Kalpana Vera

Kalpana Vera
Biographical Information
Status	Alive
Medical Information
Diagnosis	Ventricular arrhythmias Munchausen syndrome
Doctor(s)	Preston Burke Miranda Bailey Cristina Yang Izzie Stevens
Familial Information
Parents	Parents
Professional Information
Profession	Pharmacy technician
Appearances
Only	Deny, Deny, Deny
Seasons	GA: 2
Portrayed by	Katherine LaNasa

Kalpana Vera is patient who was admitted to be monitored for arrhythmias.

Quick Answers

What condition led Kalpana Vera to be hospitalized in Grey's Anatomy?

Kalpana Vera was hospitalized for ventricular arrhythmias and was later discovered to have Munchausen syndrome.

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How did Kalpana Vera's childhood illness affect her later life?

Kalpana Vera's childhood illness likely contributed to her developing Munchausen syndrome, as she was given lots of attention while her condition was being treated.

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Why was Kalpana Vera sent to the US for treatment as a child?

Kalpana Vera was sent to the U.S. for treatment as a child due to contracting rheumatic fever in Zambia.

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What secret medication was Kalpana Vera taking in Grey's Anatomy?

Kalpana Vera was secretly taking amitriptyline, which induced arrhythmias.

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How does Kalpana Vera's story connect to Katherine LaNasa's role?

Katherine LaNasa is the actor who played Kalpana Vera.

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History

Rheumatic Fever

When she was eight, Kalpana, while living in Zambia with her parents, who did missionary work, contracted rheumatic fever. She had to be sent back to the United States for treatment. She nearly died.

Hospitalization

Kalpana had had multiple syncopal episodes and arrhythmias, so she was admitted to the hospital for tests and observation. Cristina saw her taking a pill that wasn't in her chart. She claimed it was an oral contraceptive and she had had grapefruit juice to avoid the drug interaction. Shortly after, Kalpana passed out again and had to be resuscitated.

They ran tests to find out the cause while Cristina looked through Kalpana's chart. She noticed she'd been in several hospitals recently. While talking to George, she figured out that Kalpana had been faking it. Izzie confirmed that her tests had all revealed nothing. She had Munchausen syndrome.

They took her in for another test despite Cristina's conclusion and while they were working, the nurse noticed that her urine was blue. They confronted her, saying they knew she'd ingested something to make herself sick and they'd be transferring her to psych.

Relationships

Familial

Her parents are missionaries. When she was a child, she traveled the world with them for their work.

Career

She is a pharmacy technician.

Notes and Trivia

• She was named by villagers in Nepal. Her first name is pronounced Kul-PAHN-a.
• She claimed to have a PhD in neuropharmacology.
• Her name translates as "imaginary truth". Kalpana is Hindi for imaginary, vera is Latin for truth.