[voice over] We've all felt it, a moment where all is lost. Whether it's in our jobs, family, love, we fear everything will be taken. Close our eyes, we bite our lips and the adrenaline floods through our body. But despite how hard you try, that last-ditch attempt still may not work.
S18 E19Out for Blood
S18 E20Out for Blood
[voice over] Before the advent of surgery, many illnesses were treated with phlebotomy also known as bloodletting. Bloodletting is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. It was one of the most common medical practices performed by surgeons from ancient Greece until the late 19th century. It was one of the most common medical practices performed by surgeons from ancient Greece until the late 19th century. The practice has largely been abandoned, because we now know that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the use of bloodletting is harmful to patients. And yet, we did it as a standard medical practice for over 2,000 years. It wasn't a blip in the history of medicine. It was an era.
[voice over] For decades, many doctors were convinced that bloodletting was harming more than it helped. But just as many were convinced that it was the only cure. Doctors, like most human beings, are risk-averse. We prefer the safety of what we know over the thrill of new innovations. Surgeons and doctors, as a general rule, like to know for sure that we are right before we make a move. And so, for us, change requires incontrovertible proof, which is not always easy to come by. It has been theorized that surgery itself is just an era that will pass. But that's a long way away. And in the meantime, there are eras within eras. We discover new science, we posit, prove new theories. And then we bang our heads against the wall, trying to convince ourselves to actually change our practices in line with what we know. Because the end of an era is easier said than done.
S19 E1Everything has Changed
[voice over] Transplant surgeons typically transport donor organs by carefully packing them on ice and racing as fast as they can to the recipient. The organ can only survive a certain amount of time until it's placed into its new body. At best, the heart and lungs only have four to six hours. But recently, scientists have developed machines that can improve these odds. Essentially, certain organs can now travel in a box that continuously perfuses them with nutrients, preserving their viability. This innovation has allowed us to increase the number of organs available for transplantation. And for over a hundred thousand people in this country who are currently waiting for an organ it's a chance at a new life.
[voice over] New beginnings aren't always easy. When you get a new organ, you spend your life on medications designed to suppress your immune system so that your body won't reject it. But at least you have a life to spend and a body to medicate. Second chances can feel like an insult if you can't get over what you lost the first time around. Or, it can feel like a miracle like a hard-fought victory. A chance to live the life you always wanted.
S19 E2Wasn't Expecting That
[voice over] My mother always used to say that you could tell the difference between an intern and a second-year resident by their sutures. One of the more common mistakes an intern makes is tying their sutures too tightly, which causes tension. The more tension, the longer it takes the wound to heal. It decreases blood flow, increases scar formation, and even necroses the skin. So even though they may have technically closed the wound they may have opened the door to even more problems.
[voice over] Tension exists throughout the entire body. How it affects you depends on how you manage it. Some people can self-regulate by breathing, meditation, exercise. They develop tools that help them fight the stress and reduce the pain it causes. But not all people are wired that way. Some people feel completely overwhelmed by it. And the tension freezes their bodies until they can't move at all.
S19 E10Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves
[voice over] One of the more harrowing parts of complex heart surgeries is the moment we wean the patient off the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. We start slowly warming the patient. As the patient's temperature rises, we check to make sure all of the air has been removed from the heart. Once the aortic cross-clamp is removed, all eyes are on the heart for that moment of truth. Will it start to beat?
[voice over] Acceptance letters, medical scans, the next morning's news. We all have moments in which we want to hide from the results. But instead of closing your eyes and delaying the inevitable find someone to hold your hand and face it with you.
S21 E1If Walls Could Talk
[voice over] On average, a healthy person can hold their breath for up to a minute. After that, carbon dioxide in your blood starts to dramatically rise. Eventually, a reflex is triggered. And if you resist the urge to let it all out, you pass out and you don't know all the damage you could have caused.
[voice over] If you do the work, you can train yourself to hold anything inside without negative consequences. But most people don't have that discipline or time. They just bury it inside and hope it stays there. Run through the fire Let it out. Be loud. Make everyone hear you. Because if you don't it will eat you up inside.
S21 E2Take Me to Church
[voice over] The brain stores a single memory in millions of neurons. There's a neuron that holds the smell of your prom date's cologne. Another neuron contains the sound of your dress being zipped up. And one for your favorite song you danced to that night. To remember the whole evening, you need all of these neurons to communicate with each other to make a complete picture. But when the brain experiences trauma, these neurons can be starved of oxygen and die. Instead of complete memories, you're left with glimpses. A smell, a taste, a feeling. And once you start losing bits of memory there's no way to get them back.
[voice over] There are some memories we probably wouldn't mind losing. The deaths, the breakups, the hard times. But memories, like neurons, work together to make you who you are. If all we remembered were the good times our friendships wouldn't be as strong and our loves wouldn't be as sweet. So cling to the bad along with the good. One day you'll be glad you did.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Grey's Anatomy pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.