Round Up (February 2025): Skills Fade and Resuscitation Targets Episode 260 — Monthly Round Up (December 2024): IO Access and Chest Trauma Episode 268 — Top Papers of 2024 from The Big Sick Conference Episode 275 — Targeted Resuscitation and Hydrofluoric Acid Burns Episode 263 — Hyperbaric Medicine with Jeff Kerrie Episode 277 — Cognitive HALOs and Advanced Simulation Training Episode 264 — High Performance Teams with Dan Dworkis Episode 258 — Compassionate Resuscitation with Matt Hooper All full episodes are available in the podcast feed. About MedPod Learn MedPod Learn is a medical podcast player designed to help turn listening into structured learning, with tools to support reflection, CPD, and appraisal.Available on the App Store and Google Play.
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  Ep 282 - Best Bits of 2025 — The Things You’ll Be Glad You Remember 30.12.2025 13min

  Some of the hardest moments in emergency medicine aren’t hard because they’re complicated.They’re hard because they’re rare — and when they arrive, you’re relying on things you last thought about a long time ago. This final episode in the Best Bits of 2025 series is the “file it away” collection: rare, high-stakes situations where preparation is largely cognitive, decisions are time-critical, and there may be no second chance. The clips in this episode are drawn from full St Emlyn’s episodes released during 2025 and focus on recognition, decision-making, and human factors in uncommon but consequential scenarios. In this episode, we explore How community response and live video have changed what happens before patients reach hospital Recognising and acting on decompression illness, even when presentations are subtle Cognitive HALOs — what happens to our thinking in rare, high-acuity situations Junctional haemorrhage and the role of the abdominal aortic junctional tourniquet Human decision-making under extreme pressure, illustrated through aviation medicine This episode is designed to be listened to slowly, and returned to when needed — the kind of learning that pays off long after you first hear it. Featured episodes Clips in this episode are taken from the following full St Emlyn’s episodes: Episode 262 — GoodSAM Update with Mark Wilson (London Trauma Conference) Episode 263 — Hyperbaric Medicine with Jeff Kerrie (London Trauma Conference) Episode 277 — Cognitive HALOs and Advanced Simulation Training with Halden Hutchinson-Bazely (BASICs) Episode 273 — Abdominal Aortic Junctional Tourniquet with Ed Barnard Episode 276 — Ejection Seats and the Injured Pilot with Phil Lucas (BASICs) All full episodes are available in the podcast feed. About MedPod Learn MedPod Learn is a medical podcast player designed to help turn listening into structured learning, with tools to support reflection, CPD, and appraisal.Available on the App Store and Google Play.
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  Ep 281 - Best Bits of 2025: Getting Better the Sustainable Way 27.12.2025 11min

  January often brings pressure to improve — to fix gaps, sharpen skills, and somehow be better than the year before. Done badly, that drive can become another source of burnout. This third episode in the Best Bits of 2025 series focuses on how improvement actually works in emergency and acute care — and how to do it in a way that is realistic, sustainable, and kind to the people doing the work. The clips in this episode are drawn from full St Emlyn’s episodes released during 2025 and reflect some of the most practical conversations about learning, feedback, and professional development from the year. In this episode, we explore Why clinical skills fade faster than most of us realise — and why teaching is not the same as training How debriefing and video review can drive learning safely, when the culture is right The impact of artificial intelligence and algorithm-driven information on how clinicians learn and make decisions Why conferences, community, and being “in the room” still matter in medical education This episode is designed for listening on the way to work, on the way home, or during a quieter moment when you’re thinking about how to improve practice without adding more weight. Featured episodes Clips in this episode are taken from the following full episodes: Episode 259 — Skills Fade with Nathalie Pattyn (Tactical Trauma 24) Episode 265 — Excellence in Debriefing with Richard Lyon (London Trauma Conference) Episode 267 — Social Media and Artificial Intelligence in Medicine with Peter Brindley Episode 274 — What Medical Conferences Offer in 2025 and How They’ve Changed All full episodes are available in the podcast feed. About MedPod Learn MedPod Learn is a medical podcast player designed to help turn listening into structured learning, with optional tools to support reflection, CPD, and appraisal. Available on the App Store and Google Play.
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  Ep 280 - Best Bits of 2025: Staying Human Under Pressure 23.12.2025 14min

  Winter pressure doesn’t just affect patient flow.It affects people. This second episode in the Best Bits of 2025 series focuses on the human side of emergency medicine: culture, moral injury, compassion, and the small but meaningful behaviours that help clinicians stay grounded when work is relentless. The clips in this episode are drawn from full St Emlyn’s podcast episodes released during 2025 and reflect some of the most thoughtful conversations of the year. In this episode, we explore: What a genuine learning culture looks like on shift — and why it matters more than workload Moral injury in emergency and prehospital care, and how it differs from day-to-day moral distress Compassionate resuscitation and “the pause” after a death Why small, practical actions can counter hopelessness, even when systems are broken The EPICC framework and the role of self-compassion in clinical practice This episode is designed for listening on shift, on the way home, or during a quieter moment over Christmas and New Year. Featured episodes Clips in this episode are taken from the following full St Emlyn’s episodes: Episode 256 — Monthly Update (November 2024): Learning culture in emergency medicine Episode 261 — Moral Injury with Caroline Leech (recorded at Tactical Trauma 24) Episode 258 — Compassionate Resuscitation with Matt Hooper (London Trauma Conference) Episode 264 — High Performance Teams with Dan Dworkis (Tactical Trauma 24) Episode 271 — Monthly Update (April and May 2025): EPICC and self-compassion All full episodes are available in the podcast feed. About MedPod Learn MedPod Learn is a medical podcast player designed to help turn listening into structured learning, with optional reflection and tools to support CPD and appraisal.Available on the App Store and Google Play.