With 20 seasons under its belt, Grey’s Anatomy has had many wild moments, both in and out of the hospital. There have been an abundance of dangerous situations occurring at what is now known as Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Additionally, there have been many bizarre and sometimes terrifying medical cases that the doctors somehow always found a way to solve.
At its best, Grey’s Anatomy successfully balanced patients’ medical problems with the doctors’ personal issues. With these combined, fans never really know what to expect from Grey’s Anatomy. Even the guest characters who were only in an episode or two had medical cases that made an impact. These are the 10 best medical cases on Grey’s Anatomy, ranked.
10 “The Man with Tree Bark Skin”
Season 7, Episode 3 (2010)
Grey’s Anatomy has had many iconic medical cases over the years. Typically, these cases have meant great opportunities for the doctors, and great misfortunes for the patients. One of these was a patient with Tree Man Syndrome in the underrated Grey’s episode “Superfreak.” In the episode, a patient named Jerry Adams came to the hospital for help with a severe case of HPV that was also known as Tree Man Syndrome.
Jerry’s HPV had combined with an immune deficiency to cover his skin in warts that would grow back even after surgical removal. His skin was covered, and his hands especially looked like they were coated in tree bark. This was a very memorable case, particularly for the emotional aspect. When Jerry was unable to safely remove the warts and would have to wait for a skin graft, his wife left him.
9 “A Tumor that Presented as a Pregnancy”
Season 2, Episode 7 (2005)
One of the best parts of the older seasons of Grey’s Anatomy was how the patients’ cases would frequently mirror aspects of the surgeons’ personal lives. In Season 2, episode 7, “Something to Talk About,” Meredith was struggling after Derek chose Addison over her. To make matters worse, she had overheard a great deal of gossip about the situation, with herself at the center of the rumors.
This aspect of Meredith’s personal life caused her to empathize with a patient named Shane Herman. Due to what turned out to be a mesenteric teratoma, Shane looked like he was pregnant, and even tested positive on pregnancy tests. Meredith went out of her way to protect the privacy of Shane and his family, despite the public interest in his case. She even took to getting rid of the tumor after its removal, so it would not be put on display.
8 “The Man Who Swallowed 10 Doll Heads”
Season 2, Episode 2 (2005)
Some of Grey’s Anatomy‘s best cases were sad and painful to watch, and others were just bizarre. One of the show’s absolute weirdest cases was in Season 2, episode “Enough is Enough (No More Tears).” In the episode, a patient known as Mr. Hubble was in the hospital for a bowel obstruction that all of the doctors thought would be drugs. Instead, it turned out that Hubble had swallowed the heads of 10 Judy dolls.
This case was very memorable, primarily for how strange it was. Meredith asked Hubble why he swallowed the doll heads, and originally he would not answer. When he offered to tell her later on, she decided not to know. When Meredith asked him why he swallowed ten doll heads, he said, “Because eleven would have been too much.” This was a weird case, but Meredith was still able to empathize with Hubble’s feelings of emptiness.
7 “The Girl Who Could Not Feel Pain”
Season 3, Episode 3 (2006)
In Season 3, episode 3, “Sometimes a Fantasy,” iconic Grey’s doctor Alex Karev treated a little girl named Megan (Abigail Breslin) with some serious injuries. Alex was concerned about Megan’s foster parents, but Megan made it clear that she had done it herself by playing and getting into fights, and had even stapled her own arm. Megan declared that she had superpowers, and it turned out that she could not feel pain.
This was very interesting medical case, especially for how this story was told. Megan hid when she was supposed to get surgery, because she was worried about the costs for her parents. Alex was able to convince Megan to get the surgery, and then she went back to her parents. Megan’s absence of pain reflected the pain that all of the doctors were dealing with at the moment, with Bailey pointing out that people need to feel pain for a reason.
6 “The Facial Reconstruction of Ava / Rebecca”
Season 3-4, Multiple Episodes (2006-2008)
The Season 3 ferry crash was a truly iconic part of Grey’s Anatomy history, having a ripple effect on all of the main characters for the following season. Rebecca Pope (Elizabeth Reaser) first appeared in Season 3, episode 15, “Walk on Water,” as a pregnant crash victim who suffered from amnesia. From there, she was a recurring character throughout the season. She had to get reconstructive surgery on her face due to severe injuries.
