Grey's Anatomy (Season 18)

Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22| Main

Grey's Anatomy (2021-2022) is a primetime television medical drama, airing on ABC, that follows Meredith Grey, a first-year surgical intern at the beginning of the drama, and her fellow interns as they struggle to become doctors.

Season 18

Here Comes the Sun [18.01]

Some Kind of Tomorrow [18.02]

Hotter Than Hell [18.03]

With a Little Help From My Friends [18.04]

Bottle Up and Explode! [18.05]

Every Day Is a Holiday (With You) [18.06]

Meredith: [voice over] Scientists have published studies about how the practice of gratitude improves mental and physical health. A daily gratitude practice reduces depression and increases happiness. Gratitude enhances empathy, which helps build positive relationships. It even lowers blood pressure. If giving thanks is so good for you, why do so many people struggle doing it?

Meredith: [voice over] Why do we only designate one day a year to give thanks? After everything we've been through, why not celebrate the good every day? Hug your loved ones. Smile at a stranger. Choose kindness. Someone might do it in return.

Today Was a Fairytale [18.07]

Meredith: [voice over] In the late 16th century, a father-son team made a groundbreaking discovery. They found that when they put lenses at the opposite ends of a tube, it enlarged objects. Their invention was the first compound microscope. And as basic as it was, their invention was a game changer for science and medicine.

Meredith: [voice over] The invention of the microscope turned the scientific community on its head. It gave scientists a whole new way of looking at things. For the first time, they could see cells and things they couldn't with the naked eye. The simple use of curved glass to bend and refract light revolutionized how we see the world. In many ways, it's not all that different from everyday life. Sometimes seeing life through a different lens opens a new world of possibilities.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear [18.08]

Meredith: [voice over] The way kids feel at Christmas is a pretty close equivalent to the way surgeons feel walking into an OR. It's a complicated mix of anxiety and excitement that makes it almost impossible to sleep. The anticipation is the best and worst part. Will this go my way? Will I get what I want? Will my patient live? Will they heal? Is Santa real? Stepping into an OR is its own kind of magic. The possibility that on this day, you might save a life or end it.

Meredith: [voice over] I often ask my kids do they prefer Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? I go back and forth on that question. As a person, I prefer Christmas Eve, when life is all possibility falling asleep with unopened presents under a tree, filled with excitement for tomorrow. But as a surgeon, I prefer Christmas Day the point where possibility meets reality. And soon you'll see if it all worked. But whichever you prefer I can promise you this: eventually, the holiday is over.

No Time to Die [18.09]

Living in a House Divided [18.10]

Legacy [18.11]

Meredith: [voice over] The Apgar test. The Whipple procedure. The DeBakey clamp. So many of the tools we use in our hospitals every day are named after the people who invented them. Even diseases used to be named after the people who discovered them. But a medical board in the 1970s discontinued that practice claiming that no one could "own" a sickness. As altruistic as the profession is, doctors are human. If we do something that could change the face of medicine, we want our name on it.

Meredith: [voice over] When people hear our names, what will they remember? What did we leave behind? Did we blaze trails? Did we guide a new generation? Did we bestow all the wisdom we could? Have we paved a legacy? Maybe instead of wanting to be known for what we've done let's be known for who we are.

The Makings of You [18.12]

Put the Squeeze on Me [18.13]

Meredith: [voice over] Many visits to the doctor start with taking your blood pressure. It's a vital indicator of your health. But within the human body, there are many pressurized systems, and each has its own threshold and consequence for pressure. Too much pressure on the lungs can cause them to collapse to 1/10 of their size. Skulls can only take so much pressure before the brain herniates into the spinal cord. Enough pressure on the limbs can cut off blood flow and kill them. The amount of pressure may vary, but every system has a breaking point.

Meredith: [voice over] When too much pressure builds within your body, you might need a surgeon to relieve it. We drill burr holes, place chest tubes, cut open limbs. In life, relieving pressure's not always as easy. But it's just as important. Too much stress takes a toll on our mental and physical health. So go for a walk. Meet up with a friend. Dance it out. Seek out the moments of joy that keep us alive.

Road Trippin [18.14]

Meredith: [voice over] 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, you change the course and save a life.

Meredith: [voice over] 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.

