Mark is Questioned About a Patient's Death | ER

Following the death of a young mother during childbirth, Mark faces the scrutiny of a whole auditorium full of other staff about how he handled the case.
From "House of Cards" (Season 1 Episode 21)
First broadcast April 6th, 1995

[@arcaileonadrailmo8422]

Don't you just love how far and fast he walks the stairs after berating his boss.

[@pierovazquez3339]

Well, he was right, corrections are supposed to be in private not in public

[@masonicyouth3632]

I think that was more about being angry at him and the whole meeting and wanting to quickly get out to get back to his job which was more important

[@jdax21]

This scene is a prime example of why Dr. Mark Green was my favorite character.

[@hugopirela5694]

Mark was stoic and owned up to his mistake. Instead of thanking dr. swift 4 his support, he chastised him. Mark rules.

[@thehistoryfreak13]

i notice how the doctors kept checking if Mark knew all the facts associated with the case, like they seemed to focused on whether the patient's death was attributed to Mark's lack of knowledge which was proven false. He knew exactly what he was doing, but made some wrong tough decisions that resulted in the patient's death. He admitted to the mistakes of judgement but never appeared like he was an incompetent doctor. I felt bad for him in this he really pulled it together

[@Insomnia153]

Late answer, but the fact that he made obviously wrong decisions and mistakes like getting the weight of the baby wrong shows that he did NOT know what he was doing. Theoretical knowledge is not a replacement for practical experience, especially not in a field in which mistakes can kill people. Nobody questioned that he's a competent doctor, but they had every reason to doubt his ability to handle his case and his admissions show that he himself realized that he wasn't competent enough in that particular area to make the calls he did. Honestly, in reality if someone had acted like he did in that episode, they would almost certainly lose their medical license.

[@thehistoryfreak13]

@@Insomnia153 u know in retrospect in med school im starting to see y people were being weird with him. How did he not consider pre-eclampsia or even screen for it before discharging her?

[@amipadme3985]

@@Insomnia153 One thing about this whole storyline that drives me crazy is that OB/Coburn were never called out or scrutinized for the complete, total failure of that department to respond at any point, in any way, to this emergency. It’s fine to say that Mark wasn’t qualified and in over his head, but he repeatedly asked for help and repeatedly tried to send her up or have someone come down…until Coburn got there waaaaaaay too late, all he got in response was to be brushed off by an OB resident, who never fully assessed the situation and just told Mark to begin the induction. Coburn was on the show for all 15 seasons, and I never liked her from Love’s Labour Lost on, lol.

[@zzevonplant]

No, he really didn't know what he was doing, there were several things in the episode that he didn't really know how to do properly and did anyway - and there is NO REASON why this woman should have been being treated in an ER instead of in OB. This should (and would) NEVER happen in real life. No ER doctor anywhere in the United States would be inducing or performing a Caesarian in an ER in general, let alone in a high risk situation. I don't care how busy they were on the OB floor, they would have come down or the patient should be brought up - either way, she needed an actual OB. That was his biggest mistake, was not making that happen.

[@vickenator]

@@amipadme3985 All these years later and that still grates on my nerves too. Why wasn't Coburn up there with him answering questions as to why her department ignored a clearly critical high-risk delivery situation for as long as they did?

[@gemmajordan2074]

What about the fact no OB attended despite repeated attempts to find one....why wasnt that in question?

[@evanhaskel206]

Greene probably thought he’d appear childish if he tried to sling mud at OB. It is pretty cruel of that doctor to crucify him when her department never heeded any of the requests he made.

[@StrivingTowardsWhatIsAhead]

Kayfabe

[@ralphintheshadowrealm7002]

@@evanhaskel206 as with most situations where one would have to admit fault, it’s all about covering their own ass and projecting more on another involved party.

[@jackchop1576]

This was in the 1990's before the "women+ community" was a thing.

[@redlupo6193]

I completely forgot that the magnificent Michael Ironside was once a part of this fabulous show!

[@rafsolo]

This was not a review. This was a trial and summary execution. They already made up their minds and charged him guilty. But Mark fought back and survived

[@joshmccollen700]

Reading these comments, I come away with the sense that so many posters aren't familiar with the story arc between Mark and Swift. This moment was the beginning of Mark getting his 'mojo' back. Swift gave Mark the tough love he needed and started something of a mentorship that extended beyond Swift's departure. Swift was even present at Mark's funeral.

[@DrCarter33]

Swift was a great doctor and a great teacher. Some episodes later he let carter manage a patient in emergency

[@MoniqueFromPlymouth]

@@DrCarter33 | Swift did not appear in the series much, but he would have been an excellent addition to the regular cast. I wonder if Michael Ironside was not that interested in doing regular TV and just wanted to keep his options open as a character actor in films, where he is best known.

