I need your help . . .
This may seem funny coming from a medical expert like myself but . . .
I. Have. No. Idea. What. Mark. Sloan. Died. Of?
Anyone know?
The tumultuous end of last season-- the plane crash with almost every major character on the plane left us in doubt as to who survived and who didn't.
At the beginning of the current season, it's assumed Mark Sloan is dead. But then, he's not. But then, he is.
From a medical standpoint, I do give Grey's credit for showing some true aftermath of the crash. A renowned neurosurgeon who no longer has full function of his dominant hand and can no longer do surgery. Kudos. The post-traumatic stress aspects that had one character going through some fairly severe post-traumatic stress. Honestly, how Christina is still walking upright . . . you know after the whole gun situation too when she had to operate on Derick with a weapon to her head.
Really...
The confusing thing about Mark Sloan's death was the ACTUAL cause of death was never mentioned. He had a major chest injury. We know that. He was coherent and talking after the crash. Good! But then, his happiness at Seattle Grace is noted to be "the surge"-- which I guess is to equate with a real thing that can happen when a terminal patient has a period of lucidity in order to say good-bye.But what would have been terminal for this doctor? His heart was too weakened by the crash he wouldn't live? Hmm... how about a heart transplant? Vasoactive drips? An LVAD device?
To confuse matters more-- he signs a 30-day DNR order where if he hasn't fully recovered, they are to discontinue life support.
But, he still has the breathing tube in his mouth at the end of 30 days.
And here is my teaching point at the end of all my musings. Generally, a ventilator dependent patient (or one who isn't recovering quickly) is typically taken to surgery and a trach is placed somewhere between 7-14 days (sometimes sooner.) A trach is easier to take of and a more secure airway. Having an endotracheal tube in the mouth and through the vocal cords for that long can cause damage.
So keep this time frame in mind fellow fiction authors.
And please . . . someone tell me . . . what did Mark Sloan die from?
Huh. Good question. I don't watch that show but sounds like the writers forgot something. lol
ReplyDeleteDoes this kind of thing spoil shows for you? I suspect not, because you just have to keep watching! ;-) I don't watch this show, but you have mentioned inaccuracies before. For me, the "ouch!" factor comes in anachronisms in historical fiction or films, or a TV show that has taken trouble with costumes, props and such, but hasn't bothered to hire someone who knows real historical dance to choreograph dance sequences.
ReplyDeleteWhat, you expect accuracy from a TV medical drama? Please tell me you aren't also waiting for Santa to bring you a pony for Christmas. :P (And I don't know what he died of, either. I assumed I'd simply forgotten something from the end of last season and that's why I didn't know. I suspect he died from a termination of his contract.)
ReplyDeleteI've wondered the same thing, Jordyn. Sadly, I have no answer. I just know that the loss of Mark and Lexie is making me love the show less.
ReplyDeleteJessica: Yes, they did for sure :)!
ReplyDeleteSue: Of course I watch... I need info for the blog!! But, I do groan because the public often believes what they see on TV is true.
Lisa: I know... silly, right? Perhaps that's my problem-- I AM still waiting for Santa to bring me that pony...LOL. A co-worker of mine says he died of a broken heart over Lexi dying. Well, a nice thought at least.
Nissie... hmmm...interesting. I do think Grey's is on it's last legs. What else can they really explore?
I agree. I don't see it lasting a lot longer. I heard that Private Practice is finished, so... To me, Grey's seems to be taking the ER road. All the original cast will be gone and along with them, the appeal. I hope that doesn't happen, though.
ReplyDeleteI believe he died from a little know condition called "End of Contract-itis".
ReplyDeletethank you for that! it's been driving me crazy. I'm no doctor, but it seems to me that there had to have been a medical reason for Sloan to have died and as far as I could tell there wasn't one. you know, why wasn't someone doing surgery to repair the problem? why was everyone sitting around waiting for him to die? I know he had to be written off the show, but they should have made his exit more realistic...more believable!!!
ReplyDeleteI know, right?!? It did not make sense to me either.
ReplyDeleteHe probably had sepsis or internal injuries. People can have ups and downs and linger for a long time with those before finally dying. I think they didn't tell us on purpose because they wanted us to wonder if it was something medical or if it was a broken heart; as Christina said he just kept wanting to die [to be with Lexie]. I actually like that they didn't tell us what he died of - makes it more romantic.
ReplyDeleteA year later, on 12-17-13, I'm watching this very episode on Lifetime! Mark experienced cardiac tamponade not long after Lexie died. Cristina, Derek & Meredith drained excess fluid to get him breathing again, but without a permanent fix, the damage to the lungs & heart were too great.
ReplyDeleteThe age old question? Still no answer nor will we receive one after all of this time that has passed. Mark simply had to go. There have been many speculations. Clearly the writer successfully accomplished exactly what she set out to do. Cuddos to her. Great writing!!!
DeleteI know this post is old.. but just had to say that I read somewhere that Dr. Sloan died of a cardiac tamponade.
ReplyDeleteCardiac tamponade Dr. Yang said she was 75% sure of it
DeleteYes, this is my whole problem with it. Seattle Grace is a "premiere" institution and cardiac tamponade is a highly treatable condition. Remember, he languished in the hospital for quite a while and even "recovered" for a period of time before his death.
DeleteHonestly, I was wondering the same thing, then I googled nd found this trend. Yes, Yang mentioned cardiac tamponade. Am a veterinarian so I was concerned about the actual cause of death. The fictitious Seattle grace hospital always try to save patients, so what happened? no cardio god? No series of surgeries? It should have been like O' Malley's death. Not sudden death after a surge. Nobody even mentioned what was his diagnosis when he was admitted. Only Webber said 'terminal illness'. Anyway, its a great show.
ReplyDeleteHe died from a broken heart. The woman he loved died. He lived lexie. She was his person. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He died ecusse he couldn't be with her anymore and that broke his heart so he went to meet her again in death. That's the only thing I can think of and to me it sounds really romantic and cheesey but it makes sense
ReplyDelete