Alex helped her to choose a face and a name that he had attached to it, Ava. Alex and Ava then fell in love, but things became complicated after her memory came back, and her old life got in the way. Ava’s case was especially fascinating, because her medical condition caused her entire identity to crumble. The combination of amnesia and facial reconstruction caused Ava to struggle with who she was.
5 “The Man with Lionitis”
Season 2, Episode 18 (2006)
Season 2, episode 18, “Yesterday” finally introduced Mark Sloan, who would eventually become a fan favorite. Mark had regularly been talked about, due to his affair with Addison. While his sudden appearance caused some tension with Derek, he was able to assist on a difficult medical case. For his whole life, Jake Burton (Jesse Plemons) had suffered from craniodiaphyseal dyplasia, also known as Lionitis.
Due to an excess of growths all over his face, Jake had the appearance of a lion. Jake’s growths had spread on the inside as well, creating a brain tumor. Mark did a surgery to both remove the tumor and the growths on Jake’s face, all at once. Jake sadly died, but Mark still altered Jake’s face for his parents. This case was crucial to showing who Mark was, outside of his love triangle with Derek and Addison.
4 “The Boy Encased in Cement”
Season 4, Episodes 16-17 (2008)
One of Grey’s Anatomy‘s most intense medical cases occurred in the two-part Season 4 finale, “Freedom.” In the episode, a teenage boy named Andrew Langston was admitted to the hospital, encased in a vat of cement. It turned out that a group of bullies had dared Andrew to jump into wet cement at a construction site. Andrew had done it because his crush, Lola, was there, and he wanted to impress her.
This was an especially difficult case, but the doctors were able to get Andrew out of the cement and save his life. Lola initially pretended like she did not even like Andrew, because she was embarrassed in front of the bullies. However, Callie convinced Lola not to care what they think, and then she was there for her friend. Multiple of the hospital’s surgeons were involved in this case, making it truly memorable.
3 “Denny Duquette’s Heart”
Season 2, Multiple Episodes (2005-2006)
Long before Grey’s Anatomy started killing off main characters in the Season 5 finale, there was the tragic tale of Danny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Denny was first introduced in Season 2, episode 13, “Begin the Begin,” as a patient seeking a heart transplant. Denny did not get the heart, and ended up stuck in the hospital on an LVAD. While he was in the hospital, Denny and Izzie fell in love.
Denny’s medical case was especially intense, due to what Izzie did to get him a heart. When the next heart for him did not work out in “17 Seconds,” Izzie cut Denny’s LVAD wire so that he would get worse and then he could get the heart. Izzie stole a heart for Denny, but he still died. It was one of the most iconic Grey’s Anatomy storylines, and it cemented the show as one of the great medical dramas.
2 “The Bomb in a Chest Cavity”
Season 2, Episode 17 (2006)
One of the scariest medical emergencies on Grey’s Anatomy occurred in a two-part episode that started with Season 2, episode 16, “It’s the End of the World.” James Carlson was a man who built a bazooka with his best friend. The bazooka accidentally went off with James right in front of it, burying itself in his chest. With a bomb in James’ chest, the doctors had to protect themselves from the bomb while also trying to save his life.
After the bomb was removed, Burke was able to save James’ life. Sadly, the bomb squad member present, Dylan Young, died when the bomb suddenly went off. This was a very creative and high-stakes medical case, and one of Grey’s Anatomy‘s most intense moments. This was also memorable for Meredith putting her own life in danger in order to help save everyone else in the hospital.
1 “Two People on a Pole”
Season 2, Episode 6 (2005)
All of Grey’s Anatomy‘s very best medical cases happened in Season 2. One of those was at the beginning of the season, in Season 2, episode 6, “Into You Like a Train.” After a train crash, two strangers, Bonnie and Tom, were impaled on the same pole. This medical case was especially memorable due to the complicated moral dilemma. If the pole was removed, both of them would bleed out.
The doctors thus had to decide which of the patients to remove from the pole, so that they could saw through it and save the other patient. Unlike the other cases that were just about saving the patients’ lives, this was a deliberate choice that the doctors had to make between two patients. The doctors chose to save Tom, because his injuries were less severe, and he had a better chance of living through the procedure. The doctors essentially let Bonnie die, and it was incredibly emotional.
