House-Wilson's Heart-Medical Question-SuperSpoiled

Cafe Society
1

In relation to a thread in GQ I just posted, I got to thinking about Amber’s death on House.

Could it really happen that way?

And for those who don’t watch but may be able to answer the question: She was placed on a heart-lung machine to keep her alive, they determined that there was absolutely no way to prevent her dying, they woke her up, told her, and she and Wilson held each other until she said, ok, it’s time, let me go. He switched off the machine, and virtually immediately her eyes closed and she was gone.

How realistic is that, in terms of her ability to be conscious and aware and relatively normal-seeming while on the machine, and the immediate, peaceful pass-out that was her death?

AND… what would happen if they didn’t shut off the machine? How long could she live? How would she die? Would she deteriorate slowly?

2

You’re confused. This is a drama, not a documentary. The reason they portrayed it this way is because it was more dramatic, not because of any concerns with realism.

3

There’s a medical doctor who regularly reviews both plot and medical matters on the show. In the super-spoilery summary of this episode, the main complaint about the heart-lung machine is that it’s not generally used in that manner. Nothing about the death proper, unfortunately.