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Road Trippin'

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“ When a patient goes into cardiac arrest, we follow a specific set of protocols to resuscitate them. Start with CPR, give oxygen, assess heart rhythm to determine if the patient needs to be shocked. If needed, push epinephrine every three to five minutes. Consider an advanced airway and need to administer additional medications. Then check the pulse and start the cycle all over again. CPR, shock, meds, pulse check, sometimes for hours. Until, hopefully, we change the course and save a life. Researchers studied patient codes at hundreds of hospitals. They found patients had increased survival rates at hospitals with longer attempts at resuscitation. Of course, there are limits on how much we can do. As hard as we try, not every patient has a happy ending. Sometimes we just have to call it. ”

Road Trippin' is the fourteenth episode of the eighteenth season and the 394th overall episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Short Summary[]

Tensions at Grey Sloan Memorial rise as the effects of the physician shortage begin to show. Meanwhile, Meredith struggles to step away from work as she spends a sick day at home with Zola, and the hospital receives an unexpected visitor.

Full Summary[]

Maggie and Winston make their way to the lecture room, catching the attention of staff as they walk by. They enter the room after taking a moment and began their presentation about Fierce Fernanda, who is currently travelling across the country with her family in a camper. Maggie first met her in Boston last fall. She suffers from congenital aortic valve disease which led to aortic stenosis. She has already had two surgeries but nothing's worked. Until today. They are performing a Ross procedure, which is done by only seven programs in the country. Taryn knows it's replacing the aortic valve by the patient's own the pulmonary valve, eliminating the need for lifelong anticoagulant therapy. The valve will also grow with the pediatric patient as they age. Maggie announces that one of the residents will get to scrub in. She starts a live video chat with Fernanda. The family will arrive in about two hours.

Amelia is examining Owen, whose spinal fracture has healed well. PT is going well. Amelia wants another check in two weeks. She won't clear him to operate again. He still has to build up his endurance. He objects but she throws a pen at him and dares him to pick up without using his crutches.

Meredith and Zola are spending the day in bed since both are sick. They are following Fernanda's journey online. Zola answers a call from Bailey. Bailey hears Meredith coughing and realizes she won't be coming in for work today. As Meredith offers to call someone to cover, Bailey hangs up.

Bailey asks Richard to take over some of her cases but he refuses to operate until he's had his assessment. Bailey finds it ridiculous since she sees no reason not to trust him in the OR anymore. His assessment is next week. Mabel warns Bailey that there are two rigs coming in.

Taryn chases Maggie and Winston to talk about how excited she is to witness the procedure. Maggie asks her to go check if the scans are up to date. Nurse Karen comes to warn the surgeons that there is an aortic dissection downstairs. They rush to the ER.

Maggie, Winston, and Karen arrive in trauma 1, where the patient has been covered by a sheet. Suddenly, the man on the gurney jumps up. He laughs and hugs Winston, stating it's always too easy to scare him. Karen says the man assured her she would not be fired. Winston introduces Wendell, his younger brother.

Maggie and Winston sit down for a coffee with Wendell outside. Wendell apologizes for not making it to the wedding. It was a rough time. A job went south and he was too embarrassed that he couldn't afford a bus ticket. Winston thinks he should have called. Wendell has a job now as a medical sales rep for Trinity Labs. The job comes with benefits. Winston congratulates him. The couple is paged away but they agree to dinner tonight.

Owen, on crutches, arrives in the ER as Bailey brings in the trauma patients. Bailey says it's been this busy every day. They are backed up everywhere and her usual locum tenens is ignoring her request to take over Meredith's Whipple. She herself is swamped with paperwork. Owen suggests he can handle the paperwork, be Chief for the day, so she can go operate. She gladly accepts.

Jo, Teddy, and Jordan enter Laura Eames' room in the CCU. Today is the second attempt to repair her mitral valve. Teddy introduces herself and says she'll be taking over from Maggie, who is occupied with a case from Boston. Laura saw Fernanda on Good Morning Seattle. Todd arrives with a large fruit basket. Jo assumes it's for her but Laura points out she can't eat before surgery. Todd then says it is for Jo.

