Also known as: Intersex condition
A 13-year-old patient presents with cells containing both male (XY) and female (XX) DNA. The parents have kept this diagnosis secret from their child, who was surgically assigned male at birth and is receiving testosterone therapy. The revelation of this condition drives a major emotional subplot when the patient accidentally learns the truth.
Also known as: Severe dehydration
The patient's initial presentation was simple dehydration from a basketball game, exacerbated by consumption of energy drinks. This strained his kidneys and prevented proper filtration of MRI contrast material, leading to systemic complications affecting the heart, liver, and pancreas.
Also known as: Fluid around the heart
The patient develops fluid accumulation in the pericardial space causing respiratory distress and requiring emergency drainage. This was later determined to be caused by contrast material not being filtered out due to compromised kidney function.
Also known as: Kidney damage from contrast dye
The final diagnosis reveals that MRI contrast material could not be filtered by the patient's already-compromised kidneys from dehydration, causing the contrast to circulate and damage multiple organ systems. The patient requires several weeks of dialysis to recover.
The patient develops necrotizing pancreatitis as a result of contrast material absorption, which causes a gastric fistula leading to bloody vomiting. This is part of the multi-organ damage from the contrast-induced nephropathy.
House has switched from Vicodin to methadone for pain management without informing his colleagues. He experiences a near-fatal episode when he stops breathing after nodding off. This creates a major conflict when Cuddy discovers the switch and threatens to fire him unless he agrees to supervised dosing.