Also known as: Prolactinoma
Emma, a pregnant woman at 5 months gestation, presents with severe headaches and progressive vision loss. Imaging reveals a pituitary adenoma that ruptured during the MRI scan, causing complete vision loss. She undergoes endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery to remove the tumor, complicated by acute adrenal crisis during the procedure.
Also known as: Adrenal insufficiency
During surgery for Emma's pituitary adenoma, she develops acute adrenal crisis due to disruption of the ACTH pathway by the hematoma pressing against her pituitary, causing hemodynamic instability and fetal heart rate decelerations that resolve with hydrocortisone treatment.
Also known as: Dislocated hip
Jeff, a 28-year-old stripper, sustains a posterior hip dislocation with posterior wall acetabular fracture after falling from a pole covered in baby oil. Initial closed reduction attempts fail due to a bone fragment, requiring open reduction and internal fixation in the OR.
Also known as: Collapsed lung
Rosie, a 19-year-old cheerleader, develops a pneumothorax after a six-foot fall during cheerleading practice. She becomes hypoxic in the ambulance, requiring needle decompression followed by finger thoracostomy in the field and subsequent chest tube placement at the hospital.
Also known as: Brain bleed
Tim, Rosie's cheerleading spotter, develops an epidural hematoma after the cheerleading accident. He initially appears stable but then has a seizure and develops a blown left pupil indicating increased intracranial pressure, requiring emergent transport to Grey Sloan.
Also known as: Stomach cancer
Katie is a patient with advanced gastric cancer on an immunotherapy clinical trial (IM90 protocol) that shows significant tumor reduction (30% decrease) and improvement in tumor markers. However, the trial is abruptly canceled due to loss of government funding, leaving her treatment plan in jeopardy. Her grandmother died of the same disease.
Also known as: Pregnancy-related heart failure
Jo is being discharged after treatment for peripartum cardiomyopathy. Her ejection fraction has normalized and her dyspnea has resolved, allowing her to go home with continued physical therapy and surveillance echocardiograms.