A patient with chronic abdominal pain, weakness, palpitations, and dark urine who underwent multiple unnecessary surgeries before Bailey correctly diagnosed porphyria, demonstrating the importance of comprehensive patient history and avoiding rushing to surgery.
A 1982 patient initially presenting with hernia repair who developed cryptococcus infection, leading to the discovery he had GRID (later called AIDS). Required intussusception surgery despite his terminal diagnosis, and eventually died from PCP pneumonia eight months post-surgery.
Also known as: KS
The patient with AIDS developed Kaposi's sarcoma lesions in his abdomen, which caused bowel intussusception requiring surgical intervention in 1982.
Also known as: AIDS
The central case from 1982 involving one of the earliest AIDS patients in Washington State, when the disease was still called GRID. The diagnosis and treatment demonstrated the fear and prejudice surrounding the disease at that time.
Also known as: Telescoping bowel
The AIDS patient developed adult intussusception (bowel twisted in on itself) caused by Kaposi's sarcoma lesions in his abdomen, requiring surgical repair despite his terminal prognosis.
Also known as: Clubfoot
Callie Torres's patient with congenital clubfoot who underwent multiple staged surgical procedures for correction. Patient also had underlying pericarditis and lung disease that complicated the surgeries.
Also known as: Blood around the heart
During clubfoot surgery, the patient developed pericardial tamponade requiring emergency subxiphoid pericardiotomy, which Karev had to perform despite being an intern.
Also known as: Gallstones
The patient had multiple gallstones and wall thickening leading to cholecystectomy, which was ultimately an unnecessary surgery as the underlying condition was porphyria.
Also known as: PCP
The AIDS patient returned eight months after his intussusception surgery with PCP pneumonia, which ultimately caused his death.
Also known as: Alcoholism
Richard Webber is 45 days sober and has lost his position as Chief of Surgery due to his alcoholism. The episode shows the beginning of his drinking problem in 1982 and his current recovery.