Also known as: Broken spine
Child named Nicky fell into a sinkhole and sustained three spinal fractures requiring surgical repair by Dr. Shepherd. The surgery was successful with neurological function intact.
Also known as: Brain bleed
Nicky had epidural bleeding during his spinal surgery that required careful management during the procedure.
Also known as: Brain bleed
Danny, the man who rescued his wife from the sinkhole, had a rim subdural hematoma from the accident. It was deemed likely to reabsorb on its own with monitoring.
Also known as: Leg amputation
Susannah's leg was amputated by her husband in the field after she was pinned under her car in a sinkhole. The surgical team had to clean and manage the stump while addressing her other critical injuries.
Also known as: Broken pelvis
Susannah sustained an open book pelvic fracture from the sinkhole accident, which was a major source of internal bleeding requiring surgical packing and stabilization.
Also known as: Broken thigh bone
Susannah had a comminuted femur fracture (broken into multiple pieces) as part of her extensive trauma from the sinkhole accident.
Also known as: Blood around the heart
Cristina Yang correctly diagnosed a pericardial tear with cardiac tamponade causing Susannah's hypotension. This was the central medical debate of the surgery, requiring thoracotomy and cardiac repair.
Also known as: Air around the heart
Susannah had air in her pericardium visible on imaging, contributing to her cardiac compromise.
Also known as: Internal bleeding
Susannah had significant internal bleeding in her abdomen from the crush injury, requiring exploratory laparotomy and packing to control hemorrhage.
Also known as: Heart failure from brain injury
Susannah went into cardiogenic shock from her cardiac injuries, with dangerously low blood pressure requiring aggressive intervention including thoracotomy.
Also known as: V-fib
Susannah went into ventricular fibrillation during surgery, requiring defibrillation and intracardiac epinephrine to restore normal rhythm.
Also known as: Abnormal EKG
Alex had an underlying arrhythmia that was revealed when Cristina accidentally administered epinephrine, causing his heart to stop temporarily. He required resuscitation.
Also known as: Diabetes
Henry underwent experimental islet cell device implantation to treat his diabetes. Richard Webber performed the procedure with Bailey assisting, in what became a pivotal teaching moment.