[@Ellypoem]

What a wonderful thing to find on KZbin. Thank you so much for posting these marvelous clips

[@KOHF34]

I honestly think Dr. Swift was one of the most underrated characters of the series. Think about it: he actually helped Dr. Greene here by helping him realize he did everything right, but just had some very bad luck, he eventually helped Mark separate his divorce from his work life, he hired Mark as an attending, and he also realized how much potential Dr. Carter had (especially with Carter’s knowledge on treating a lightning strike victim). It’s a shame that his character didn’t return for Season 2.

[@ashleyc506]

And despite all of this, OB wouldn’t take her up.

[@Nightraven26]

yeah, but in real life, he should've taken her to the elevator, physically up to the OBGYN floor, and ask for a consult. If an OBGYN refuses to take her, ask their name and threaten them that he will write that in the ER medical record, i.e. "dr. XY refuses to admit patient with signs of eclampsia to OBYGN", that way 1. by shifting potential lawsuit to the OBGYN, he makes them more likely to admit the patient to avoid problems and 2. lowers his own culpability if the case ever goes to court. Source: am doctor and it's what I would've done

[@Dan-ys8nk]

@@Nightraven26 Spot on.

[@karimah8687]

They were trying to tear Mark apart. I was nervous for him.

[@hazwanee25]

I've been working in healthcare since 2008 (the business dev side) and ER truly was ahead of its time in how they present the accuracy. They in fact was what prompted me to be interested in the medical field, though I'm a language & comm graduate.

[@0doublezero0]

The field was a relatively young one, only create in the 1970s. So most of the oldest doctors in the field were in their 40s in the 1990s. They were a very progressive field for the most part since it was a lot of young doctors. In fact, they were the first to create the SLOE that functions not only as letters of recommendation but also evaluation of students for residency. Only more recently in the 2020s have other fields adopted this form of letter writing for medical students.

[@andrewfessick8571]

Keep up the great work, the growth on this channel has been amazing!

[@davidostrowski679]

Posting copyrighted footage from a TV show isn't exactly 'work'

[@lancemartin3351]

The Tao of David and taking a shot at someone for offering a simple compliment for taking the time so others can enjoy these scenes isn’t exactly appropriate.

[@mooglerae32]

I think people expect doctors to manage the body like a mechanic with a car. Sadly, there is no real manual for the body and there are no straight forward answers to fixing its problems. That being said, I'd trust a doctor to do something versus nothing at all.

[@normancarter5419]

Michael Ironside is such an under-appreciated actor.

[@andrewj2358]

Dr. Coburn... Season 1 set a precedent for her character. She was never available when you needed her. Most of the time, you heard her name mentioned when a delivery was about to happen, that she was busy with something else. Yes, she was the head of OB, but come on... Even when she was available, like with Carol's delivery, she brought needless stress. Maybe the writers saw her as a tool to bring conflict into the story, like with Kayson and other higher ups in the hospital. If so, they did a good job. For me, Coburn is special, and not in a good way. Still, not the worst character in the show...

[@Xerruy]

Andrew J They sort of redeemed her in season 14 though, when she was Abby’s AA coach.

[@Tina-od7bo]

She was always unavailable and then showed up with a holier than thou you did it wrong attitude. I disliked her superiority persona as much as I disliked Benton.

[@theiran]

Love the actress, but hated the character.

[@samhamster3496]

I like when Michael Ironside plays a protagonist

[@mattdaugherty7865]

I'd like to see how the doctors questioning Mark would handle working a shift in the er!

[@Michael-cf9cj]

They likely all have worked shifts there, but it may have been years since they did.

[@klaudiagrob]

Mark was brilliant

[@KazumaPrime]

2:04 I was really young at the time this show was on, in 94 I was 8 when it premiered. My parents were not about the medical shows so I never saw it. Though I do have to say, seeing these two in the same room as doctors is really weird, where in an alternate timeline in 1986, one was a flight instructor and the other died in a flat spin.

[@brenyboy26]

When ER was excellent

[@paoladamini1901]

Thanks. Can you upload Carter and Lucy's interactions before the stabbing?

[@ThePlaton20]

ER doctors are not trained for c-sections and it is outside their scope of practice. If the mom is eclamptic and unstable you attempt to stabilize her first before you do any kind of induction or c-section, the whole time paging OB. If the mom/baby dies then it's on the OB for failing to respond, not the ER doc. Mark's mistake here was biting off more than he could chew, if he had simply treated the seizure without doing anything else, he would not be at fault and instead it would the OB service who would have to answer for not responding to a life threatening OB emergency.

[@nashshaffer6235]

In the end Dr. Green is considered a legend

[@mhoran21]

Swift would have been a great mentor and leader to Mark if he stayed longer.

