Also known as: Heart attack
A 42-year-old man presents with acute inferior MI complicated by refractory ventricular fibrillation. Despite being pronounced dead after 40+ minutes of CPR, Dr. Pratt controversially continues resuscitation after seeing a shockable rhythm post-thrombolytics, successfully restoring cardiac function but leaving the patient with severe anoxic brain injury and no meaningful recovery.
Also known as: Neck injury
A young pregnant woman shot in the neck during gang violence, resulting in spinal cord injury. She is treated with methylprednisolone and undergoes neurosurgery, ultimately becoming quadriplegic. The episode reveals she is 11 weeks pregnant with her boyfriend's baby.
Also known as: Scraped elbow
A 16-year-old girl involved in motorcycle versus utility pole crash without a helmet. She arrives with pulseless electrical activity progressing to asystole, cervical spine fracture, and massive internal bleeding (approximately 2 liters). Pronounced dead on arrival. Dr. Corday delivers the difficult news to her father.
Also known as: Tear in the aorta
A 40-year-old man injured when a walkway fell at a demolition site. He presents with severe chest trauma, flail chest, pulmonary contusions, and hypotension. CT reveals aortic dissection requiring emergency surgery.
Also known as: Multiple broken ribs on both sides
Same patient as aortic dissection - significant flail chest with rib fractures and crepitus requiring chest tube placement and mechanical ventilation.
Also known as: Broken leg
A 34-year-old man whose leg was crushed when a flower kiosk fell on him during a demolition accident. He has a tib-fib fracture with dislocation and no distal pulse. Dr. Pratt controversially reduces the ankle without anesthesia to restore circulation.
Also known as: GSW to arm
A young man involved in gang violence with through-and-through gunshot wound to the right triceps. He is Alma's boyfriend and father of her unborn child. Treated with wound irrigation and debridement.
Also known as: Underactive thyroid
A woman with multiple somatic complaints (fatigue, constipation, dry skin, cold intolerance, depression) dismissed as a hypochondriac 'frequent flyer.' Medical student Gallant orders labs revealing TSH over 100, confirming severe hypothyroidism as the cause of her symptoms.
Approximately 11 weeks pregnant when shot in the neck. Fetal ultrasound shows heart rate of 140 and the baby appears healthy despite maternal spinal cord injury. The pregnancy adds emotional weight to her quadriplegia outcome.
Also known as: Kidney stone infection
A patient bounced between multiple hospitals due to ER closures throughout Chicago, with urinary tract infection progressing to urosepsis due to lack of timely treatment and bed availability.
Also known as: Kidney stones
A returning patient with ureteral stone causing intractable pain and hydronephrosis, but no hospital beds available for admission despite urologic consultation.
Also known as: Nerve damage
Continuing recovery from arm injury with nerve damage. Romano undergoes physical therapy testing sensory and motor function, experiencing significant pain. He estimates returning to clinical duties in 2 weeks and surgery in 2 months, though showing no nerve regeneration yet.