The Greatest Episode of Medical TV is . . .
ER: Love's Labor Lost
The Greatest Episode of Medical TV
Full disclosure – this is almost impossible to happen in real life, but the ER episode ‘Love’s Labor Lost’ where Dr. Greene performs a C-section on the mom with pre-eclampsia in the ER.
The mom had seizures from her high blood pressure, OB can’t come down, and they can’t deliver the baby vaginally. Eventually, in a total desperation move, Dr. Greene does a c-section in the ER. He is still a resident at the time and thinks he can do it all. He can’t. His c-section goes horribly wrong, and the mom dies. Anthony Edwards has to go to the nursery to tell the dad (Bradley Whitford), and it’s awful.
As I doctor, I have been Dr. Greene. I’ve had to do that silent walk to the family to give them horrible news. As a mother, I have imagined one of my deliveries going so wrong and seeing my own doctor walk in and tell my husband. I suspect my OB personally thinks about this episode every time I come back pregnant because I am a gran multip (have more than four children) which makes one worry eventually you will strike out badly.
According the behind the scene, an ER doctor did have to perform an emergency c-section as one of the worst experiences o f his life. The Labor and Delivery nurses basically walked him through the entire procedure because they didn’t have a choice. Actual ER residencies you spend no more than 1-2 months on OB and you learn to deliver babies vaginally. You never have to perform a solo c-section. I was first assist in medical school on 8 c-sections which is probably a much training as the theoretical Dr. Green would have had. Code Black did something similar with their interns on the first episode of their show which is completely unrealistic.
FYI, OB/GYN should be performing all c-sections. In the event all the OB’s get hit by a meteor or COVID-19 takes them all down, family medicine would be next up. They are supposed to do about 6-12 months of OB during their residency. There is even a family medicine 12 month fellowship called surgical OB where you learn how to do c-sections only. Then it’s a toss up if you want peds or emergency medicine to deliver your baby next. Hopefully a good L and D nurse will be there to talk you through it.
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