[@CaioTrinchinato]

Sam Fischer backing up Goose... this is top tier TV! LoL

[@CurlyQueen12386]

What type of bullshit is this?! They’re acting like he deliberately killed this girl.

[@12345NoNamesLeft]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

[@5wheels178]

Right, they should just completely ignore that it happened. Everyone has to be held accountable for mistakes in a hospital.

[@davejones4064]

Any Top Gun fans see Jester and Goose here? I love stuff like this!

[@christopherfischer6998]

Yeah you’re right!

[@Max_Da_G]

100%!

[@StrivingTowardsWhatIsAhead]

Hahahahahaha nice

[@TheDocV627]

That female doctor just wanted to make him look bad. Everyone else wanted to just test his knowledge

[@ihatefortnightgivemeareaso5659]

I saw Michael Ironside in here and all I heard was Sam Fisher

[@micahlee2191]

Lol I know I wasn't the only one

[@MrNotorius5500]

0:50 Michael Ironside?

[@KnightRaymund]

yep

[@richiemc6170]

Rasczak's Roughnecks

[@kittygideon600]

Maybe if ob would have gotten off their ass and got to the er she would have lived

[@tylerhaunted]

Idk how realistic this scene is, but if doctors are put under the spotlight like this, then why don't our law enforcement is put under the same strict scrutiny?

[@lilfolkes]

M & M happens often after a patient dies.... Also when an officer fires his weapon they have to justify it, but I'm sure it's not under as much scrutiny as this

[@centralcoastgirl1984]

I hope Mark was proven innocent.

[@deathtoll5000x]

Jester and Goose on the same screen.

[@septiawoman2911]

Talk about a witch hunt!

[@Steve-wf3vv]

Kind of like the Trump Mueller report.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Why was not OB called in immediately??

[@l.a.3479]

Read previous comments and/or watch the episodes yourself.

[@m.e.d.7997]

@@l.a.3479 I did

[@hawkeyepierce7035]

They were. They blew him off each time, claiming they were too busy.

[@mytmyt]

Doctor Green says: "Yee haw! Jester's dead!"

[@maedeeter5603]

Y’all, “Love’s Labor Lost” was VERY unrealistic in many ways, including the no sign of OB. Do we really think any OB in their right mind wouldn’t rush to or at least try to get someone there who knew what they were doing. It’s just such an unrealistic portrayal

[@DepravedCoTApologist]

It's still a show creating drama. That's the whole point. Unrealistic things are OK in reason

[@m.q.7149]

It was unrealistic but it definitely happens more than once. There are a few times when Coburn in particular is late or doesn't show up for a page throughout the show.

[@JJA1987]

Unrealistic or Not - ER was the most realistic Medical Show bar none

[@nhmooytis7058]

Early episode when Clooney was still on, and Edwards had more hair!

[@freshplasticup5795]

the look in that mans eyes as he was slipping away " talk to me goose.... talk to me goose"

[@MrCraigblaze]

Can you also upload the season finale of rampage when Mark lets the shooter die..not the whole thing just the last 5 minutes or so ?? Xd

[@hinsonli]

yes please do. The one he blank fired the defibrillator.

[@MrCraigblaze]

@@hinsonli Yes he did XD

[@elainehott9303]

It’s been uploaded. The episode is ‘Rampage’

[@elainehott9303]

Here it is kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXnIZmiOl7t_l6c

[@MrCraigblaze]

@@elainehott9303 Thank you so much..!!

[@axeljongarden2853]

Would this be an accurate discription of happening in real life for doctors?

[@Steve-wf3vv]

No.

[@ThePlaton20]

Not really. M&M conferences are not nearly as confrontational as the one they showed here. The goal of M&M is to educate others on what could have been done differently and how to avoid future similar scenarios, not to place blame. If the attendings were as harsh as they showed in this video, the chairman running the M&M conferences would not invite them back.

[@axeljongarden2853]

@@ThePlaton20 Wow worth waiting a year for this! Thank you for educating me :)

[@101scorpions]

Perfect. Viper siding with Goose.

[@jwiese100]

Jester stands up for Goose

[@alphashaitan65]

I always preferred Skittles to M&M's.

[@zenitrulit2]

Who was treating the patients then? While they were all here I mean...

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

That ER is overfull with staff. They are practically on top of each other. How man times do they have three surgeons on one patient?

[@georgebarton1582]

This is how m n ms which is what this scene is work . An m n m. cant tell you what it stands for but its basically a meeting that usually happens to talk about how they could do their jobs better more effeciently by going over mistakes doctors made treating a patient. Usually what is talked about is particular case which had a bad outcome. The m n m is scheduled at a certain time. Just like any meeting would in any other job. Those that have to be there. Make arrangements for another doctor to take over any patients they are responsible for or even nurses if there is no need for a doctor. Such as patients in recovery. So they are able to go to the m n m. Also those who dont have to be there but want to as its usually always encouraged for doctors to go to m n ms even if there not required to. The patients would be taken care of.

