S02.E07: Good Soldiers

[Whimsy]

Quote

When Kapoor introduces a patient to Iggy’s PTSD group, a creative treatment plan causes turmoil. Sharpe discovers a long-kept secret regarding a patient that leads to trouble for Max and the board.

Original airdate 11/5/2019

[preeya]

Reynolds is an idiot. What person in their right mind would leave such a detailed and personal message on voicemail?

[ams1001]

Is Iggy the only psychiatrist in this hospital? He treats inpatient kids with various unspecified emotional afflictions, psychopathic tweens, military veterans' group therapy...

And his idea of group therapy for angry vets is "let's put on an ancient Greek play!" Seriously?

eta: don't these people have work to do? other patients to see? why can they spend all day putting on an impromptu play?

Isn't Reynolds a cardiologist? Why is he treating a kid for leukemia? (And was that all in one day - surgery, diagnosis, phone call, marrow collection? That seems...unlikely.)

Did they really expect the paralyzed woman not to sue? Why did Max look so surprised?

Edited November 6, 2019 by ams1001

[Amethyst]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

Reynolds is an idiot. What person in their right mind would leave such a detailed and personal message on voicemail?

Right?!?  What if that wasn’t even her father’s voicemail?  Reynolds couldn’t have shortened that at all?

You could tell Max was ready to tear  Hartman a new one, until he learned that Hartman would have testified against Tollman.

I do feel bad for Bloom.  It’s a lousy problem, and I wonder what people do when that actually does happen.

[LittleIggy]

Wonder what military action Dr. Kapoor saw. Something between India and Pakistan? 

[Madding crowd]

Iggy bugs me. Not only is he the only mental health doctor in the huge hospital, but he is attention seeking all the time. I doubt if these vets would really want to perform a play in front of the public, and trauma needs more than just speaking the words. 

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

Iggy bugs me. Not only is he the only mental health doctor in the huge hospital, but he is attention seeking all the time. I doubt if these vets would really want to perform a play in front of the public, and trauma needs more than just speaking the words. 

And pushing a new patient to follow his unorthodox "treatment" whims on day 1 like that can't be in line with best practices for a psychiatrist...I would have noped out of there so quick and I don't even have any huge trauma to deal with. 

[TVForever]

11 hours ago, Amethyst said:

You could tell Max was ready to tear  Hartman a new one, until he learned that Hartman would have testified against Tollman.

That was incredibly satisfying. Max was running on a full head of self-righteous steam, and was quite deflated with the realization that Hartman was NOT the monster he wanted him to be. In fact, Hartman had done the right thing, and it was actually Max's "mentor" who was actually the bad guy in this. Oops!

I actually like Max, but even I can admit that he can be a little...extra.

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, TVForever said:

I actually like Max, but even I can admit that he can be a little...extra.

Maybe he's been spending too much time with Georgia's bloody carpet stain, and should look to develop a relationship with a less triggering carpet stain.  

[ams1001]

17 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Maybe he's been spending too much time with Georgia's bloody carpet stain, and should look to develop a relationship with a less triggering carpet stain.  

I was hoping her saying "stay here with me" and him sitting up and saying he had to go to work would lead to an "I can't stay here, I need to move on with my daughter" lightbulb-moment and that would be the last we'd see of her. Alas.

So will the cleaning crew of not-strangers find the carpet next episode? Then Iggy can add another sort of therapy to his repertoire. (Even though he should be seeking help from outside the hospital he runs, we all know Iggy will get involved.)

[KittenPokerCheater]

Using theatre (esp Shakespeare and Greek Plays) to help with PTSD is something that is practiced a lot.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/opinion/us-veterans-use-greek-tragedy-to-tell-us-about-war.html

[apn85]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I was hoping her saying "stay here with me" and him sitting up and saying he had to go to work would lead to an "I can't stay here, I need to move on with my daughter" lightbulb-moment and that would be the last we'd see of her. Alas.

I was hoping the same! I thought, well at least it looks as if he knows that is a problem and he needs to push it away and continue on, but......

