Also known as: Kidney failure
A 16-year-old boy with chronic renal failure from interstitial nephritis requiring dialysis three times a week. He loses his last dialysis access site and urgently needs a kidney transplant. His mother was the planned donor, but her remaining kidney thrombosed during surgery, requiring an emergency anonymous donation from his estranged father.
Also known as: Kidney inflammation
The underlying cause of Chris's chronic renal failure, mentioned as the reason he requires a kidney transplant.
Also known as: Kidney artery narrowing
The donor mother's remaining kidney had a major stenosis that was discovered during surgery. When surgeons attempted to open it up, the entire vessel dissected and clotted off, leaving her with no functioning kidneys and creating an ethical dilemma about who should receive the one viable donated kidney.
Also known as: Pacemaker problems
A homeless Jane Doe patient presents with an old, malfunctioning pacemaker (described as 'the Ford Pinto of pacemakers') that requires replacement. The pacemaker wires were scarred into her tissue and had to be removed with a laser before a new permanent pacemaker could be placed.
Also known as: Schizoaffective disorder
A woman missing for 12 years is found homeless, confused, and disoriented with disorganized speech and delusions about snakes and diagrams. She is diagnosed with schizophrenia that likely manifested in her late teens/early 20s, causing her to disappear. She is treated with Haloperidol and begins to stabilize enough to recognize her parents by the end of the episode.
Also known as: Severe high blood pressure
The donor mother develops severely elevated blood pressure (systolic BP 200) during surgery before the discovery of her renal artery stenosis. The team initially considers malignant hypertension as a possible diagnosis before discovering the vascular problem.