Also known as: Compound leg fracture
A window washer falls five stories but miraculously survives with only a compound fracture of his lower leg bones, requiring surgical repair. He later dies unexpectedly on the operating table.
Also known as: Gallbladder inflammation
A woman presents with nausea and vomiting from acute cholecystitis. During gallbladder removal surgery, a porcelain gallbladder is discovered indicating advanced gallbladder cancer with 4-6 months to live. Her husband requests she not be told she's dying.
Also known as: Cancer of the gallbladder
Advanced gallbladder cancer discovered incidentally during cholecystectomy, with a poor prognosis of 4-6 months. This creates an ethical dilemma when the husband asks doctors not to tell his wife she's dying.
Burke and Cristina diagnose Marfan syndrome in a man at a restaurant based on his physical features (tall stature, long fingers, pectus carinatum, high-arched palate) who then develops an acute aortic dissection requiring emergency surgery.
Also known as: Tear in the aorta
A man with Marfan syndrome develops a dissecting thoracic aorta while at dinner, requiring emergency transport and cardiovascular surgery by Burke to repair the blood vessel rupture.
Also known as: Breast and ovarian cancer gene
A woman tests positive for the BRCA gene mutation after her mother dies from ovarian cancer, giving her up to 85% lifetime risk of developing cancer. She elects prophylactic surgery to remove her ovaries, uterus, and breasts to prevent cancer.
Also known as: Unplanned pregnancy
Cristina reveals to the Chief that she is pregnant with a male fetus just as she's receiving multiple fellowship offers. This is a significant development in her character arc affecting her career decisions.