Grey's Anatomy called out for a medical mistake by healthcare professionals

16 June 2023 , 16:41

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Medical drama Grey's Anatomy called out for a massive mistake by healthcare professionals (Image: ABC via Getty Images)

Grey's Anatomy is the most iconic and long-running medical television drama in the world, having begun in 2005 and recently being confirmed for its mammoth twentieth season.

The show, which stars Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey, and has also featured the likes of Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey and more over the years, centres around the professional and personal lives of the medical staff of the fictional Grey and Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Over the seasons, viewers have watched some heartbreaking storylines and have seen the doctors work under pressure as they attempt to save the lives of their patients, some of whom have bizarre and unique illnesses.

And while it is widely known that the show's writers and showrunners refer to real-life medical teams for accuracy in their plots, those with basic knowledge of medical procedures have been able to spot some major mistakes when it comes to depicting practices used in the real-life healthcare community.

Viewers have spotted spot some major mistakes in Grey's Anatomy when it comes real-life healthcare (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Grey's Anatomy began in 2005 and is the most iconic and long-running medical drama in the world (ABC via Getty Images)

In particular, there was one storyline that has gone down in Grey's Anatomy history for being hilariously and obviously inaccurate.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

In one episode, a patient named Sylvia was admitted to the hospital after getting a fork stuck down her neck. Requiring urgent medical attention, Meredith Grey was tasked with getting the fork out without causing any other damage to Sylvia's neck.

However, viewers immediately called out the medical faux-pas when Dr. Grey ordered an MRI for the patient.

An MRI is like a giant magnet, meaning it would have caused severe and life-threatening damage to Sylvia's neck after being forcibly pulled out.

Despite the medical no-no, the show has been praised for the majority of its fictional cases being medically accurate.

In one fictional case, an MRI was ordered which would have caused damage to the patient (ABC via Getty Images)

Speaking to Pure Wow, medical expert Dr. Kailey Remien noted: "As far as medical shows go, Grey's does a decent job when it comes to the cases.

"However, they rarely dive into detail about the cases. It's not even every episode that they dive into a differential diagnosis or why they are heading to the OR. So, when they discuss actual medicine, it can be sound, but they quickly stray."

After following in the footsteps of ER, the show Grey's Anatomy spawned a whole host of other medical dramas, including The Good Doctor, Chicago Med, Private Practice and The Resident.

The cast of Grey's Anatomy has also gone on to star in other well-loved projects. Sandra Oh won critical acclaim in Killing Eve, while Katherine Heigl starred in Netflix's hugely popular Firefly Lane.

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Jabeen Waheed