Atypical teratoid growths, now known as atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (AT/RT), are rare tumors that are usually diagnosed in early childhood. These tumors were first discovered in 1996, so at the time of this episode not much were known about them. Although they usually occur in the brain, they can occur anywhere in the central nervous system, including the spinal cord as with the baby girl in this episode. Tumors in that area are very rare, with only 2% of AT/RT's found in the spine. In the United States, three children per 1,000,000 or around 30 new AT/RT cases are diagnosed each year. Pediatric brain cancer is the second-leading cause of childhood death, just after leukemia. At the time this episode takes place, in 1998, a diagnosis of AT/RT was pretty much a death sentence, but as of 2018 the survival rate for AT/RT with early diagnosis is 60%.
Due to legislation passed by the United States government as of January 1, 2014 it is unlawful for insurance companies to deny coverage based on a preexisting medical condition.
Fatty-acid oxidation disorder, now known as Fatty-acid metabolism disorder, is a classification of genetic disorders that leave the body unable to produce energy within the liver and muscles from fatty acid sources. The body's primary source of energy is glucose; however, when all the glucose in the body has been expended, a normal body digests fats. Individuals with a fatty-acid metabolism disorder are unable to metabolize this fat source for energy, halting bodily processes. Most people with a fatty-acid metabolism disorder are able to live a normal active life with simple adjustments to diet and medications.
Abby Carmichael transferred from "Special Narcotics," where she worked for four years and had a 95% conviction rate.
Intraventricular hemorrhage is when a blood vessel bursts and bleeds into the brain's ventricular system, which is a set of four interconnected cavities (ventricles) in the brain, where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced. It can result from physical trauma to the head or from a stroke.