Also known as: Septic arthritis
Patient presents with knee pain weeks after a fall. Carter diagnoses bacterial arthritis caused by gonorrhea, creating a dramatic moment when the patient's wife learns of his infidelity through the sexually transmitted infection diagnosis.
Patient presents with altered mental state and intense scratching. Dr. Chen identifies it as lindane toxicity from treating body lice, demonstrating her diagnostic skills on her first day back.
Also known as: Wrist fracture
High school basketball player in a car accident with possible scaphoid fracture that's difficult to see on x-rays. Dr. Finch casts it to protect the exhausted athlete from pressure to perform, creating conflict with Dr. Benton about patient autonomy.
Also known as: Cancer of the lymphatic system
11-year-old boy presents with shortness of breath and chest pain after being hit with a hockey stick. Imaging reveals recurrent lymphoma with inoperable mediastinal mass surrounding his heart. Dr. Malucci must deliver the devastating terminal diagnosis.
Also known as: Third-degree burn
Older brother caring for his special needs sibling Jake suffers burns from a cooking accident. The case leads to DCFS intervention and separation of the brothers, creating an emotional storyline about family preservation.
Also known as: Cut
Teenage runaway presents with laceration and frostbite. Dr. Chen discovers she fled from a conversion therapy center after her parents tried to 'cure' her of being gay, creating a storyline about LGBTQ rights and medical ethics.
Also known as: Broken pelvis
Serial killer patient recovering from surgery continues to manipulate Dr. Corday. He cruelly toys with a murder victim's sister, then asks Corday to help him die, which becomes the episode's climactic ethical dilemma.
Woman participating in a scavenger hunt falls into a polar bear pit at the zoo, sustaining multiple fractures. Brief comedic case showing the variety of emergency room presentations.