Also known as: TOF
A Croatian boy with tetralogy of Fallot arrives on a plane in critical condition with severe cyanosis and respiratory distress. He experiences cardiac arrest during transport and requires emergency unifocalization and tet repair surgery, which becomes the central plot as Kovac fights to get approval for the surgery at County General.
A minor league baseball player experiences a syncopal episode after wind sprints and is diagnosed with Long QT syndrome. The diagnosis creates conflict as the patient and his mother want to pursue his baseball career despite the cardiac risks.
Also known as: GSW to chest
A mother shot during a drive-by shooting sustains a through-and-through chest wound requiring chest tube placement for pneumothorax as part of a major storyline involving gang violence affecting an entire family.
Also known as: GSW to abdomen
A young boy injured in the same drive-by shooting sustains an abdominal gunshot wound causing splenic injury requiring exploratory surgery and possible splenectomy.
Also known as: Broken neck with paralysis
A 9-year-old girl injured when a bookcase fell on her during the shooting sustains complete cervical spinal cord transection at C-5 level with paralysis and no motor or sensory function below the injury. The tragic nature of her injury - caused by her mother's attempt to protect her - drives emotional weight in the episode.
Also known as: Third-degree burn
Romano sustains a severe burn to his prosthetic arm when his sling catches fire on a stove burner, which he doesn't realize due to lack of sensation. The injury requires débridement and eventual skin grafting, but Romano ultimately decides to pursue amputation, marking a major character development moment.
Also known as: Manic depression
Abby's brother Eric, who has been in a treatment program, skips out after reducing his medications by 'cheeking' them, leading to a manic episode. He disrupts Carter's grandmother's funeral, highlighting the ongoing struggle with his mental illness.
Also known as: Mild traumatic brain injury
The baseball player initially presents with head trauma after syncopal episode, though the underlying Long QT syndrome is the more significant diagnosis.
Also known as: Botox complication
A woman who attended a Botox party develops difficulty swallowing from botulism toxicity, requiring nasogastric tube feeding.
Also known as: GSW to chest
The older brother who left gang life returns and is later brought in with a gunshot wound to the chest requiring emergency thoracotomy after he goes into cardiac arrest, representing the tragic continuation of the gang violence cycle.