Known Unknowns (House)
Encyclopedia
"Known Unknowns" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of House
. It aired on November 9, 2009.
and the fall caused crushed muscles which released toxins that caused swollen joints. But the CT shows no signs of trauma, so House goes in and gets Jordan to pretend to play the drums. Her hands are very weak. House notes that her chart shows low potassium, and rhabdo elevates potassium levels, meaning her potassium had to be extremely low the previous night. This means she can't have climbed stairs, meaning there was no fall. House says something else is causing her low potassium and rhabdo.
Meanwhile, Cuddy, Wilson and House spend a weekend away from the hospital to attend a medical conference. During an 80s
party at the convention, House musters up the courage to reveal his feelings to Cuddy. She leaves him in a haste and lets him know through Wilson that now that she is a mom she needs someone reliable. When House in turn offers Cuddy to babysit he finds out that she is dating the private investigator Lucas (Michael Weston
), who is taking care of Cuddy's daughter in place of the babysitter.
Jordan's friend, Phoebe, tells Cameron and Chase what they did the previous night, stating they followed comic book creator Jeffrey Keener (Marcus Giamatti
), including going to a restaurant in the building. The food makes Foreman suspect she could be bulimic, which would account for all her symptoms, so Cameron starts her on nutrition supplements and they do a barium swallow
to check for mallory weiss tears. However the barium swallow shows no tears, ruling out bulimia. During this test, she has cardiac tamponade
- she bleeds around her heart. The team puts her on antiarrythmics
. House notes that since her blood pressure dropped during the barium swallow, it can't be a chronic condition. Foreman notes that this leaves just infections and toxins.
As Jordan's condition worsens, she becomes unable to distinguish fact from fiction. Foreman finds this is caused by a bleed in her brain that's affecting her thalamus
causing her to lie. Phoebe tells Foreman that he's been told all the places they went. She says the only time they weren't together was when Jordan went to get ice. However, Phoebe only woke when Jordan returned, so the team has no idea what Jordan really did, or how long she was gone for. CCTV tapes show she was gone for only five minutes, and she returned from her trip holding Keener's journal. Cameron and Chase go to Keener's room and ask to search his room for toxins, but he insists she never arrived at his room. This causes Cameron to suspect that Jordan may have been drugged by roofies
and rape
d by Keener. They start her on flumazenil
to reduce the effect.
She soon starts to bleed behind her kidneys, so Foreman gives her blood transfusions. Cameron notices that this is similar to a toxic reaction, so they need to find out what toxin is causing it. Cameron suggests drugging her with amobarbital
to suppress her thalamus. However, she continues to lie even on the amobarbital. She starts losing blood faster than the team can transfuse. An online search done by Cameron shows that Keener travels with his dog so they treat her for rickettsia
.
At the medical conference, Wilson feels remorse after having performed euthanasia
on a terminally ill
cancer
patient by intentionally having told the sequence to the patient's PCA machine
to a coworker loud enough for the patient himself to hear, allowing the patient to administer himself a morphine
overdose. Wilson plans to give a speech about the incident, although it may severely harm his career. However, House drugs Wilson and makes his speech during the convention in another person's name. While arguing about this, House has an epiphany about Jordan's condition.
It turns out that Jordan has vibrio vulnificus caused by the vibrio in the oysters Jordan had the previous night. She has hemochromatosis, which gave her a unique susceptibility to vibrio, which was what caused her swollen joints. However, this got attributed to bulimia so she got supplements that had iron in them. The iron stressed her liver, causing the bleeding. This lead to more blood transfusions, giving her more blood, causing even more bleeding. The team starts Jordan on high-dose ceftazidime for the vibrio and chelate for the hemochromatosis. Jordan also admits that she never plucked up the courage to knock on Keener's door, so she left his notebook on his doormat. Keener never lied. Later, Wilson also admits that it was irrational to sacrifice his career because of his remorse and thanks House for being a good friend.
Towards the end of the episode, Chase confesses to Cameron that he killed Dibala
. The episode ends as Cameron reacts in shock.
that week.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. It aired on November 9, 2009.
Plot
After a wild night out, a teenage girl named Jordan(Anna Attanasio) is brought to Princeton Plainsboro with severely swollen appendages. The team must work to diagnose Jordan, who is less than honest about what happened the night she fell ill. House suspects she is suffering from rhabdoRhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down rapidly. Breakdown products of damaged muscle cells are released into the bloodstream; some of these, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and may lead to kidney failure...
and the fall caused crushed muscles which released toxins that caused swollen joints. But the CT shows no signs of trauma, so House goes in and gets Jordan to pretend to play the drums. Her hands are very weak. House notes that her chart shows low potassium, and rhabdo elevates potassium levels, meaning her potassium had to be extremely low the previous night. This means she can't have climbed stairs, meaning there was no fall. House says something else is causing her low potassium and rhabdo.
Meanwhile, Cuddy, Wilson and House spend a weekend away from the hospital to attend a medical conference. During an 80s
1980s in music
For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
party at the convention, House musters up the courage to reveal his feelings to Cuddy. She leaves him in a haste and lets him know through Wilson that now that she is a mom she needs someone reliable. When House in turn offers Cuddy to babysit he finds out that she is dating the private investigator Lucas (Michael Weston
Michael Weston
Michael Weston is an American television and film actor. His best-known roles are the private detective Lucas Douglas on House, the homicidal meth addict Jake in the critically acclaimed HBO drama Six Feet Under and Pvt...
), who is taking care of Cuddy's daughter in place of the babysitter.
