1 Scene In The Pitt Already Made Me Love It More Than Any Other Current Medical Drama
Max's new medical drama, The Pitt, released its first two episodes and already, it did one small thing that has made me love it so much. The Pitt's cast of characters is led by Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, the head of the emergency department of the fictional Pittsburgh trauma hospital PTMC. With each episode of The Pitt's 15 episodes following an hour in one 15-hour shift of Dr. Robby's life, the real-time format of the medical drama amps up the intensity.
With that intensity, I expected thatThe Pitt, which is being compared to a grittier ER, would manufacture unrealistic drama for the sake of the story. It's what most medical dramas do, often sacrificing medical realism and accuracy for the sake of dramatic stakes. While The Pitt may certainly fall into that trap in its first season, there was one brief exchange that showed me it was striving for accuracy in a way most other medical shows don't, making me appreciate it even more.
The Pitt's Chest Compression Scene Was Actually Done Right
It Slowed The Tempo Down
Despite not being a healthcare worker or medical expert, I have had first-aid training and know the basics, which is why chest compression scenes in most hospital TV shows annoy me. They're always too frantic, too fast, and not nearly hard enough. The frantic pace is designed to amp up the urgency of a scene and add to the tension of the moment, but it's not really necessary – if someone needs chest compressions in the first place, the moment should already be plenty urgent. It may be silly, but it always sticks out like a sore thumb to me and reminds me that these are actors, not actual medical professionals. It takes me out of the moment.
The Pitt, conversely, actually took the time to address the pace of chest compressions in one dramatic scene, something virtually unseen in medical dramas. The young med student, Whitaker discovers one of his patients unresponsive in the hallway and pulls him into a room to start chest compressions as his colleagues buzz around him. As Dr. Robby calls out orders, he notices Whitaker's compressions and pauses in his instructions to the general team to speak directly to Whitaker: "Slow, slower tempo, slower tempo," he tells the med student, making the universal "Calm down, slow down" gesture.
The next shot shows Whitaker doing the chest compressions at the correct tempo – to the beat of Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive", as anyone with minor emergency training (or who has ever watched the viral PSA starring Vinnie Jones) knows. It was an incredibly brief scene, no more than a few seconds from the time Dr. Robby notices his compressions and tells him to slow down to the shot of Whitaker doing so, but it confirmed that The Pitt is paying attention to the little details in a way that I appreciate.
The Pitt Scene Also Reminded Viewers Of A Horrifying Truth About Chest Compressions
Ribs Will Probably Break
Later, as The Pitt returns to that action, the scene also drops another nugget of realism about chest compressions, albeit a little more horrifying than the correct tempo. As Whitaker continues the compressions, a quiet cracking sound is heard. "Oh, sh*t. I think I just broke some ribs," he explains with mild horror. "It means you're doing it right," responds a sympathetic Dr. Langdon. He's absolutely correct, and it's another way The Pitt's chest compressions are so accurate.
The delicate chest compressions you see in most medical shows where the person's chest is only being pushed down lightly on the surface are wrong. In real life, they'd be completely useless.
Chest compressions are a desperate measure, meant to force the heart to pump blood through the body when it's not pumping on its own. That requires a tremendous amount of force – the delicate chest compressions you see in most medical shows where the person's chest is only being pushed down lightly on the surface are wrong. In real life, they'd be completely useless. The ugly truth is that when done correctly, chest compressions have a fair chance of cracking ribs, especially in elderly patients; such is the force required to keep the blood pumping. Whitaker winded and dripped sweat from his exertions, cracking his patient's ribs, that's the ugly truth, and I love that The Pitt showed it.
The Pitt Gets A Lot Of Things Right About Medicine (Or At Least Feels Realistic)
It Touches Upon Real Challenges For The Healthcare Industry
Like I said, I'm not a medical professional, and I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff I'm seeing the show gets completely wrong. But The Pitt also touches upon several topics that are true to life. The nursing shortage mentioned in The Pitt is real, as are the hospital's bed shortages and understaffing. The hospital administrator caring more about hitting numbers than patients is also sadly all too real for many hospitals. And the post-Covid PTSD experienced by many frontline healthcare workers and reflected in Dr. Robby is also a specter that hangs over the medical community now. The Pitt isn't a perfect show, but so far, I really do appreciate it for how it sets itself apart with its realism.
The Pitt - Season 1
- Release Date
- January 9, 2025
The Pitt is a medical drama developed by veterans of the television series ER. The series will follow healthcare workers set in Pittsburgh, showing he challenges faced in the modern-day United States by nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals.
- Series
- The Pitt
- Episodes
- 15
- Season Number
- 1
- Episode List
- Episode 1, 8:00 A.M., 9:00 A.M., 10:00 A.M., 11:00 A.M., Hour Six: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Hour Seven: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, Hour Eight: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Hour Nine: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM, Hour Ten: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Hour Eleven: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM, Hour Twelve: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Hour Thirteen: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Hour Fourteen: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Hour Fifteen: 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
