Also known as: Femoral artery injury
A crew member at the South Pole research station severs his femoral artery, requiring emergency field repair by the patient/doctor using medical glue in freezing conditions.
Also known as: Frostbite
The mechanic experiences frostbite during his injury in the extreme Antarctic cold, though described as 'not too bad.'
Also known as: Collapsed lung
The patient develops a spontaneous pneumothorax (right lung collapse) with tracheal deviation, requiring emergency self-administered needle decompression while trapped at the South Pole.
Also known as: Fat in bloodstream
The episode's central diagnosis: fat emboli from an undiagnosed broken toe (hidden by cold-induced numbness) leak bone marrow into the bloodstream, causing multi-organ damage including kidney failure, lung collapse, and increased intracranial pressure leading to coma.
Also known as: Kidney failure
The patient develops declining kidney function in both kidneys, initially suspected to be from kidney stones or autoimmune disease, ultimately revealed to be caused by fat emboli from her broken toe.
Also known as: Brain pressure
Fat emboli cause increased pressure in the brain, leading to coma. The station mechanic performs an emergency burr hole procedure (cranial drilling) under House's remote guidance to relieve the pressure.
Also known as: Broken toe
The underlying cause of all symptoms: an undiagnosed broken toe, made painless by extreme cold, allows bone marrow to leak and cause fat emboli throughout her body. Discovered only when House insists on removing her socks during examination.