Gina and I like watching Grey's Anatomy but our enjoyment was marred last night by another offensive break with reality.
Wikipedia, ("the fountain of all knowledge", ha!), is WRONG (again) when it labels Grey's Anatomy as a "television medical drama" because the show is really just a prime time soap opera that happens to be set in a hospital. A real medical drama would try to make the "medical" portions of the show have some basis in reality.
This episode revolved around a "domino surgery," -- 12 kidney transplants in six O.R.s at the same time. And a significant plot device was the "kidney in a jar"; supposedly one of the kidneys removed during the transplant...except...most kidney transplantation do NOT remove a kidney! The recipient usually ends up with three kidneys. (Really, really lucky recipients also get an extra pancreas as well!)
Many shows unwittingly perpetuate medical myths, some harmful, which Red Cross First Aid Teachers have to deal with later (no, please, don't slam you fist down on someone's chest like you saw on MacGyver or MacGruber) but most "medical" dramas get the basic "medical" facts right. Fortunately, Grey's Anatomy is a soap opera and is not constrained by fact...they can even make dead tissue glow! :)
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Although I agree with the fact that medical dramas do make mistakes very often, the glowing kidney is actually completely possible.
It's based on a new fluoro-technique that allows surgeons to see healthy tissue because of the glow. It's usually used in partial nephrectomy with cancer cases. If the cancer proved to be extensive the whole kidney would obviously be removed.
Either way - depending again on the disease of the kidney and the stage it's in, I have seen very few cases where the surgeon leaves the kidney because of necrosis, etc. because of the possible complications. Plus, it's easier to replace a kidney than add one because of vasculature, etc. Many surgeons don't have the skill/time/resources to do otherwise. Especially in undeveloped countries such as South Africa (where I'm from).
Please do enough research if you want to verbally bash something a lot of people put effort into and a lot of people enjoy.
I don't know how long the glow lasts exactly but I would guess long enough for the end of that episode to be viable.
Happy blogging!
sincerely,
Med Student (with a doctor dad)
Your opinion about what constitutes a medical drama is just that, an opinion. First of all, 1 out of 10 kidney transplants removes the kidney. The failing kidney is removed if it is enlarged, or causing uncontrollable high blood pressure or are prone to infection. Second, the reason the kidney glowed is because of a dye called ICG. It's used to diagnose various organ diseases. It's been used for close to 60 years. It binds to the proteins in the blood. It also absorbs light and therefore glows. With an exposed organ, the effects will only last a few days. Last, just so you know, Greys gets very little wrong. Sometimes they take licenses on purpose for the story line. Much like other tv shows and movies. Some things are going to be exaggerated. Grey's Anatomy is one of the few medical dramas (E.R. was another) that actually get their medical knowledge from actual Doctors and hospitals from around the globe. Some medical advancements that are happening in Europe have been dipicted on the show. Things that people think are faked because they've never heard of them. Educate yourselves! There are countries way more medically advanced than ours. Also, 2 of the consulting doctors for the show are from Mayo and the Cleavand Clinic. They have another one that consults from Boston General and a Japanese Doctor who occasionally consults from Japan!!
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shit id sell 1 of mine for 500k (if it was usda) lmao but no way thats real
Thank you for saying that, I couldn't imagine that they would leave the diseased kidney inside of someone's body.
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