Emergency Medicine Cases From THE PITT

13 cases 7 episodes · S01E01 – S02E14

All emergency department cases involving Emergency Medicine from The Pitt, documented with medically accurate clinical timelines, diagnostic workups, and expert clinical pearls.

Patient presenting with American flag pole impaled in right chest.

S02E14 Brief

34 · Male

Barrett Dunkle

Penetrating chest trauma with retained foreign body

34-year-old male presents to the ED via EMS following a bar fight over a game of pool at a sports bar. He sustained a penetrating thoracic injury when an adversary impaled him in the right chest with an American flag pole. The object remains in situ. Patient is awake, alert, and combative on arrival.

TraumaThoracic Surgery +2 more

Provider performing costovertebral angle (CVA) percussion on Mr. Green.

S02E09 Complex

Middle-aged · Male

Mr. Green

Left flank pain

Patient presents to the ED with left-sided flank pain that began at 10:00 p.m. the previous night. He has a history of kidney stones and states this episode feels exactly the same as prior occurrences. He notes his urine is 'a bit darker than normal' but denies fever or gross hematuria. He suspects he is dehydrated.

UrologyRenal Colic +7 more

Chanel Sutton presenting to the ED in distress.

S01E06 Brief

22 · Female

Chanel Sutton

Acute anxiety, shortness of breath, and cosmetic complication following illicit buttock silicone injection

22-year-old female presents to the Emergency Department after receiving non-medical grade silicone putty sourced from a home improvement store, inspired by TikTok, injected directly into her buttocks in her living room for cosmetic augmentation. She notes significant aesthetic deformity, localized discomfort, and sudden-onset anxiety, palpitations, and rapid breathing, which she initially attributed to a panic attack.

ToxicologyPulmonology +2 more

Patient arriving in the trauma bay in a cervical collar with EKG leads placed. A distinct depression and erythema are visible over the right sternoclavicular joint.

S01E06 Moderate

18 · Male

Miles Hernandez

Right chest pain, left leg pain, and shortness of breath following a motor vehicle collision (ambulance into a tree).

18-year-old male presents to the ED under police escort after stealing an ambulance and crashing it into a tree. The patient was the driver. He presents with severe shortness of breath, stridor, right chest pain, and left leg deformity. His passenger, Zac, suffered only minor lacerations.

TraumaOrthopedics +1 more

Patient actively seizing in the waiting room chair, with Nurse Mateo securing him to prevent fall trauma and calling for a gurney.

S01E05 Moderate

Adult · Male

Mr. Marino

Sudden collapse followed by continuous generalized seizures

Patient is an adult male with no known medical history who presented after suddenly dropping to the floor without warning. Initial neuro exam and vitals were reported as normal, but he subsequently developed a continuous generalized tonic-clonic seizure while in the waiting room chair. Total seizure time exceeded 4-5 minutes, qualifying as status epilepticus.

NeurologyEmergency Medicine +1 more

Travis Johnson presenting to the ED with a herald bleed post-tonsillectomy.

S01E05 Complex

17 · Male

Travis Johnson

Spitting blood 10 days post-tonsillectomy

17-year-old male presents 10 days post-tonsillectomy (performed at St. Michael's for recurrent strep throat) with an episode of spitting up a 'couple mouthfuls' of blood starting about an hour prior to arrival. Patient denies any other medical problems, takes no medications, and specifically denies aspirin use. Lungs are clear bilaterally with no stridor. No abdominal pain or nausea initially. Parents are currently out of town.

ENTAirway Emergency +2 more

Patient unresponsive in the passenger seat of a vehicle upon arrival at the ED.

S01E03 Moderate

Early 20s · Female

Jenna

Unresponsive; suspected overdose

Jenna is a college-aged female brought to the ED by her friend in a car after being found unresponsive. The friend reports she 'won't wake up'. Jenna later admits she was studying late and couldn't sleep, so she took 'half a Xanax' for the first time. The pill was clearly counterfeit and laced with fentanyl, leading to a life-threatening opioid overdose.

ToxicologyOverdose +3 more

Patient presenting with massive facial trauma and epistaxis after an e-scooter collision.

S01E02 Brief

23 · Male

Ben Kemper

Facial trauma, neck contusion, and hemoptysis following a high-mechanism e-scooter crash.

23-year-old male arrives via EMS after getting 'doored' while riding an e-scooter without a helmet. Mechanism of injury involves his neck striking the handlebar, followed by a face-plant onto the pavement. He complains of blood pooling in the back of his throat.

TraumaAirway Management +2 more

Patient arriving via EMS in restraints, visibly distressed and yelling in pain.

S01E02 Complex

Adult · Female

Joyce St. Claire

Severe, diffuse body pain, initially flagged by EMS as 'drug-seeking behavior'.

Patient is an adult female with a known history of Sickle Cell Disease who was forcibly removed from a city bus and brought to the ED by EMS and police for 'disrupting and disturbing passengers.' Prehospital personnel labeled her as 'combative' and 'drug-seeking' because she was screaming for narcotics and possessed an empty Percocet bottle filled 5 days prior. Upon arrival, the patient was physically struggling with staff, stating her home medications were not working and that she was experiencing a severe vaso-occlusive sickle cell crisis.

HematologyPain Management +5 more

Facial trauma presenting with avulsion of maxillary central incisor (Tooth #8).

S01E01 Brief

30s · Male

Charlie

Facial trauma and missing tooth following a bar altercation.

Patient presents to the ED following a bar fight. He sustained blunt facial trauma resulting in the complete avulsion of tooth number eight. Patient was initially evaluated, deemed stable, and prepped for discharge before the unaccounted missing tooth was noted during morning rounds.

TraumaDental +2 more

Patient with Right Lower Leg Degloving Injury

S01E01 Complex

Adult · Female

Minu Agrawal

Extremity trauma and severe pain after falling onto subway tracks.

Patient fell from a subway 'T' platform and her foot was caught between the platform and an incoming train, resulting in a severe degloving injury and open fracture dislocation of the right lower leg and ankle. The mechanism of the fall is initially unknown; bystanders report she may have fainted, tripped, or been pushed. She was rescued by a Good Samaritan who sustained a head injury in the process. Patient presents with extreme pain refractory to initial opiate administration and an inability to provide history due to a profound language barrier.

TraumaOrthopedics +2 more

Patient arriving via EMS with LMA in place.

S01E01 Complex

42 · Male

Sam Wallace

Blunt head trauma with agonal respirations after fall onto subway tracks.

42-year-old male brought in by EMS. Jumped onto the T (subway) tracks to rescue a woman who had fallen. After successfully pulling her off the tracks, he slipped while climbing back up the platform, fell backward, and struck his head. EMS noted agonal respirations. They were unable to intubate in the field and placed an LMA (Laryngeal Mask Airway) prior to transport.

TraumaNeurology +2 more

MS3 Victoria Javadi collapsing in the trauma bay.

S01E01 Moderate

20 · Female

Victoria Javadi

Syncope during a medical procedure

Victoria Javadi is a 20-year-old third-year medical student (MS3) on her first day of clinical rotation in the Emergency Department. While observing a closed reduction of a gruesome Type 3 open fracture and degloving injury in the trauma bay, she experienced a sudden loss of consciousness and fell to the floor. Upon regaining consciousness, she initially denied fainting, claiming she tripped over a gurney. She was subsequently evaluated by the attending physician and sent to the staff lounge to recover.

SyncopeVasovagal +2 more