Jordan's friend, Phoebe, tells Cameron and Chase what they did the previous night, stating they followed comic book creator Jeffrey Keener (Marcus Giamatti
Marcus Giamatti
Marcus Giamatti is an American actor, best known for being a regular member of the cast of the CBS drama series Judging Amy.-Background:...
), including going to a restaurant in the building. The food makes Foreman suspect she could be bulimic, which would account for all her symptoms, so Cameron starts her on nutrition supplements and they do a barium swallow
Barium swallow
A barium swallow is a medical imaging procedure used to examine the upper GI tract, which includes the esophagus and, to a lesser extent, the stomach.-Principle:...
to check for mallory weiss tears. However the barium swallow shows no tears, ruling out bulimia. During this test, she has cardiac tamponade
Cardiac tamponade
Cardiac tamponade, also known as pericardial tamponade, is an emergency condition in which fluid accumulates in the pericardium ....
- she bleeds around her heart. The team puts her on antiarrythmics
Antiarrhythmic agent
Antiarrhythmic agents are a group of pharmaceuticals that are used to suppress abnormal rhythms of the heart , such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation....
. House notes that since her blood pressure dropped during the barium swallow, it can't be a chronic condition. Foreman notes that this leaves just infections and toxins.
As Jordan's condition worsens, she becomes unable to distinguish fact from fiction. Foreman finds this is caused by a bleed in her brain that's affecting her thalamus
Thalamus
The thalamus is a midline paired symmetrical structure within the brains of vertebrates, including humans. It is situated between the cerebral cortex and midbrain, both in terms of location and neurological connections...
causing her to lie. Phoebe tells Foreman that he's been told all the places they went. She says the only time they weren't together was when Jordan went to get ice. However, Phoebe only woke when Jordan returned, so the team has no idea what Jordan really did, or how long she was gone for. CCTV tapes show she was gone for only five minutes, and she returned from her trip holding Keener's journal. Cameron and Chase go to Keener's room and ask to search his room for toxins, but he insists she never arrived at his room. This causes Cameron to suspect that Jordan may have been drugged by roofies
Flunitrazepam
Flunitrazepam is marketed as a potent hypnotic, sedative, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, amnestic, and skeletal muscle relaxant drug most commonly known as Rohypnol...
and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by Keener. They start her on flumazenil
Flumazenil
Flumazenil is a benzodiazepine antagonist available for injection only, and the only benzodiazepine receptor antagonist on the market today.It was first introduced in 1987 by Hoffmann-La Roche under the trade name Anexate, but only approved by...
to reduce the effect.
She soon starts to bleed behind her kidneys, so Foreman gives her blood transfusions. Cameron notices that this is similar to a toxic reaction, so they need to find out what toxin is causing it. Cameron suggests drugging her with amobarbital
Amobarbital
Amobarbital is a drug that is a barbiturate derivative. It has sedative-hypnotic and analgesic properties. It is a white crystalline powder with no odor and a slightly bitter taste. It was first synthesized in Germany in 1923...
to suppress her thalamus. However, she continues to lie even on the amobarbital. She starts losing blood faster than the team can transfuse. An online search done by Cameron shows that Keener travels with his dog so they treat her for rickettsia
Rickettsia
Rickettsia is a genus of non-motile, Gram-negative, non-sporeforming, highly pleomorphic bacteria that can present as cocci , rods or thread-like . Being obligate intracellular parasites, the Rickettsia survival depends on entry, growth, and replication within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic host cells...
.
At the medical conference, Wilson feels remorse after having performed euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
on a terminally ill
Terminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
patient by intentionally having told the sequence to the patient's PCA machine
Patient-controlled analgesia
Patient-controlled analgesia is any method of allowing a person in pain to administer their own pain relief. The infusion is programmable by the prescriber...
to a coworker loud enough for the patient himself to hear, allowing the patient to administer himself a morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
overdose. Wilson plans to give a speech about the incident, although it may severely harm his career. However, House drugs Wilson and makes his speech during the convention in another person's name. While arguing about this, House has an epiphany about Jordan's condition.
It turns out that Jordan has vibrio vulnificus caused by the vibrio in the oysters Jordan had the previous night. She has hemochromatosis, which gave her a unique susceptibility to vibrio, which was what caused her swollen joints. However, this got attributed to bulimia so she got supplements that had iron in them. The iron stressed her liver, causing the bleeding. This lead to more blood transfusions, giving her more blood, causing even more bleeding. The team starts Jordan on high-dose ceftazidime for the vibrio and chelate for the hemochromatosis. Jordan also admits that she never plucked up the courage to knock on Keener's door, so she left his notebook on his doormat. Keener never lied. Later, Wilson also admits that it was irrational to sacrifice his career because of his remorse and thanks House for being a good friend.
Towards the end of the episode, Chase confesses to Cameron that he killed Dibala
The Tyrant (House)
"The Tyrant" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of House. It first aired October 5, 2009.- Plot :The team treats a brutal African dictator named Dibala who has fallen ill;...
. The episode ends as Cameron reacts in shock.
Music
- The song playing in the background of the first scene is "Stadium Love" by MetricMetric (band)Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
. - House and Cuddy are dancing to "Time After TimeTime after Time (Cyndi Lauper song)"Time After Time" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released as the second single from her album She's So Unusual. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984, and remained there for two weeks...
" by Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
at the 80s party. - "FuelFuel (song)"Fuel" is a song by Metallica. The theme of the song could be applied to the fact that people like to drive their lives too fast...
" by MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
plays when House first meets the patient.
Reception
The episode was the most watched show on Fox TVFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
that week.