Also known as: Liver failure
A ten-year-old boy with acute liver and intestinal failure requiring urgent transplant. His condition deteriorates throughout the episode with rising intracranial pressure and cerebral edema, and he codes during transplant surgery but is ultimately saved with donated organs.
Also known as: Short bowel syndrome
Jackson requires both liver and small bowel transplant. He is at the top of UNOS list for combined liver and small bowel transplantation.
Also known as: Brain swelling
Jackson develops life-threatening cerebral edema due to toxin buildup from liver failure, requiring aggressive ICP monitoring and management to keep him alive for transplant.
Also known as: Brain bleed
Death row inmate and serial killer who develops a brain bleed and seizures. Meredith delays calling for neurosurgical intervention hoping he will die so his organs can be donated to Jackson, creating major ethical conflict.
Also known as: Seizure
William experiences seizures related to his brain hemorrhage, treated with lorazepam initially before the underlying cause is addressed surgically.
Also known as: Broken p*nis
Mark suffers a penile fracture during sexual activity in an on-call room, requiring emergency surgical repair. The incident becomes hospital gossip and provides comic relief amid the episode's heavier themes.
Also known as: Brain death
Patient on life support with no brain activity following a car accident. His wife refuses organ donation despite him being a match for Jackson, adding to the tension around finding organs.
Also known as: Terminal cancer
The episode reveals that Izzie has been hallucinating Denny because she is seriously ill, likely with cancer. Denny's ghost has been trying to make her realize she is sick so she can get treatment. This is a major revelation that sets up a critical storyline for Izzie's character.