Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Critical

  • Science and Stories from the Brink of Human Life
  • By: Dr Matt Morgan
  • Narrated by: Dr Matt Morgan
  • Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (723 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Critical

By: Dr Matt Morgan
Narrated by: Dr Matt Morgan
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Journey into the world of intensive care medicine and the lives of people who have forever been changed by it.

‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.’
Adam Kay

'[Morgan's] wit and compassion are everywhere evident in this enlightening book, and he makes a welcome contribution to our understanding of these extraordinary times.'
Sunday Times

There is no room for error in the ICU. Full focus is required at all times.
It can be the difference between life and death.

Through the remarkable stories of his patients, Dr. Matt Morgan guides you through the body and its organs. He explains how various critical conditions arise, and all that goes into treating them – from the science, research and technology, to the tireless efforts of the doctors and nurses. This book gives you powerful insights about intensive care, many of which may prevent you, or those close to you, from ending up there. It will even teach you how to save a life.

Movingly and compassionately, Matt writes about the cases and the people that have stayed with him, both the recoveries and the losses. This book shows the fragility of life, but also the incredible resilience of the human body and spirit.

Sometimes darkness can show you the light.
©2019 Dr Matt Morgan (P)2019 Simon & Schuster UK
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Catch Your Breath cover art
34 Patients cover art
Gas Man cover art
999 cover art
In Two Minds cover art
Miracles We Have Seen cover art
Holiday SOS cover art
Your Life in My Hands cover art
Everyday Miracles cover art
The Complete Blood Sweat and Tea cover art
The Secret Doctor cover art
Cross Everything cover art
Sorry for Your Loss cover art
When Blood Breaks Down cover art
Is There a Doctor Here?: An Omnibus cover art
Diagnosis cover art

Critic reviews

'Matt Morgan is an engaging, honest and perceptive doctor who has managed to pack an awful lot into his career. This book promises to offer a real insight into an area of life and death medicine that many of us will have seen dramatised on television.’ (Dr Michael Mosley, bestselling author of The Fast Diet, The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet and The Clever Guts Diet)
'Matt Morgan writes beautifully and movingly about the edges of life. Through vivid encounters and pitch-perfect insights, he shines a light on the human experience at the frontiers of healthcare.' (Ganesh Suntharalingam, President, Intensive Care Society)
‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.' (Adam Kay, author of the best-selling book This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor)
‘I loved it. So carefully written and obviously as a doctor, I could totally get behind the stories of Gram and the origin of ICU, but the patients…just so touching. I love the exploration of what it means to survive, at what cost and so on. A lovely book.’ (Dr Nikki Stamp FRACS, Cardiothoracic and Transplant Surgeon and author of Can You Die of a Broken Heart? A Heart Surgeon's Insight Into What Makes Us Tick)
‘A gripping realism of life in intensive care that reminds us how fragile is life. Written with humility and insight this is an intriguing glimpse into a world of life-saving decisions. It is life affirming and hugely reassuring.’ (Professor Dame Sue Black, author of All That Remains: A Life in Death)
‘This book is marvellous: buy it, share it, recommend it....We are fortunate to have dedicated, caring and humble folks such as Doc Morgan on the Critical Care front line. We are even better off when a writer can capture all that this exciting, mad, glorious and even exasperating job means. If you work in healthcare, know somebody that does, or simply inhabit a body then this book is for you: in fact it's critical.’ (Peter Brindley MD FRCP Can FRCP Edin FRCP Lond, Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Anesthesiology, Medical Ethics, University of Alberta)

What listeners say about Critical

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    551
  • 4 Stars
    115
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    478
  • 4 Stars
    113
  • 3 Stars
    33
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    9
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    495
  • 4 Stars
    99
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Makes me proud to work in ITU

From a critical care nurse with over 20years experience I loved this book.
Honest, sincere and easy to understand. Reflects so much of what we all feel.
We are privileged to work in Critical care and be part of such amazing teams and touch peoples lives when they are most vulnerable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A great introduction to the inside world of ICU

An insightful and interesting glimpse into the world of ICU. Well read with a good blend of technical terms and simple wording.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended

A great book to listen to, full on insight into how a ICU treats patients, full of high and lows, with great explanations of medical terms so listeners don't get lost.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must buy/listen

Buy and listen to it now. One of the best books I've listened to with a genuine and considerate narrative on intensive care medicine

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book from an exemplary bloke

I found every chapter fascinating and rewarding. A masterful work which somehow weaves the science detail into a sequence of enthralling diagnosis & treatment detective stories. This is a life enhancing read for both sides of the patient/medical profession divide.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating book written with Compassion

What an excellent book beautifully read by the author with his gentle Welsh accent. It is full of moments of joy and sadness, so interesting and informative too. Thank you Dr Morgan for sharing your experiences and thank you to all your patients and their loved ones for letting you tell their story. I feel quite humbled to have been allowed a glimpse into lives at their most difficult.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful, humane and thoughtful

This is a wonderful listen and the author comes across as a straight talking, humble and devoted ICU doctor. Having spent sometime myself in ICU I didn’t really understand the behind the scenes work that goes on although I did remember the broken sleep and checks during the night… a small price to pay for the dedication I received from all those who worked on the ward. Matt tells us about the ups and sadly downs of his job by using cases he has worked on and the follow up - he sometimes did. Alongside that we also get a crash course in CPR, how some of our major organs work and dealing with death. I highly recommend this book and I will search for more from Dr Matt Morgan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

absolutely loved it!

very interesting and a great listen! 100% reccomend. Made me think about a career in intensive care medicine and the personal stories made it applicable to real life :)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

More medical knowledge

If I listen to.many more off these medical books I might not want to.ever go into hospital again !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

Excellent book. Beautifully narrated. Would definitely recommend. It was thought provoking and educational, really enjoyed it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!