Also known as: Facial cut
A trauma patient arrives early in the episode with severe facial trauma requiring plastics and ENT consultation, representing the hospital's ongoing emergency work during the merger.
Also known as: Head laceration
A 16-year-old helmeted dirt bike victim presents with closed head injury requiring intubation and neurological assessment.
Also known as: Ruptured triple-A
A 60-year-old woman presents after a car accident caused by loss of consciousness. She has a large abdominal mass that is discovered to be a triple-A with 75% rupture risk. The case is complicated by her need to care for her schizophrenic son, creating a conflict between her medical needs and her caregiving responsibilities.
Also known as: Schizoaffective disorder
Tom is a paranoid schizophrenic who accompanies his mother to the hospital after their accident. His severe paranoia and delusions drive a major subplot as he believes people are trying to harm him and his mother, leading him to attack staff and escape. His condition requires his mother to choose between life-saving surgery and caring for him.
Also known as: Ruptured spleen
Tom sustains a splenic injury after falling down stairs while trying to escape hospital staff. The injury is managed conservatively and used as leverage to convince both him and his mother to undergo their respective surgeries.
Also known as: Kidney stones
A 9-year-old boy with kidney stones scheduled for shockwave lithotripsy, but the stones pass on their own before the procedure. This case is used to show Cristina's disinterest in pediatrics.
Also known as: Giant abdominal mass
A 6-year-old girl recovering from tumor removal surgery, used in Arizona's pediatric rounds to demonstrate appropriate bedside manner with children.
Also known as: Water on the brain
A patient requiring shunt revision that develops complications during surgery, requiring conversion to open craniotomy. This case becomes significant as Izzie insists on participating despite her recent cancer treatment.
Also known as: Arm nerve injury
A premature infant's arm is severely damaged during an emergency C-section when the resident cuts too deep. The case requires microsurgical repair using the umbilical artery and drives Arizona's storyline about the importance of pediatric surgery during the merger.
Also known as: Skin cancer that has spread
Izzie returns to work wearing a wig after cancer treatment, struggling to prove she's healthy enough to work while dealing with fatigue and the effects of chemotherapy. Her condition is central to her storyline as she pushes herself through a five-hour surgery.