Also known as: Rebar through spleen
A 32-year-old construction worker fell off scaffolding onto rebar which penetrated her abdomen through the spleen, requiring emergency surgery and splenectomy. During surgery, a gastric tumor was discovered incidentally.
Also known as: Stomach cancer
A golf ball-sized malignant tumor discovered in the stomach wall during emergency splenectomy. The patient initially refused treatment due to watching her mother die from the same disease, but was eventually convinced to undergo surgical resection.
Also known as: Facial nerve pain
A patient with chronic facial pain for one year, misdiagnosed multiple times, who presented with syncope. Condition caused by an artery pulsating against the trigeminal nerve, causing excruciating facial pain so severe it caused loss of consciousness. Successfully treated with microvascular decompression surgery.
Also known as: Liver scarring
Auggie's liver failure continues to worsen with hepatic encephalopathy causing confusion, requiring urgent liver transplant. A donor liver with amyloidosis becomes available but requires special consent due to Auggie's foster status. Maggie and Ben decide to adopt him to consent to the transplant.
Also known as: Broken pelvis
Kelly, the kidnapping victim from a previous episode, sustained a pelvic fracture after jumping from a moving vehicle at 30 mph while being driven by her mother to Navy Pier.
Also known as: Mild traumatic brain injury
Kelly sustained a concussion with initial loss of consciousness (GCS 11-12) after jumping from a moving vehicle. The incident was related to psychological trauma from her prolonged captivity causing memory issues.
Also known as: Early miscarriage
Anna, Dr. Dan Charles's 15-year-old daughter, experienced vaginal bleeding from a chemical pregnancy (early miscarriage due to chromosomal abnormalities preventing full implantation). She had been hiding her sexual activity and pregnancy from both parents.
Also known as: PTSD with memory loss
Kelly's 12-year captivity caused severe psychological trauma resulting in inability to recall childhood memories with her mother. The psychological distress led to impulsive self-endangering behavior (jumping from the car) when confronted with fabricated memories.