Also known as: Meningococcal sepsis
Two teenage girls present with rapidly progressing purpura, fever, headaches, stiff neck, and photophobia after one faints while driving, causing a car accident. The diagnosis triggers hospital-wide prophylaxis protocols due to the highly contagious nature of the disease.
Also known as: Kidney injury from bus accident
A jogger is struck by a car that drives onto the sidewalk, sustaining blunt abdominal trauma with internal bleeding requiring emergency surgery.
Also known as: Broken thigh bone
The same jogger patient also presents with a right femur fracture from being hit by the car, requiring splinting and contributing to his hypotensive state.
Also known as: Head trauma
A 21-year-old college student is punched during a bar fight over basketball, hits his head on a table, and develops severe brain injury with signs of herniation (hypertension, bradycardia, hypoventilation), requiring emergent intubation and CT scan. He goes into ventricular tachycardia and requires defibrillation.
Also known as: Blood cancer
A wealthy patient with known myelodysplastic syndrome presents after passing out in a car. He requires frequent blood transfusions and nightly iron chelation therapy five times per week to manage his condition.
Also known as: Skull base fracture
A patient who tripped over a double stroller in a coffee shop presents with a basal skull fracture requiring observation and staples for an associated scalp laceration.
Also known as: Severe hip arthritis
Kerry has advanced hip degeneration with a flapping piece of cartilage causing severe pain and functional limitations. After canceling surgery three times, she finally proceeds with total hip replacement at episode's end, grappling with her identity as a disabled person and fear of losing her crutch.
Also known as: Scratched cornea
The teenage passenger in the car accident presents with photophobia and suspected corneal abrasion from airbag deployment, requiring slit lamp examination.
Also known as: Skin infection
A patient who wears excessive jewelry ('over-golding') presents with infected erosions on his neck from his heavy chains cutting into his skin.