And I agree on his behavior concerning Hartman. The fact that Sharpe hesitated when she saw who the intern was on the case meant it's well known he's irrational when it comes to the guy. I mean, I get it being hard, but the guy wasn't at fault. Georgia had used up 8 3/4 of her 9 lives before she ever rolled into that hospital! 

I'm growing tired. I did read everything comes to a head in episodes 9 & 10...which I believe is the fall finale and winter premier so I am praying Max will get the breakdown over with but knowing this show, I doubt it! 

Edited November 6, 2019 by apn85

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, apn85 said:

which I believe is the fall finale and winter premier

In other words, cliffhanger!

23 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Using theatre (esp Shakespeare and Greek Plays) to help with PTSD is something that is practiced a lot.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/opinion/us-veterans-use-greek-tragedy-to-tell-us-about-war.html

But do they just spring it on the group and make them do it in the middle of the hospital lobby the same day? 

(How long does this group therapy session normally last, anyway?)

[KittenPokerCheater]

I believe the sessions are not done in one day- I think the course is several weeks (if not months).  But this is New Amsterdam so everything happens in a day- and also- Iggy is a special snowflake and can do anything! 😉

And of COURSE Max’s crisis of Georgia will fall before the winter break.  Hee!

[Mia Nina]

1 hour ago, apn85 said:

I'm growing tired. I did read everything comes to a head in episodes 9 & 10...which I believe is the fall finale and winter premier so I am praying Max will get the breakdown over with but knowing this show, I doubt it! 

It is seriously time for Max to move on. I do love Lisa O'Hare, but it's time to let Georgia go. If they didn't want to lose O'Hare, they should have kept Georgia alive. 

I've never struggled with addiction like Bloom, but I did have to deal with post op care sans pain meds while still in the hospital. Like Bloom my injuries were the result of an atrocious car accident and I simply refused to take the meds. (The two or three times I did take them I ended up hallucinating and everything). The nurse understood and told me that she couldn't give me anything else and that I was basically on my own when it came to pain management, which I understood. She was very nice about it. Anyway, I do feel for Bloom.

Helen spends 85% of her screen time worrying about Max and 10% worrying about Bloom. I wonder when we'll see her manage her own life. 

Hartman does not deserve to be under constant threat from his boss. 

Great scene between Fulton and Brantley.

[Dowel Jones]

I thought that the play would have been a good choice for therapy, but not by springing it on the group as a surprise, not to mention a public display.  As it was, it came off as a grade school play with everyone, except Kapoor, reading their lines in a meaningless monotone.  If done privately, each of the characters could put some of their emotions into the reading.

Would that doctor that covered up for his colleague face any legal consequences for his actions? I didn't get whether he was still associated with NA or if he had retired.  He sure was arrogant; it would be a treat to see him on the stand during the trial.

[apn85]

1 hour ago, Mia Nina said:

It is seriously time for Max to move on. I do love Lisa O'Hare, but it's time to let Georgia go. If they didn't want to lose O'Hare, they should have kept Georgia alive. 

Helen spends 85% of her screen time worrying about Max and 10% worrying about Bloom. I wonder when we'll see her manage her own life. 

Agreed!

Like you said, if they wanted to keep the actress around, they could have killed someone else. 

And as for Helen, I truly adore her, but yes, it is time she focus on herself for a change. Sometimes I think her spreading herself so thin over everyone is some sort of messed up coping mechanism that she has. I hope that eventually Max finds out she gave up 1/2 her department for him. He needs to realize that friendship is a two way street and do something nice for her for a change. She has done nothing but carry his ass on her back from day 1 - be it his doctor, the person he confides in, his deputy medical director, etc. and it's time. It's just time. 

[alexvillage]

WTF show?

First, patient arrived in the ER and in less than 2 minutes - TWO! - and a half-assed examination is diagnosed and sent to the OR without any questions for the mother, or paper signing, or other tests to you know, make sure they got the diagnosis right?

Then the super busy star doctor leaves a message to some random person about a patient and doesn’t bother to verify if he is talking to the right person?

