Season 2
Episode 9 - Deception
Brief Plot Summary
While betting on a horse racing, a woman collapses and starts convulsing. House admits her and takes the case. They believe that her Cushings has reappeared, but they soon discover that she is a Munchausen's patient as well, meaning she tries to get attention by causing many of her symptoms. However, House is convinced she has something else. When a smells a fruity smell in her room and smelly brown pus oozes out of her finger, the team realizes that she has a bacterial infection of clostridium perfringens that has caused gas gangrene.
While betting on a horse racing, a woman collapses and starts convulsing. House admits her and takes the case. They believe that her Cushings has reappeared, but they soon discover that she is a Munchausen's patient as well, meaning she tries to get attention by causing many of her symptoms. However, House is convinced she has something else. When a smells a fruity smell in her room and smelly brown pus oozes out of her finger, the team realizes that she has a bacterial infection of clostridium perfringens that has caused gas gangrene.
Diagnosed Disease: Gas Gangrene - Gangrene occurs when a considerable portion of tissue dies. It can occur from accidents, extreme weather, infections and more, but it is deadly when infected by bacteria. Gas grangrene is a form of bacterial infection where anaerobic bacteria produce toxins that kill tissue and gas that can spread to other healthy parts of the body, making it very deadly and a medical emergency.
SymptomsPain in the infected area, bruising, gas bubbles, tissue discoloration, tissue necrosis, fever, seizures, smell of gas, death can follow as quickly as within 48 hours.
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CausesGangrene is usually caused by infections or a severe lack of circulation to tissue (ischemia). Since the bacteria are anaerobic, meaning they survive in low oxygen levels, deep wounds are susceptible to such infection.
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TestsUsually the condition can be diagnosed from appearance of the infected area and it can be confirmed during surgery. MRIs and CT scans can also reveal the gas.
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Treatment/CureDebridement, or removal of all necrosed and infected tissue, is performed in surgery, many times leading to amputation. Also high doses of antibiotics are given immediately after infection is suspected.
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Source Links: NIH Page,
Episode 10 - Failure to Communicate
Brief Plot Summary
A writer named Fletcher Stone collapses during a speech and stands up and begins speaking gibberish. He has aphasia and agraphia, an inability to choose the right words due to something affecting the Broca region in the brain and an inability to write, respectively. Fletcher's lungs start to fill with fluid (pulmonary edema). They rule out encephalitis and meningitis. Fletcher is now having a metallic taste. By guessing a meaning from his gibberish, they find out that he is bipolar and went to South America for a surgery where he caught malaria which has been causing his symptoms.
A writer named Fletcher Stone collapses during a speech and stands up and begins speaking gibberish. He has aphasia and agraphia, an inability to choose the right words due to something affecting the Broca region in the brain and an inability to write, respectively. Fletcher's lungs start to fill with fluid (pulmonary edema). They rule out encephalitis and meningitis. Fletcher is now having a metallic taste. By guessing a meaning from his gibberish, they find out that he is bipolar and went to South America for a surgery where he caught malaria which has been causing his symptoms.
Diagnosed Disease: Malaria - Malaria is the infection of red blood cells by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes.
SymptomsHigh fever, chills, fatigue, nausea, vomitting, and other symptoms depending on which organs are infected.
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CausesThe four parasites that cause malaria are Plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium ovale, and plasmodium malariae. The parasites essentially migrate and evade different organs, mainly red blood cells, causing the symptoms. In the episode, the parasite had infected the brain, which was causing the aphasia.
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TestsThe parasite can be revealed in a blood sample.
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Treatment/CureDifferent drugs can be given to treat malaria. They include chloroquine, quinine, doxycycline, and quinidine. There are also more that can be given.
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The video on the left shows the different stages of the parasite and how it travels through the body and can invade different cells. |
Source Links: CDC
Episode 11 - Need to Know
Brief Plot Summary
A 30-year old mom suddenly starts having muscle spasms which the team thinks is from fertility medications. She also begins to show sudden irritibility and has a psychotic episode. The symptoms are classic Huntington's, but the genetic test is negative. They find Ritalin which, along with extra estrogen could cause her symptoms. She then has a stroke. They think it could be an endometrial cancer, but she starts bleeding from her liver, indicating a liver tumor. Birth control pills are the only thing that explain the liver tumor and the blood clot.
A 30-year old mom suddenly starts having muscle spasms which the team thinks is from fertility medications. She also begins to show sudden irritibility and has a psychotic episode. The symptoms are classic Huntington's, but the genetic test is negative. They find Ritalin which, along with extra estrogen could cause her symptoms. She then has a stroke. They think it could be an endometrial cancer, but she starts bleeding from her liver, indicating a liver tumor. Birth control pills are the only thing that explain the liver tumor and the blood clot.
Diagnosed Disease: Birth Control Pills - Birth control pills, or combined oral contraceptive pills (COCP) are used by many people to prevent pregnancy. They use a combination of estrogen and progestin to inhibit female fertility.
SymptomsSide effects include benign growth in the uterus, blood clots, depression, weight gain
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CausesBirth control pills work by preventing ovulation by suppressing the release of gonadotropins, glcoprotein hormones, which control reproductive organ development and activity.
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TestsA patient showing adverse side effects while taking birth control pills.
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Treatment/CureTreatment is simply to stop taking the pills and try other methods of birth control.
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Source Links: CDC, Birth Control Pills
Episode 12 - Distractions
Brief Plot Summary
While riding an ATV, Adam has a seizure and crashes and the fire causes severe burns. He then gets a seizure. House thinks he has multiple sclerosis (MS). Now they think that Adam has an infection so they clean his flesh using maggots. His brain is losing control of his body. They learn he pissed his pants before the crash meaning that he had a seizure before the crash. They think that Adam took anti-depressants which could have caused the seizure due to the extreme thrill and excitement of the ATV. Turns out he was trying to quit smoking and those pills are anti-depressants.
While riding an ATV, Adam has a seizure and crashes and the fire causes severe burns. He then gets a seizure. House thinks he has multiple sclerosis (MS). Now they think that Adam has an infection so they clean his flesh using maggots. His brain is losing control of his body. They learn he pissed his pants before the crash meaning that he had a seizure before the crash. They think that Adam took anti-depressants which could have caused the seizure due to the extreme thrill and excitement of the ATV. Turns out he was trying to quit smoking and those pills are anti-depressants.
Diagnosed Disease: This is an interesting episode since the major cause of Adam's problems is the crash that caused 40% of his body to be covered in burns. However, he was also trying to quit smoking and those pills caused him to have seizures and tachycardia since it overloaded his brain.