Also known as: Gallbladder inflammation
Michelle, a 17-year-old foster care provider, presents with severe upper-right quadrant abdominal pain, fever, and elevated white count. Her inflamed gallbladder requires surgical removal (cholecystectomy), which becomes Dr. Claire Browne's first lead surgery. The case is complicated by significant scarring and inflammation.
Also known as: Blood clot in lung
Michelle develops a pulmonary embolism caused by a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in her leg that broke off and traveled to her lungs. The clot was caused by birth control pills she had been taking for a year. An IVC filter is placed to prevent further clots, and her gallbladder surgery is delayed.
Also known as: DVT
Michelle has a DVT in her leg caused by oral contraceptive use, which led to her pulmonary embolism. An IVC filter is placed via femoral vein to prevent further emboli.
Also known as: Cutting
Michelle has been cutting herself due to overwhelming stress from caring for three foster children while managing her own teenage life. Dr. Browne discovers straight, uniform scars on Michelle's thigh. Michelle reveals profound unhappiness with her home situation and caretaking burden. A psychiatric consult is arranged despite mother's initial resistance.
Also known as: Knife wound
A fisherman is impaled through the leg by a marlin's bill. The team must carefully remove the fish to avoid damaging blood vessels. Later complications include femoral artery bleeding during removal and progressive leg ulcerations.
Also known as: Severed femoral artery
During removal of the marlin, the fisherman develops femoral artery bleeding. Dr. Browne manually clamps the artery to control hemorrhage until surgical repair can be performed.
Also known as: Soft tissue cancer
The fisherman's progressive leg ulcerations that fail to respond to antibiotics are ultimately diagnosed as angiosarcoma of the leg. This requires amputation with clean margins achieved.
Also known as: Manic depression
Dr. Browne reveals her mother has bipolar disorder along with substance abuse issues (alcohol and pills), which required Claire to become a caretaker as a child. This backstory parallels Michelle's situation and informs Claire's empathetic approach to the case.