Also known as: Heart attack
Santa-in-residence at Water Tower Place suffers a massive MI in the hospital waiting room and dies despite resuscitation efforts, creating PR concerns and a billing controversy.
Also known as: Hole in the diaphragm
Man falls 20 feet off roof while stringing Christmas lights, causing his diaphragm to rupture with stomach, spleen, and colon migrating into his chest. Requires complex trauma surgery with both thoracotomy and abdominal approach.
Also known as: Collapsed lung
Patient develops tension pneumothorax from fall trauma, requiring emergency needle decompression and chest tube placement in the ED.
Also known as: Rat disease
Part of a cluster outbreak investigation involving multiple patients with fever, rash, and jaundice from bacterial infection transmitted through rat-contaminated Christmas tree lot soil. Patient develops DIC and requires emergent cricothyrotomy.
Also known as: DIC
Patient with leptospirosis develops DIC with massive airway bleeding requiring emergency surgical airway.
Also known as: Manic depression
Homeless man with severe delusional disorder presenting with paranoid hallucinations about demons. Goes through stained glass window at church, stabs priest to death, and later attacks Dr. Charles with defibrillator paddles before being arrested.
Also known as: Arterial bleeding
Patient severs radial artery going through stained glass window, presenting with arterial bleeding requiring emergent vascular control.
Also known as: Anti-NMDA encephalitis
Robin returns to work after treatment but experiences recurrent auditory hallucinations (hearing rats in her office). MRI shows no structural damage, suggesting ongoing psychiatric symptoms despite tumor removal and treatment.
Also known as: Zika
Husband of pregnant patient tests inconclusive for Zika after extramarital affair in Aruba. Creates ethical dilemma around doctor-patient confidentiality versus duty to protect fetus from devastating birth defects through sexual transmission.
Also known as: Practice contractions
22-week pregnant woman presents with cramping that is diagnosed as benign practice contractions, but evaluation leads to discovery of husband's Zika exposure.
Also known as: Stabbing
Parish priest stabbed to death by psychotic patient Vincent Kramer during church break-in. Dies in trauma room from injuries.