We have waited so long for ER quality to come back... I couldn't believe the show last night and am so excited to find others to relate to about this!! As usual, I have nagging questions-why was Carter uncharacteristically deaf to Lucy's diagnoses? Why was the music SO loud that they couldn't even hear each other let alone patients? What was the deal with Romano's dog? Wasn't that absurd? Does Abby really have all that time to wait for a (sweet) old lady to die while the ER is swamped? Where is Kerrie? Why don't I shut up?

-- Mary (marygregc@aol.com), February 11, 2000.

-- mary (marygregc@aol.com), February 11, 2000

Answers

I LOVE ER and usually find it very realistic (and as a physician, I'm pretty picky) but I agree with your question about the old lady slowly dying in the ER. In any real hospital, she'd have been moved to a room, and the ER space cleared for more incoming. Also, speaking of Kelly Martin, on previous episodes,what was she doing being sent in to ask a family for consent to turn off life support, or for removal of just transplanted organs? Real teaching physicians don't leave that to medical students or even interns anymore; it's much too sensitive, not to mention expensive if they get sued!

-- Anne Blackerby (wmblackerby@mindspring.com), February 11, 2000.

I agree with you, Anne but I think the reason they did that was because she had already established a repoirte with the young woman's mother. They had become friends, so to speak, in Lucy's championing the donation of the heart for the girl. Hope that helps.

-- jackiea (jackiea@hotmail.com), February 11, 2000.

I noticed that Laura Innes directed that episode...that may be why she didn't appear. Or Kerry was still sick w/ the flu from the last one!

-- Alli Flew (ranger9596@msn.com), February 11, 2000.

My question is: how does this particular Emergency Room get away with such loud parties so frequently. They raised the question last night on whether the music bothers the patients. Well, yes, it probably would. Not only that, the ER was particularly NOT busy during the party. Since when does that happen in that type of hospital with its catchment area? Re the dog - as one of my real-life ER doc friends says "It depends on how much power the doc who did it has." And he says that typically the parties are not out in the open, even on Christmas, etc., so as not to bother patients or personnel trying to work. The employees are lucky to take a few minutes' break to get a nibble and get back to work. Yet, the episode was riveting and shocking. My board-certified Emergency Physician friend (it's a relatively new specialty; and you should go to hospitals that employ them, by the way) has been assaulted by patients and family members of patients; either they're angry, scared or frustrated. He used to be required to wear a tie (and good clothes, for putting on a professional front). The tie became the thing patients would grab. So those went. And then the docs were allowed the option of wearing scrubs. Just some trivia. As a side-line -- remember Mr. T? He used to work at a Chicago hospital as an ED security guard. (And it's now often called the Emergency Department - ED, not the ER.) But who wants a show called ED? A horse?

-- hal (haliski@aol.com), February 11, 2000.

I think the scenes with Romano's dog showed just how obnoxious and selfish he really is considering that he did not want to grant Benton OR time to repair the little girl's face in the previous episode. The loud music explains why no one could have heard Lucy scream or struggle with her psycho patient though I don't think anyone would really allow music that loud in a hospital.

-- mitzie wheeler (mitzie@goldenrulebooks.com), February 12, 2000.