The Critical Care Commute Podcast Complaints, Courtrooms and Keeping Calm while Carrying on.
Jan 13, 2026
Dr. Marcus Peck, a consultant in anaesthesia and critical care, shares his emotional journey through a coronial inquest after a challenging case. He discusses the impact of moral distress and the importance of thorough documentation in healthcare. Joining him is Dr. Jonny Wilkinson, who highlights the shared struggles of medical professionals facing legal scrutiny. Together, they emphasize the necessity of community support and transparency in navigating the emotional toll of such experiences, while advocating for resilience and openness in the medical field.
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Early Resuscitation And Unexpected Outcome
- Marcus Peck described resuscitating a 16-year-old with suspected meningitis who later became brain-stem dead and entered organ donation pathways.
- He initially felt they had done everything reasonable given the context and supervision available at the time.
Two-Day Inquest And The Fluid Question
- Marcus recounted facing a two-day coroner's inquest with repeated questioning about fluid harm and limited ability to defend due to sparse notes.
- He asked to give background and asserted there was no evidence that the fluids had caused the outcome.
Document Clearly After Acute Care
- Do write comprehensive, contemporaneous notes especially after acute interventions and handovers to protect clinical decisions.
- Marcus regrets not documenting and emphasizes notes materially help in later investigations.