Winston asks Taryn to assign an intern to the Lima family to make sure all their needs are met after having been on the road for weeks. The RV arrives with honking horn. It pulls up abruptly. Daniel, Fernanda's father, informs the doctors that she is not doing well. Maggie and Winston board the RV. Fernanda is feeling dizzy. Maggie listens to her heart and assures Fernanda that she made it. Fernanda smiles and then loses consciousness. Winston picks her up to carry her inside.

Owen is going over the OR board and instructs Jordan to tell Teddy her procedure has been moved to OR 2. Taryn comes up to inform him that Winston and Maggie are cancelling a CABG to have an OR available for Fernanda if needed. She points out Lin's operating in a different OR than scheduled and checks if Owen's in his right to be changing things around. Wendell overhears him saying he's Chief for the day. He goes to introduce himself and brings up an amazing opportunity.

Maggie informs Fernanda's parents that her BP is down due to dehydration. Given that her murmur is much worse, they need to run additional tests. Angela, Fernanda's mother, says they never should have stopped to sight-see on the way here. Daniel wanted their kids to experience some sense of normalcy before the surgery. Daniel experiences some back pain, which he attributes to driving the RV for two weeks. Maggie stresses that this is no one's fault and says they'll have to see what the new tests say.

Jo puts the fruit down at the nurses' station while Teddy finds that their procedure has been moved. Todd comes up and finds that Jo is handing out the fruit. Todd ask Jo out to dinner that night but she has to study for her annual OB resident's exam. Teddy has observed the awkward interaction between the two. As she and Jo walk off, Teddy assures Jo that she is not judging. Jo adds that the thing with Link is over. Teddy doesn't remember anything from the bar and fears that she told Jo things, too. As a panicky Teddy gets on the elevator, MaryAnn Suchan asks her for directions to the residency director's office. Teddy says Richard isn't in today so she should try Dr. Bailey instead.

Winston is enlisting Amelia's help to check out Daniel's back. He's displeased to see Owen talk with Wendell. Wendell is presenting a BioTech drone that can be send out with a defibrillator ahead of an ambulance. The hope is to expand the program with other portable equipment. Owen is intrigued and promises to take it up with the board. Wendell has read Amelia's work on ultrasound-guided tumor reduction and is happy to meet her. Wendell introduces himself as the former black sheep of the family, which prompts Amelia to invite him to dinner. Winston asks Wendell for a word.

In a private office, Winston tells Wendell he should have talked to him first before going around selling stuff to his colleagues and bosses. Wendell admits he used Winston's name and connections to get the job. Winston is furious that he lied. Wendell says their dad told him not to come. Winston is surprised that Wendell is still talking to him. Their dad said that Winston wouldn't help him but Wendell thought Winston would be proud of him for landing the job. Wendell guesses their father was right.

Zola and Meredith watch a documentary on pandas. Nick texts Meredith saying he hopes she feels better soon. She then receives a call from David but puts her phone away. Zola wishes they got sick together more. Meredith agrees.

Bailey is feeling energized after that perfect Whipple. Next up is an esophagectomy. MaryAnn comes up but Bailey directs her to Owen Hunt before heading to the next surgery.

Maggie informs Winston that Fernanda's aortic stenosis has progressed to critical, made worse by the dehydration. They study the scans and deem the procedure even riskier now. Winston thinks the family should not have gone on a sightseeing tour, blowing people's crowdfunding money. Maggie understands the decision. Winston aggressively declares the family to be selfish. Winston wants to cancel the Ross procedure. Maggie thinks he is punishing the family for their perceived selfishness. Winston says he'll support whatever Maggie decides to do.

Todd and Laura are playing a card game. Jo and Jordan arrive to take Laura for her procedure. To calm Laura's nerves, Jo says that she's all up in her textbooks studying for the OB/GYN exam so there is no one better prepared for this than her. Jo assures her they will stop like they did last time in case anything appears to be going wrong. Laura thanks her.