And while I believe in theater and art helping people who are having ptsd or other mental health crisis, Iggy forced a bunch of people to disclose their mental status and/or diagnosis to any and all strangers that happen to walk by the lobby. People really need to know their rights. 
 

And what is the fucked up excuse the dean gave? He fired the bad doctor, saved his hospital, but feels good about his “hard” decision to allow the doctor to possibly go on botching surgeries and lying about it?

Now I am hoping that the woman does sue the hospital and maybe they can write better stories like how can a huge hospital just fail so miserably.

[preeya]

52 minutes ago, alexvillage said:

Now I am hoping that the woman does sue the hospital and maybe they can write better stories like how can a huge hospital just fail so miserably.

I'm thinking a big fat settlement check $$$$$ will somehow make that not happen.

[Mia Nina]

1 hour ago, apn85 said:

Agreed!

Like you said, if they wanted to keep the actress around, they could have killed someone else. 

And as for Helen, I truly adore her, but yes, it is time she focus on herself for a change. Sometimes I think her spreading herself so thin over everyone is some sort of messed up coping mechanism that she has. I hope that eventually Max finds out she gave up 1/2 her department for him. He needs to realize that friendship is a two way street and do something nice for her for a change. She has done nothing but carry his ass on her back from day 1 - be it his doctor, the person he confides in, his deputy medical director, etc. and it's time. It's just time. 

Yes, exactly!

I agree that it's time. What I find troubling about the way Helen has been written after the Pilot is the fact that there is no reason for her extreme devotion to Max. Max treats her like crap and I can't stand it. Why can't she stand up for herself? Why is she spending so much of her time and money on him? Giving away half her department to secure his treatment? It's such a disservice to the character. Exactly, friendship is a two way street.

Her scene with Bloom was great except the ending made it seem as if Bloom chose her PT as her sponsor instead of Helen. I'll have to check on that.

48 minutes ago, alexvillage said:

First, patient arrived in the ER and in less than 2 minutes - TWO! - and a half-assed examination is diagnosed and sent to the OR without any questions for the mother, or paper signing, or other tests to you know, make sure they got the diagnosis right?

Then the super busy star doctor leaves a message to some random person about a patient and doesn’t bother to verify if he is talking to the right person?

I don't know why they can't write a case developing over several episodes. Not to mention how fun it would be to have the ED doctors deal with minor injuries once in a while, like a broken nose, wrist, arms, perhaps an allergic reaction, etc. Not every case has to be catastrophic.  

Floyd's voicemail was cringeworthy IMO. 

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, alexvillage said:

And what is the fucked up excuse the dean gave? He fired the bad doctor, saved his hospital, but feels good about his “hard” decision to allow the doctor to possibly go on botching surgeries and lying about it?

I think his point was that it was his job to protect the hospital.  He believed the best way to protect the hospital was to keep the situation quiet and send the problem doctor on his way.  I don't agree with how he handled it, but Max's strategy, with his public confessional, is similarly reckless, just in a different way.    

[LittleIggy]

6 hours ago, apn85 said:

Agreed!

Like you said, if they wanted to keep the actress around, they could have killed someone else. 

Like Bloom! I can’t stand her. 😱

[bros402]

So, um, uhhh, this episode

How did the pathologist determine it was leukemia in the space of like a minute? No tests were performed! It could've been some weird blood disease/disorder. It could've been a lymphoma! There are many kinds of leukemia.

Bone marrow is not extracted sitting up, you have to lie on your stomach while they stick a needle in your hip. They gave him local anesthesia (lidocaine), not regional anesthesia (I guess like an epidural?).

I am pretty sure they draw blood first to type/match you for the bone marrow, they don't just go "HEY DAD LET'S SUCK THE MARROW FROM YOUR BONES!"

I am also pretty sure they can't take enough marrow out just from your regular biopsy site to do a bone marrow transplant - from what I have read, it is a bit more involved than that.

Why did they jump right to a BMT? If the leukemia was caught early (And if it was at the heart, it was not early, since that means it is in an organ!) you try chemo first - chemo is much safer than a BMT - since I think BMTs have something like a 30% mortality rate in the first year.

okay I think I got most of it out

I also concur with everyone on the PTSD stuff.

