Andrew Billings: cardiac myxoma resection, arrest, and brain death
Andrew's cardiac myxoma resection succeeds technically, but he codes afterward, is resuscitated, and is left brain dead after time without oxygen.
In Plain English
Andrew survives the operation itself but not the neurologic consequences of the arrest that follows.
What Happened in the Episode
The turning point is the code after successful tumor resection, followed by brain death and donation.
Clinical Concept
Cardiac myxoma resection complicated by arrest and brain death.
What ER Teams Would Evaluate
A real team would use cardiac imaging and operative planning before surgery, then post-arrest neurologic exams, ICU monitoring, and formal brain-death determination before donation discussions proceed.
Treatment and Management Overview
Episode-supported care includes tumor resection, resuscitation after the code, brain-death determination, and organ donation.
What TV Gets Right
The episode separates technical surgical success from the patient's overall outcome.
What TV Compresses
The clot workup, arrest rhythm, downtime, ICU course, brain-death testing, and organ-procurement process are compressed.
Sources and Further Reading
- iDRief catalog page
- Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki - Both Sides Now
- Both Sides Now transcript
- Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki - Both Sides NowEPISODE
Supports: Supports Andrew's cardiac myxoma, resection, code, suspected clot, resuscitation, brain death, and organ donation.
- Both Sides Now transcriptEPISODE
Supports: Supports scene context for Andrew's surgical complication and donation pathway.
- NCBI Bookshelf - Atrial MyxomaTIER 2
Supports: Supports cardiac myxoma background and surgical context.
- HRSA - Organ Donation and NRP policy issueTIER 1
Supports: Supports the principle that organ recovery is performed only after death has been declared.
- iDRief catalog pageEPISODE
Supports: Supports episode-level evidence for this curated case.