As Angela helps Daniel to put on a corset for his back, Maggie informs them she wants to do a Ross-Konno procedure instead, which is the Ross procedure plus enlarging Fernanda's ventricle so the valve will fit. Maggie admits it is riskier since they'll have to cut around the fibers controlling her heartbeat. Maggie is convinced that this is the right option. Fernanda reminds her parents that everyone else said no. Reminded of their trust in her, the parents consent.

Winston runs into Rafael, Fernanda's brother, having a panic attack in the hallway. Winston takes him into an empty playroom to help him breathe better. He explains that this is his body's reaction to the stress he's experiencing over Fernanda. Rafael says he's a left winger. He can dribble past anyone. He lost his soccer scholarship because he had to drop out of school. Fernanda's heart is killing his entire family. They took a week to be a happy, normal family, and now that may have killed his sister. It feels like they are getting punished over and over again. Rafael says his family won't make it if Fernanda dies. He breaks down.

Owen joins the excited doctors in the gallery for Fernanda's procedure. Owen reminds Zander and Mabel of their assigned jobs for the day and orders them to go do medicine instead of watching it. MaryAnn appears in the doorway and introduces herself as a representative of the medical accreditation council. They need to talk.

As she scrubs, Taryn talks about how nerve-racking it must be for Maggie to perform this even more complicated procedure with the entire country watching her. Maggie sends Taryn into the OR. Winston enters the scrub room and points out that her entire body is tense. He admits he was wrong before. Maggie is confident that she can do this but she needs an assist who is completely focused. Winston says when his mother had cancer, his father and brother flipped out on the outside. Wendell would get into fights and their father started drinking and throwing away money, landing him in jail a few times. Despite all that he put them through, his mother still forgave him. She would use her treatment money to bail him out. Winston was also freaking out but in the inside. That just made it worse. He started having panic attacks. He nearly quit his fellowship and it nearly derailed his life. He has an amazing life now and he fears Wendell's presence will derail it all again somehow. He won't let that happen. They have a life and a family to save. They bump fists and start scrubbing.

Teddy is working on Laura's valve while Jo watches the fetal monitor. Jo is worried but Teddy asks her to trust her. Jordan asks how long the procedure will take because he wants to go observe the Ross-Konno procedure. Teddy is not pleased.

In a conference room, MaryAnn shows Owen that they have received 15 anonymous complaints about the program in the last six months, relating to working over 80 hours a week, performing surgeries without supervision, and the glaring lack of teachers. MaryAnn also heard him yell at residents, denying them a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity. There is a systemic problem that needs to be addressed. MaryAnn wonders why Bailey and Richard are not available to her.

Winston, Maggie, and Taryn get ready to operate. Winston tells Maggie that the family was right to travel across the country for her. They start cutting. Shortly after they start, Teddy and Jordan arrive in the gallery. Teddy teaches Jordan as the procedure goes on.

Rafael joins his parents in the waiting room.

Todd finds Jo studying in the hospital library. Laura is doing fine. Todd was amazed with the way she spoke to Laura. Jo says the test entails more than bedside manner. Todd brought her a bouquet of roses as well as study snacks. Jo says no one ever bought her study snacks before. Todd says he never kissed a girl in the library before because libraries are meant to study. She smiles. He wishes her good luck with her exam and leaves.

Maggie and Winston take Fernanda off bypass. After a few seconds, the heart starts beating again. The doctors in the gallery applaud.

Maggie and Winston find Fernanda's family in the waiting room and inform them that the procedure worked. The family hugs and thanks them. Brazilians are huggers. Maggie says there is a long road to recovery but so far, so good. Daniel thanks Maggie again for agreeing to take on the case.

Meredith has noticed that Zola has her worried face on. Zola wonders why she is ignoring Nick and David. Meredith says they want to talk to her about taking a job in Minnesota, which would require her to give up her job in Seattle. They would have to move. Zola asks if the job would save a lot of lives and if she'll be seeing more of Nick. Meredith says probably. Zola asks if that would make her happy. Meredith states her kids make her happy. Zola says they would follow her anywhere.