And I sure hope nobody misses the giant festering pool of blood when cleaning up.

[alexvillage]

12 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I think his point was that it was his job to protect the hospital.  He believed the best way to protect the hospital was to keep the situation quiet and send the problem doctor on his way.  I don't agree with how he handled it, but Max's strategy, with his public confessional, is similarly reckless, just in a different way.    

I did get his point but, like most of the writing of this show, it shows a real problem with unrealistic solutions. Things like this do get out eventually, and even if they don't, hospital attorneys would try to make sure there would be no future liability if it did. The way hospitals deal with those things is by paying out the patient that was harmed by a doctor. How? By using the insurance money every doctor has, and that doctor did have malpractice insurance, he would not have to pay a dime. The hospital has a trove of lawyers ready to harass patients into getting whatever money they offer just because the alternative is too overwhelming for someone  - especially someone recovering from surgery after a stressful time of dealing with the possibility of death. Also, apparently most people in the New Amsterdam world don't have friends or relatives to at least hold their hands.

It was, again, bad writing to justify a topic. And it was, again, bad writing to show the "options" Max and the dean had. And the hospital did offer a lot of money in the end so, bullshit writing.

[ams1001]

6 hours ago, bros402 said:

So, um, uhhh, this episode ...

I'm hoping our resident doctor commenter comes along with some truth about this whole scenario.

[Lovecat]

4 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I'm hoping our resident doctor commenter comes along with some truth about this whole scenario.

She's probably paralyzed with RAGE over how ridiculous the plot lines have become.

[Kelda Feegle]

So yes to all the above comments and one additional - where does Kapoor get off on challenging Iggy's therapy plan? However ridiculous the plan may be Kapoor had handed his patient over to the psychiatrist for treatment, therefore Iggy has the right to decide what he feels the best treatment may be for that person. Professional boundaries people!

[jabRI]

Sorry, one thing bugging me about Bloom is she was abusing Adderall which is a stimulant and helped her perform her job and a second job. Is there a precedent that she would have the same addictive behavior to pain medicines? I don't know, just putting the question out there

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, jabRI said:

Sorry, one thing bugging me about Bloom is she was abusing Adderall which is a stimulant and helped her perform her job and a second job. Is there a precedent that she would have the same addictive behavior to pain medicines? I don't know, just putting the question out there

I suppose having one addiction might make you more likely to develop another, but I don't know the science behind that (if any).

[apn85]

On 11/6/2019 at 7:39 PM, Mia Nina said:

Yes, exactly!

I agree that it's time. What I find troubling about the way Helen has been written after the Pilot is the fact that there is no reason for her extreme devotion to Max. Max treats her like crap and I can't stand it. Why can't she stand up for herself? Why is she spending so much of her time and money on him? Giving away half her department to secure his treatment? It's such a disservice to the character. Exactly, friendship is a two way street.

Her scene with Bloom was great except the ending made it seem as if Bloom chose her PT as her sponsor instead of Helen. I'll have to check on that.

Bloom did choose Ligon to be her sponsor instead of Helen, and she made it seem like she needed someone who wouldn't cave no matter how awful she acted or how badly she hurt or no matter what she said. I assume she was insinuating that Helen wouldn't be able to do it and the PT would, because he's apparently an asshole, according to Bloom. Clearly just a way to keep those two in one another's realms as I believe Helen could do whatever she wanted to do. She's the very one who turned her in, but anyway, Helen doesn't need one more thing so it's just as well!

And I agree, it IS a disservice - I'm not sure where the extreme devotion to Max came from. I also don't care what the writers say, I absolutely think that eventually they will end up together. I think the writing has been on the wall for a while now. I know many disagree (and that is totally fine) but I just have a feeling, if the show carries on after this season, that eventually that will happen. She wants a baby but doesn't want to do it alone. He has Luna by himself. They literally have some sort of codependent relationship that I don't fully understand, so maybe I am wrong but they're gonna have to prove it, lol. 

[bros402]

16 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I'm hoping our resident doctor commenter comes along with some truth about this whole scenario.

