Also known as: Kidney failure
Used as a teaching point during rounds where Dr. Steadman quizzes JD and Elliot about what to look for in a uraemic patient, with infection being the correct answer.
Diagnosed during rounds as indicated by necrosis and infected stool. JD is unable to answer, but Elliot correctly identifies the condition. JD later attempts to drain stomach fluid with an oversized needle.
JD hears a systolic murmur in Mr. Burski's heart during examination and orders testing to rule out serious pathology, though he tells the patient it's most likely nothing.
Also known as: Blood clot in lung
Mr. Burski crashes and dies from what the attending believes was a pulmonary embolism that no one could have caught. JD must pronounce him dead at 0200, marking a significant emotional moment in his first day as a doctor.
Also known as: Kidney failure
Mrs. Pratt is a second away from total renal failure and JD wants to put her on the hospital's transplant list, but Dr. Kelso blocks it due to lack of insurance coverage, keeping her on dialysis instead.
Also known as: Collapsed lung
A car accident victim crashes on arrival with increased pressure on his chest. Dr. Cox coaches JD through performing an emergency chest tube insertion to relieve the pneumothorax, marking JD's first major successful procedure.
Also known as: Alzheimer's disease
A 92-year-old patient with dementia who requires daily care and doesn't recognize the medical staff around him, used by Dr. Cox to illustrate the reality of modern medicine keeping people alive past meaningful cognitive function.