Medical Investigation

Season 1 Episode 2

In Bloom

Air date: Sep 10, 2004

Medical Cases in This Episode

These are the patient stories worth unpacking. Open any case for the real-world medicine, what the episode shows, what it leaves out, and source-backed context.

2 cases identified

Case 1

Teen Encephalitis Cluster

Four middle-school teens fall ill with encephalitis.

Episode shows
Four middle-school teens fall ill with encephalitis.
Clinical takeaway
Teen Encephalitis Cluster is included because episode evidence supports a concrete clinical, diagnostic, toxicologic, infectious, or public-health scenario.
Accuracy 3.8/5teen-encephalitis-clusteroutbreak-investigationpublic-health

Case 2

Brain Biopsy After Inconclusive Tests

The team asks for a brain biopsy after inconclusive tests.

Episode shows
The team asks for a brain biopsy after inconclusive tests.
Clinical takeaway
Brain Biopsy After Inconclusive Tests is included because episode evidence supports a concrete clinical, diagnostic, toxicologic, infectious, or public-health scenario.
Accuracy 3.6/5brain-biopsy-after-inconclusive-testsoutbreak-investigationpublic-health

About the Episode

The NIH team hurtles toward St. Louis when four middle-school teens fall ill to encephalitis. Meanwhile, after Connor and Natalie conduct inconclusive tests, they shock the parents when they ask for a brain biopsy to detect if the problem resulted from a sexually transmitted disease. Eva investigates a different path when a friend suggests that the girls were poisoned by a jealous rival -- even as new cases are reported. In addition, Natalie feels helpless to provide comfort for a long-suffering patient (guest star Shea Whigham) who is participating in a clinical trial.

Medical Relevance

A full clinical context review has not been generated for this episode yet.

The Medical Verdict

Final editorial assessment will be added after review.