Me too - my opinions were just from the perspective of a very experienced patient (I've been seeing neurologists since birth and I have seen oncologists for my very rare leukemia about 100 times since early 2015). I cannot imagine what our good doctor saw that I missed!

[Guy Caballaro]

I was hoping that Iggy would switch up the “casting,” so that the patients weren’t reading their*own* characters, but one of the others.

[Poohbear617]

On 11/5/2019 at 11:14 PM, Amethyst said:

I do feel bad for Bloom.  It’s a lousy problem, and I wonder what people do when that actually does happen.

After being in AA and sober for 7 years I ended up in the ICU burn unit with permanent muscle and nerve damage.  My sponsor and other AA friends supported me as I was given pain medication during my recovery and PT.  I was afraid at first but for my situation i was told my sobriety did not mean severe suffering. My doctors were aware of my sobriety and worked with me. I was given just enough to keep my pain managable during tough physical rehab which allowed me to work longer and harder and recover faster.   That was the key..just enough to allow you to function, you never want to that loopy euphoria feeling, just manageable.  I was weaned off them as I continued my recovery.  That was 5 years ago and I am still sober and grateful for the way my case was handled.

I have heard from others in AA how they have had to deal with the same thing because of accidents, illness, surgery etc..its scary but you dont have to be a martyr...you work through it.  I hope they portray it well with the Dr. Bloom story line.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Poohbear617

[HerkyJerky]

Hey did you guys notice who wrote this episode?  Shaun Cassidy!  The "Da Doo Ron Ron" guy!

Maybe that explains all the complaints on this board.  LOL!

[tvfanatic13]

I really liked Bloom’s hair when it was parted to the side. That’s all I got. 

[doodlebug]

On 11/7/2019 at 9:52 AM, ams1001 said:

I'm hoping our resident doctor commenter comes along with some truth about this whole scenario.

You talking to me?  It is virtually impossible for me to talk about the storylines because the medicine is so unrealistic.

Of course, leukemia wouldn't be diagnosed in the OR.  For that matter, the pathologist doesn't drag a microscope done to the operating room to do a frozen section.  A piece of tissue would've been sent to the lab to prepare the frozen section which would then be evaluated by the pathologist and it would take about half an hour and then he would call into the room and, in real life, would've told them that it appeared the tissue was infiltrated with abnormal blood cells suggesting leukemia or lymphoma.  Then, after the surgery was done. a pediatric oncologist would've been consulted to do the appropriate workup to determine the leukemia type and best treatment including a bone marrow biopsy.  There is a lot of genetic testing done of the leukemia cells as we have discovered that different genetic types respond better to individualized treatment.  This takes at least a few days to be done.  Childhood leukemias are about 80% curable, it is one of the biggest success stories in oncology.  And, yes, she would've been started on chemo to try and get her into remission before a bone marrow transplant would even come into play.  There are some cancers where the risk of relapse with chemo alone is so high that a bone marrow transplant is the ultimate goal, but not for most people.  

And, yes, it takes weeks for a potential marrow donor to be evaluated, the specimen harvested and processed and the marrow ready for infusion.  There was no reason to rush to find the father, there was no way the transplant was happening anytime soon.  In real life, it Is a months' long process.

As far as Bloom and her surgery, have  none of these people heard of nerve blocks?  There are plenty of ways to minimize narcotic use postop and I cannot imagine any doctor, even one who is an addict, thinking it was reasonable to undergo a major orthopedic procedure without at least some narcotics.   Addicts in remission have surgeries all the time, receive narcotics as part of an overall regimen for pain relief and do not relapse.  Happens all the time.

[Dowel Jones]

You realize that you're going to cost this show a fortune in extras casting with all those requirement, right?  Let's just make it up as we go along, instead.

[Driad]

Thank you, doodlebug. As for the tumor wrapped around the spine, what would be the best procedure? Would a surgeon remove as much of the tumor as possible without damaging the spinal cord, then use chemotherapy and/or radiation?

