The Critical Hour
Encyclopedia
The Critical Hour is a medical reality TV show about real medical emergencies. Similar in format to the TV show COPS
, it is shown in the United States by the Discovery Communications
's Discovery Health Channel
network.
The name "Critical Hour" refers to the fact that in many cases, such as heart attacks, automobile accidents, diabetic coma
s, overdoses, and other emergencies, medical care for patients during the first hour after the emergency plays a critical role in the patient's outcome, because survival rate for a trauma patient goes down significantly if initial care is not given within the first hour. For this reason, the initial 60 minutes following a traumatic incident is often called the critical hour in emergency medicine parlance. It is more commonly known as the "Golden Hour Concept
".
The show first aired in 2003. Early episodes of the series took place in Columbus, Ohio
(Grant Medical Center), New Orleans, Louisiana
(Charity Hospital), and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
(Oklahoma University Medical Center), among other places. A new set of episodes was shot in 2004 and 2005, centered around two cities and three trauma centers: Baltimore, Maryland (University of Maryland
Shock Trauma Center) and Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
(Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre; Toronto St. Michael's Hospital). The former shows were a decidedly different format, with a running timeclock on the patients as they made their way through the initial entrance into the trauma system (and then updates to their progress as the episode went on), while the latter episodes tend to transition between patients' stories, following a smaller set of patient stories from beginning to end throughout the episode. A standalone show, Chopper Rescue, a documentary about flight paramedics in Los Angeles, California
, was added to the rotation under the "Critical Hour" umbrella title in 2005. Production continued on the show in 2006, this time centered exclusively on the two Toronto-area hospitals, though the Baltimore Shock Trauma episodes continue to air in reruns periodically.
Like most traumatic injuries in real life, most stories featured on the show end in a "save", but some do not, clearly demonstrating that as remarkable as Trauma Medicine is today, it still can't save everyone from everything.
COPS (TV series)
Cops is an American documentary/reality television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
, it is shown in the United States by the Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
's Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel is a website owned by Discovery Communications, created for people interested in health and wellness. Until December 31, 2010, it was a U.S. cable television specialty channel dedicated to television programming that highlights various aspects of health and wellness...
network.
The name "Critical Hour" refers to the fact that in many cases, such as heart attacks, automobile accidents, diabetic coma
Diabetic coma
Diabetic coma is a reversible form of coma found in people with diabetes mellitus. It is a medical emergency.Three different types of diabetic coma are identified:#Severe diabetic hypoglycemia...
s, overdoses, and other emergencies, medical care for patients during the first hour after the emergency plays a critical role in the patient's outcome, because survival rate for a trauma patient goes down significantly if initial care is not given within the first hour. For this reason, the initial 60 minutes following a traumatic incident is often called the critical hour in emergency medicine parlance. It is more commonly known as the "Golden Hour Concept
Golden hour (medicine)
In emergency medicine, the golden hour refers to a time period lasting from a few minutes to several hours following traumatic injury being sustained by a casualty, during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treatment will prevent death...
".
The show first aired in 2003. Early episodes of the series took place in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
(Grant Medical Center), New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
(Charity Hospital), and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
(Oklahoma University Medical Center), among other places. A new set of episodes was shot in 2004 and 2005, centered around two cities and three trauma centers: Baltimore, Maryland (University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...
Shock Trauma Center) and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre; Toronto St. Michael's Hospital). The former shows were a decidedly different format, with a running timeclock on the patients as they made their way through the initial entrance into the trauma system (and then updates to their progress as the episode went on), while the latter episodes tend to transition between patients' stories, following a smaller set of patient stories from beginning to end throughout the episode. A standalone show, Chopper Rescue, a documentary about flight paramedics in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, was added to the rotation under the "Critical Hour" umbrella title in 2005. Production continued on the show in 2006, this time centered exclusively on the two Toronto-area hospitals, though the Baltimore Shock Trauma episodes continue to air in reruns periodically.
Like most traumatic injuries in real life, most stories featured on the show end in a "save", but some do not, clearly demonstrating that as remarkable as Trauma Medicine is today, it still can't save everyone from everything.