laws forbade recording patients before they (or their next-of-kin) gave permission. Since most patients were in the midst of a medical emergency, obtaining the necessary production releases became difficult or impossible. (Before the new law came into effect, Trauma's videographers would usually request permission after they had begun taping. If a patient refused permission, the cases would not be included in a program.) The series was one of the first cinéma vérité style programs to be shot almost entirely on hand-held MiniDV camcorders by teams of videojournalists who were responsible for both the reporting and videography. Controversy Trauma was one of TLC's most controversial shows from the beginning, because it did not sugar-coat or downplay the violent nature of the cases that usually ended up in a big-city trauma center. The show carries a warning at the beginning and on the opening frames of every return-from-commercial bumper: "Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised". The warning is needed because the show does not shy away from letting the viewer see blood and gore, or even the death of patients. When the show debuted in 1997, such graphic presentations on television were quite rare. Trauma was one of the first reality shows to deal with the controversial issue of health care professionals and blood-borne disease exposure. An episode set in San Antonio, Texas featured an E.R. intern who was stuck with a needle from suturing up a patient whose health history was completely unknown, including the extensive medical testing and anti-viral drugs the intern needed to take to ensure she did not contract any diseases from the patient. Another episode set in Nashville, Tennessee featured a trauma surgical resident who was accidentally stuck with a needle while treating a patient who had shot himself after discovering he had Hepatitis C; the surgical resident was found to be negative for Hepatitis C but still went through the months of anti-viral medications to ensure he did not later develop the disease. Episodes shot for both Trauma and Code Blue in New Orleans, Louisiana featured Dr. Eduardo Marvez-Valls, coordinator of E.R. and Trauma Medical Residents at Charity Hospital. Marvez-Valls, whose reputation as a dedicated instructor and physician was often featured in interviews with the doctors featured in Trauma and Code Blue, was both openly homosexual (Code Blue frequently featured Marvez-Valls at his home in the French Quarter, which he