Once I was matched as a potential bone marrow donor. The evaluation took months, as you said. Alas, they finally said the patient was no longer up to receiving the transplant.

[bros402]

5 hours ago, doodlebug said:

You talking to me?  It is virtually impossible for me to talk about the storylines because the medicine is so unrealistic.

Of course, leukemia wouldn't be diagnosed in the OR.  For that matter, the pathologist doesn't drag a microscope done to the operating room to do a frozen section.  A piece of tissue would've been sent to the lab to prepare the frozen section which would then be evaluated by the pathologist and it would take about half an hour and then he would call into the room and, in real life, would've told them that it appeared the tissue was infiltrated with abnormal blood cells suggesting leukemia or lymphoma.  Then, after the surgery was done. a pediatric oncologist would've been consulted to do the appropriate workup to determine the leukemia type and best treatment including a bone marrow biopsy.  There is a lot of genetic testing done of the leukemia cells as we have discovered that different genetic types respond better to individualized treatment.  This takes at least a few days to be done.  Childhood leukemias are about 80% curable, it is one of the biggest success stories in oncology.  And, yes, she would've been started on chemo to try and get her into remission before a bone marrow transplant would even come into play.  There are some cancers where the risk of relapse with chemo alone is so high that a bone marrow transplant is the ultimate goal, but not for most people.  

And, yes, it takes weeks for a potential marrow donor to be evaluated, the specimen harvested and processed and the marrow ready for infusion.  There was no reason to rush to find the father, there was no way the transplant was happening anytime soon.  In real life, it Is a months' long process.

As far as Bloom and her surgery, have  none of these people heard of nerve blocks?  There are plenty of ways to minimize narcotic use postop and I cannot imagine any doctor, even one who is an addict, thinking it was reasonable to undergo a major orthopedic procedure without at least some narcotics.   Addicts in remission have surgeries all the time, receive narcotics as part of an overall regimen for pain relief and do not relapse.  Happens all the time.

let the hatewatch flow through you

That leukemia stuff was so insane. I know with me, it took 10-14 days for the flow cytometry to come back (But I have an indolent cancer, and I wasn't diagnosed in the hospital, so that might've slowed stuff down a bit)

They could've at least said "omg it's ALL! we need to move quick because it is aggressive!"

and yeah with the surgery I was like "....aren't there quite a few ways to help addicts with pain after an operation?"

[Higgins]

On 11/6/2019 at 1:35 PM, KittenPokerCheater said:

Using theatre (esp Shakespeare and Greek Plays) to help with PTSD is something that is practiced a lot.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/opinion/us-veterans-use-greek-tragedy-to-tell-us-about-war.html

Not inpatient. The whole behavioral health unit is ridiculous. That's not how they work. At all.

[apn85]

I've nothing to say except thanks, doodlebug!  😂

My thing is there are plenty of stories you could actually do mostly right in a 1 hour span of time but they shoot for the stars over there. I also loved that Sharpe was never contacted about this child, am I right? The Oncologist was running around with the Medical Director cracking a case and trying not to get the place shut down while the Cardiothoracic surgeon was dabbling in Pediatric Oncology. 

Make it make sense!! 😝

[yourmomiseasy]

On 11/8/2019 at 12:56 PM, Poohbear617 said:

I hope they portray it well with the Dr. Bloom story line.

Hahaha!  You do know what show this is, right?  There's a less than zero chance of anything being portrayed well.

[doodlebug]

22 hours ago, Driad said:

Thank you, doodlebug. As for the tumor wrapped around the spine, what would be the best procedure? Would a surgeon remove as much of the tumor as possible without damaging the spinal cord, then use chemotherapy and/or radiation?

Once I was matched as a potential bone marrow donor. The evaluation took months, as you said. Alas, they finally said the patient was no longer up to receiving the transplant.

