Ridiculous medical mistakes on TV

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We've all heard it: nurses can't watch medical shows without getting annoyed about how inaccurate they are. Lately, I'm finding that the most ridiculous medical mistakes happen on police procedural dramas (Law and Order, Criminal Minds, etc.); at least the medical shows have people with medical backgrounds advising them.

Anybody have some funny tv medical mistakes to share??

Last week I was watching a rerun of Criminal Minds. The victim had been drugged with haldol by her kidnapper. When the police rushed in to save her, the EMS gave her a bolus of narcan and she magically awoke. It was a flipping miracle!! ?


Specializes in Critical Care, PICU, OR.

Something new from "Dr. Kildare".

This is from 1965-66. Already intubating patients. Pt. with approx. 60-70% 3rd degree burn first TRACH. Almost immediately able to talk (short sentences) occluding trach. After few days no trach (dressing), pt. talking without hoorificeness, like nothing happened before. Surgery - this patient intubated.

Another patient. Sudden PE (embolism, not edema). ACLS - chest compression about 20-30 compressions/min. On the screen fine VFib. Even student suggested shock. Dr. Kildare shocked his head as "no". In nest few seconds - asystole. Stopped CPR.

No ABC, but only BC (pt. on facial mask, vent on "positive pressure")

I happened into the middle of a show just yesterday (soap opera maybe?) where a nurse was accused of swiping her badge to gain entrance into the personnel files of every employee in the hospital! Okay then....

On the other hand, I was impressed by The Big Sick, which is a great, funny, rom/com. A nurse is at the bedside, shocking I know,...the nurse kinda sorta helps diagnose what may be the problem.

The female lead is sick, intubated for over a week, does come around, but (I forget some details) has a hard time swallowing food for the first time, goes through physical therapy, needs a brace or cane and continues physical therapy after discharge.

Specializes in Gerontology.
39 minutes ago, brownbook said:

On the other hand, I was impressed by The Big Sick, which is a great, funny, rom/com. A nurse is at the bedside, shocking I know,...the nurse kinda sorta helps diagnose what may be the problem.

The female lead is sick, intubated for over a week, does come around, but (I forget some details) has a hard time swallowing food for the first time, goes through physical therapy, needs a brace or cane and continues physical therapy after discharge.

That is a great movie!

Specializes in Research & Critical Care.

Man I wish I remembered what show it was, but I saw a beautiful code - checked pulse, good compressions and breaths. The doctor even yelled for 1 mg of epi IV! Right dose and everything!

Then the classic - shocked asystole.

I died a little.

Specializes in Practice educator.

I watched a film and it had 2 ventilated patients right next to each other, the guy in the middle grabbed 2 power point plugs and pulled them out, both patients then instantly flatlined. Wound me right up.

Specializes in Research & Critical Care.
45 minutes ago, osceteacher said:

I watched a film and it had 2 ventilated patients right next to each other, the guy in the middle grabbed 2 power point plugs and pulled them out, both patients then instantly flatlined. Wound me right up.

Smokin Aces! I just realized one of them isn't even vented, which makes this scene even more ridiculous lmao

Specializes in Practice educator.
16 hours ago, MaxAttack said:

Smokin Aces! I just realized one of them isn't even vented, which makes this scene even more ridiculous lmao

Thanks! I knew it was Ryan Renolds but I couldn't remember the film. Just reading the comments in there. "Best ending ever!".

No, its one of the worst! I didn't even notice that one wasn't vented, horrible, just horrible.

I'm always amazed at how quickly (if not instantly) TV nurses & EMS personnel can obtain accurate vital signs in a chaotic, noisy environment! I've been a nurse for over 10 years and I need a certain duration of time to get vitals.

The show “The Resident” it’s its entirety drives me absolutely bonkers. The entire premise of the show is based on the fact that a resident is calling the shots.....

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.

I am re-watching ER for funsies. The first season was a little better on medical accuracy. They actually had a code and someone called "should I get the paddles?" and another person said "No, it's asystole, get epi". I was unreasonably happy to hear that LOL

But then in the same season, they had the ER inducing a pre-e mother. *rolls eyes* I know the only thing an ER hates more than a pregnant woman is a newborn baby LOL so definitely not accurate there. Oh, and an episode where the L&D floor was flooded or something and they moved the laboring patients to the ER to be managed by those docs and the OBs stayed upstairs to "manage the antepartum patients". Uh, the antes shouldn't require so much active management, one would hope. And the ER is definitely not the place for laboring mothers.

Some day they will hire me as a medical consultant and I will boop their snoots for the terrible medical information they put out there.

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.

Oh, I will say, I am also rewatching criminal minds - the episode with the bleach - he said the milk will coat the esophagus, not the lungs. So that was right. But the one with the paralysis really annoyed me. How in the hell do you paralyze without removing ability to breathe? Diaphragmatic pacing?

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