Put It to the Test [18.15]

Meredith: [voice over] Surgeons are put through rigorous tests just to get in the game. We endure decades of anxiety-provoking acronyms SAT, MCAT, USMLE, ABSITE. And if we pass that gauntlet we are rewarded with the need to log 850 surgeries and take an 8-hour multiple-choice and oral exam. There's almost no time to take in the victory or even a nap.

Meredith: [voice over] Researchers studied why some people perform better on tests. They found that it's not necessarily related to intelligence. Some people become anxious during exams and divert mental energy toward anxiety instead of expending it on finding the right answers. Others have a better grasp of how tests work. They use process of elimination and other techniques to help them make better choices. Some people study harder. They start early, make flashcards rely on repetition to retrieve answers when they need them. Tests don't always measure how much you know. They measure how well you take tests. And tests certainly don't measure your worth. But knowing that doesn't make it hurt less when you don't succeed.

Should I Stay or Should I Go [18.16]

Meredith: [voice over] In 2019, the World Health Organization officially recognized burnout in its International Classification of Diseases. Studies show that doctors who report signs of burnout have enlarged amygdalas, the area in the brain that regulates fear and aggression. But burnout isn't an academic exercise. It's an all-consuming, systemic condition. It's your entire body sending you one clear message.

Meredith: [voice ove] Put simply, burnout comes from a deep imbalance. Too much stress with too few rewards. You're exhausted, depleted. You no longer have patience, pleasure, or serotonin. This is the end, unless you turn it into something else and find your path to recovery. Pick the pieces you want from your life and find a new way forward.

I'll Cover You [18.17]

Meredith: [voice over] In the last decade, researchers have discovered that humans have at least six senses. This new sense is called proprioception. It refers to how your brain understands where your body is in space. The mind, body connection to people and to your environment.

Meredith: [voice over] Some will argue that it's experience that helps a parent see that their child's stomach ache is more than the flu. Or that it's experience when a surgeon knows to look further during a routine lap appy to diagnose a larger problem. It's not an experience. It's a feeling. Instinct. It's our brains being innately connected to our bodies. The hard part is trusting what our bodies are saying. And hoping like hell we get it right.

Stronger Than Hate [18.18]

Meredith: [voice over] Our bodies play host to trillions of bacteria and other microbes. They live on our skin, in our guts, up our noses. Microbes are found in almost every part of the body. They break down food and perform many other functions that we need to survive.

Meredith: [voice over] Microbes may sound like uninvited guests but most live harmoniously in and on our bodies. We need a diverse set of microbes working together to stay healthy. They're an essential part of our systems. It turns out, they're right where they belong.

Out for Blood [18.19]

Meredith: [voice over] Metastatic. Advanced. Progressed. All words no one wants to hear from their doctor. It means despite everything you've done, every rule you've followed, you may be near the end. It's the moment when fear sets in. You panic as you realize you may not survive. It's why people turn to experimental treatments and last-ditch efforts. If you knew you were dying what would you do? If someone gave you a lifeline, would you take it?

Meredith: [voice over] We've all felt it, a moment where all is lost. Whether it's in our jobs, family, love, we fear everything will be taken. Close our eyes, we bite our lips and the adrenaline floods through our body. But despite how hard you try, that last-ditch attempt still may not work.

Out for Blood [18.20]

Meredith: [voice over] Before the advent of surgery, many illnesses were treated with phlebotomy also known as bloodletting. Bloodletting is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. It was one of the most common medical practices performed by surgeons from ancient Greece until the late 19th century. It was one of the most common medical practices performed by surgeons from ancient Greece until the late 19th century. The practice has largely been abandoned, because we now know that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the use of bloodletting is harmful to patients. And yet, we did it as a standard medical practice for over 2,000 years. It wasn't a blip in the history of medicine. It was an era.

Meredith: [voice over] For decades, many doctors were convinced that bloodletting was harming more than it helped. But just as many were convinced that it was the only cure. Doctors, like most human beings, are risk-averse. We prefer the safety of what we know over the thrill of new innovations. Surgeons and doctors, as a general rule, like to know for sure that we are right before we make a move. And so, for us, change requires incontrovertible proof, which is not always easy to come by. It has been theorized that surgery itself is just an era that will pass. But that's a long way away. And in the meantime, there are eras within eras. We discover new science, we posit, prove new theories. And then we bang our heads against the wall, trying to convince ourselves to actually change our practices in line with what we know. Because the end of an era is easier said than done.

Cast

Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22| Main