I was so totally confused about the spinal tumor that I couldn't begin to explain what they were trying to do there.  I am not a neurosurgeon, but the stuff in the OR was nuts.  They confirmed that she did have a cancer in that area, but, somehow, even after removing it and putting in a plate 10 years earlier; there wasn't enough scar tissue which meant that the original surgeon botched the case.  Say what?  There is no amount of required scar tissue at a surgical site, it can vary widely.  As far as damaging her spinal cord inadvertently while removing a tumor that was not actually involved with the cord, I have no idea unless he habitually operated drunk or was legally blind or something.  Ten years ago, we had very good CT and MRI imagery to look at these tumors before the surgery; if the tumor was well away from the spinal cord and injury to the cord was not likely, that should've been apparent pre op.

Then, he put a plate in to 'cover' his mistake?  I presume the plate would be needed because a significant portion of the bone of the spinal column would need to be removed in order to remove the tumor, whereas, if he just did an 'oopsie' and injured the spinal cord, there wouldn't necessarily be bone removed. Maybe that's what the neurosurgeon was saying about there not being enough scar tissue.  Then again, the bony spine protects the spinal cord pretty well, so how did he manage to severely damage the cord without disrupting the bone?  While she couldn't necessarily have an MRI postop, there are Xrays that are routinely done postop and it would be possible to tell that the bony spine was intact and I would think the radiologist reading the film would question why a plate was there in the first place.  If the original doc really wanted to cover it up, he should've removed some bone from her spinal column to make the plate necessary and expected.

There also wouldn't have been a single lowly intern present in a surgery that complex.  A senior resident, a fellow, maybe even another attending would've been right there assisting.  Also, scrub nurses are smart cookies and, for cases like that one, the scrub nurse or tech would've been very experienced with spinal cases and would've noticed the mistake and the attempt to cover it up.  They don't keep quiet about that stuff, there are multiple avenues for anyone in the room to report any unusual circumstances in the OR.  'If you see something, say something' is the first commandment.  If the scrub tech was not comfortable reporting their concerns, then there is a problem with the entire culture of that hospital and a lot more than one bad surgeon was taking advantage of it.

Edited November 12, 2019 by doodlebug

[Driad]

Thank you, doodlebug. Another example of how we -- especially you -- think much more about these things than the writers do.

[izabella]

23 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

There also wouldn't have been a single lowly intern present in a surgery that complex.  A senior resident, a fellow, maybe even another attending would've been right there assisting.  Also, scrub nurses are smart cookies and, for cases like that one, the scrub nurse or tech would've been very experienced with spinal cases and would've noticed the mistake and the attempt to cover it up.  They don't keep quiet about that stuff, there are multiple avenues for anyone in the room to report any unusual circumstances in the OR.  'If you see something, say something' is the first commandment.  If the scrub tech was not comfortable reporting their concerns, then there is a problem with the entire culture of that hospital and a lot more than one bad surgeon was taking advantage of it.

They are telling us that's exactly what happened.  They all kept quiet except for the one guy who reported it and it was hushed up.

[apn85]

16 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Also, scrub nurses are smart cookies and, for cases like that one, the scrub nurse or tech would've been very experienced with spinal cases and would've noticed the mistake and the attempt to cover it up.  They don't keep quiet about that stuff, there are multiple avenues for anyone in the room to report any unusual circumstances in the OR.  'If you see something, say something' is the first commandment. 

This. 

I've been a nurse for 12 years. I'm very little help here because I only take care of tiny ones, but I do attend c-sections on the regular. There has been one incident in my career that was totally the fault of the OB and completely preventable. You best believe we were all down in Risk Management giving statements before the end of the day. It did go further and was a big legal mess but the bottom line is nobody protected that OB's sorry ass. Not even the hospital. They no longer practice. 

[Superpole2000]

I liked the last few minutes of this episode. The only thing I didn't like was how we didn't get to see the reaction of his coworkers finding the blood stained carpet. That was too big of a plot point to just bury off camera. Maybe that reveal will come in future episodes, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

[starri]

I am slowly, slowly slowly catching up on things that ended up in the backlog.  Maybe it's just that I'm feeling, for a minute, the stress of the last few months melting a bit, but I found the last few minutes incredibly moving.

Is that enough to overlook how ridiculous the rest is?  I'm honestly not sure.

[possibilities]

Would it be a good idea to ask someone you know is in NA to hold your narcotics for you?