[@Londa1027]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morbidity_and_mortality_conference Morbidity and mortality conference, peer reviews of mistakes in practice of medical services

[@kitm141]

@@georgebarton1582 M&M = mortality & morbidity. Mortality means having a disease, morbidity means death.

[@georgebarton1582]

@@kitm141 Now that you said mortality and morbidity i feel like kicking myself. I was never good at abbreviations and stuff. But you got them backwards. Mortality means the state of being mortal. Being able to die. And morbidity is the one that means having a disease or medical condition.

[@JuanGarcia-fi8ud]

Covid 19 Has Entered the Chat 😂

[@Kreepinsgirl]

"I was off"

[@kukyfutbol]

Are ER methods and procedures in the 90's valid in 2024??... did they undergo many changes?...

[@addyshimov]

So, if someone with medical degree, could explain what happened?

[@brenyboy26]

A woman died giving birth in the previous episode. Mark missed several diagnostic criteria demonstrating life threatening conditions effecting the mother, whilst delivering the baby.

[@hawkeyepierce7035]

Mark missed signs of preeclampsia in a pregnant woman. That’s a life threatening condition that can cause hypertension and seizures. In addition, he missed a placental abruption which is when the placenta tears away from the uterine lining before birth, leading to life-threatening bleeding and potentially threatening the life of the baby. Needless to say, when Mark attempted to deliver the baby, including performing a crash C-section, the mother died. But in my opinion, OB was just as responsible for the death as Mark. They should have come down and immediately admitted the patient when she obviously had a high risk pregnancy. Source: I’m an MD

[@addyshimov]

@@hawkeyepierce7035 so it wasn`t only his fault? The OB was missing. Mark is ER doctor not OB.

[@hawkeyepierce7035]

@@addyshimov No, it wasn’t only his fault. Mark repeatedly tried to get OB to come and admit the patient, but they brushed him off, saying they were too busy. In fact, they wanted him to start the induction, which, being an ER doctor, he wasn’t really qualified to do. Also, Dr. Coburn, the female OB who was berating him here, was herself late coming to see the patient and, when she finally did appear, immediately got all holier than thou, pointing out all the errors he made. Being the head of obstetrics, she should have been called on the carpet too, for her department being unavailable during what was clearly a high-risk delivery.

[@addyshimov]

@@hawkeyepierce7035 thanks!

[@shelbychilingirian1479]

You have no right to be calling the psych resident on my patients. It seemed appropriate. You are asking for extremely distraught of a 9 yr old. You have somebody to come by a chat.? He said the curtains on fire 🔥. Because you left him alone

[@arielg7000]

so what his hero man

[@bethdalley2186]

Upload carters departure

[@l.a.3479]

No

[@giordanotirelli6028]

Happy birthday at michael ironside from italian boy live in rome and I m fan of er

[@davidquintana2918]

coburn this shouldve been handled in ob. questionable communication both sides

[@missjeanius128]

Is that Edie Falco?

[@manlymen552]

Do you really have to do this? Man that sucks 😂

[@bacchuslax7967]

Just realized this is Viper and Goose

[@giordanotirelli6028]

Happy birthday anthony edwards from italian boy live in rome

[@sexyhomeowner9345]

You sweetie. xD

[@nickwells27w]

#bringbackER

[@michaelodonoghue7464]

When I was Nursing a Patient refused a Skin Graft because of a discussion between Two Doctors overheard. The Doctor was suggesting that the Patient be placed on a Sheepskin after the Graft. The Patient believed Sheep Skin was going to be Grafted onto them instead of their own Human Skin and thus refused the Procedure.

[@douglashenry6996]

Viper had Goose's 6.

[@hardwirecars]

good lord goose why couldnt you dodge this well in topgun?

[@Michael-cf9cj]

He wasn't the pilot in Top Gun.

[@wahivalleys3011]

What a beating...bet he wishes he would have stayed in flight school. Wahi" Valleys

[@nicolasvaleije9948]

talk to me goose

[@MetalMadness_00]

Goose & Jester

[@popflop1036]

mark walked up two stairs at a time what a clown

[@Mystress1980]

Most tall people do that because they have a naturally longer stride. Anthony Edwards is 6'2".

[@Cokevas]

I do it all the time because it's easier and it takes less effort to do so. I'm 1.90 meters.

[@patricneese2438]

I take 2 steps at a time because it helps to strengthen my legs. Also, taking 1 step at a time creates a lot of knee pain for me.

[@5wheels178]

He does everything so awkwardly