Winston thanks Wendell for coming back. Wendell was surprised that he called. Winston admits he still blames Wendell for their mother's death. He thinks she might have survived if she hadn't put all of her money and energy into Wendell and their father. He knows that is not a fair thing to say. That cancer took both of them out, in different ways. Their mother would be so angry if she knew that they let it take them away from one another. Winston missed him and he's glad that Wendell is back. Maggie has agreed to let him stay with them if he wants to stick around for a while. Also, Winston will introduce him to some people at the hospital. Wendell says it'll be different this time. Wendell says dinner's on him.

Bailey finds Owen in her office and comments that Owen looks 10 years older after one day in her chair. Bailey excitedly talks about all the surgery she got to do today. She feels centered now. Owen then hands her the official notification that their residency program might be shut down.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Starring[]

Medical Notes[]

Fernanda Lima[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Congenital aortic valve disease
    • Aortic stenosis
    • Dehydration
  • Treatment:
    • Ross-Konno procedure

Fernanda, 13, had congenital aortic valve disease that led to aortic stenosis. She'd had two prior open-heart surgeries and came to Seattle for her third, a Ross procedure. When she arrived at the hospital, her father said she'd been feeling dizzy, so they rushed her into the hospital PICU. They determined she was dehydrated, so they gave her fluids and ordered more tests, which showed that her aortic stenosis had gone from severe to critical. Her ventricle was too small, meaning they had to covert to a Ross-Konno procedure, which involved cutting her ventricle in half. It carried increased risks, but Maggie felt it was the best option. The surgery went well and Fernanda was stable afterward.

Owen Hunt[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Spinal fracture
  • Treatment:

Owen was told that his spinal fracture was healing well, with no sign of malalignment. He said he'd been working hard on his physical therapy and was putting more weight on his leg every day. Amelia said she wanted new scans in two weeks and said he wasn't cleared to return to work.

ER Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Doctors:
  • Treatment:

There was a patient in the ER with what looked like an item lodged in their rectum.

G. Inskeep[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:
    • Whipple

Meredith was supposed to perform a Whipple at noon, but she was sick, so Bailey did the surgery instead. Afterward, she and Perez said it went perfectly.

Laura Eames[]

  • Diagnosis:
    • Mitral valve insufficiency
  • Treatment:
    • Transcatheter valve repair

Laura, 34, had several mitral valve insufficiency and was also pregnant. Because they'd had to cancel her previous procedure, it was rescheduled. She had the surgery and it went well. She was stable and awake afterward.

Daniel Lima[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:
    • Bracing

Daniel complained of back pain, which he attributed to driving an RV for two weeks. Amelia examined him and gave him a back brace.

Esophagectomy Patient[]

  • Diagnosis:
  • Treatment:
    • Esophagectomy

After completing a Whipple, Bailey and Zander went on to do an esophagectomy.

Music[]

Song Performer Scene
"Tailwind" JG Daydream
  • Winston and Maggie walk through the hospital.
  • They enter a room to present.
"Reckoning" Alanis Morissette
  • Winston encourages Maggie as she starts Fernanda's surgery.
  • Teddy, Amelia, and Jordan watch from the gallery.
  • Fernanda's parents wait in the waiting room.
"Blessings" Hollow Coves
  • Meredith and Zola lie in bed together.
  • Winston and Wendell talk about their mother.
  • Bailey finds Owen in her office.
  • He tells her about the investigation.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • This episode's title originated from the song Road Trippin', originally sung by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
  • This episode scored 3.93 million viewers.[1]
  • Michelle Lin does not appear in the episode, but the OR board has a lipoma excision and Z-plasty of a cheek scheduled to be performed by a surgeon named M. Linn, most likely a misspelling of her name. Taryn's dialogue also confirms that it is Dr. Lin performing the procedures.

Gallery[]

Episode Stills[]

Quotes[]

See Also[]

A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here.


References[]

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