Grey’s Anatomy: 10 Of Meredith Grey’s Scariest Surgeries
Dr. Meredith Grey has seen a lot of things during her time in Seattle Grey, but these 10 operations are by far the most harrowing.
Dr. Meredith Grey is the central focus on ABC’s hit primetime medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy. When audiences first meet Meredith in season one, she is just beginning her internship at Seattle Grace Hospital. When she was an intern, Meredith fought her fellow interns to get into the operating room and she does, even winning a spot scrubbing in on numerous occasions.
As the seasons progressed, so did Dr. Grey’s skillset and confidence and in more recent episodes, viewers finally got to see Meredith take charge as the head of general surgery. But even with all her experience, Dr. Grey still had to take on some pretty scary surgeries. Here are 10 of Dr. Grey’s most nerve-wracking surgeries in Grey’s Anatomy.
Beth’s Inoperable Glioma
Beth is admitted to Seattle Grace Hospital as a patient for Derek and Meredith’s clinical trial. Beth has an inoperable glioma and this trial could potentially be the cure she’s been looking for. Beth’s boyfriend, Jeremy, also has an inoperable tumor and signs up for the trial. Jeremy and Beth share a romantic evening together, which Derek and Meredith help facilitate.
The next day, Jeremy dies in surgery. Jeremy’s death doesn’t deter Beth from the trial and she’s the first patient who lives through Derek and Meredith’s procedure.
The Pregnant Man
Cristina and Izzie are very excited to show Meredith a patient they stole from psychiatrics. A man, Shane, comes to the hospital claiming to be pregnant, and all of his symptoms point to that as well. Shane even takes a pregnancy test, which comes back positive.
Most of the hospital is treating Shane like a freak show, taking pictures and whispering about the case in the halls of the hospital. Meredith feels sorry for Shane and sticks up for him against her peers and supervisors. Meredith’s bravery gets her on the case and she, with the help of Bailey and Webber, gets to operate.
Steve’s Very Awkward Situation
This case is a scary one for Meredith, but not for the typical life or death reasons. Meredith and Derek have broken up, and to avoid feeling that pain, Meredith starts having one night stands. Meredith brings home a guy named Steve and the next morning asks him to leave, which he does, quickly.
But then, Steve shows up at the hospital a short time later, not knowing Meredith works there, seeking help because he still has an erection from the previous evenings encounter. It’s determined that something is neurologically wrong with Steve and Meredith’s ex, Dr. Shepherd steps in to help, creating a pretty awkward situation for everyone involved.
The Sound Of Silence
In this episode, it’s Meredith on the operating table and it’s one of the scariest moments she’s had in an OR. Meredith is attacked by a patient who, after a seizure, beats her very badly, and runs away.
Meredith is lying on the floor of the exam room, unable to move or call for help. Her jaw is broken, her hearing is impaired, and when a fellow surgeon, Penny, finally finds Meredith, she’s fighting for her life. All of Meredith’s co-workers work together to save her life in this episode.
The Meat Grinder Incident
This is not only a scary surgery for Meredith Grey, but it’s also pretty gruesome to look at. A man comes into the emergency room after getting his entire arm caught in a meat grinder. Meredith examines the patient, hoping to find a way to save as much of his arm and hand as possible so she doesn’t have to amputate.
The man’s brothers agree to help remove the meat grinder, carefully and gently, but also as quickly as possible. As Meredith gathers the pieces of the man’s arm, she must also fight her gag reflex.
Harold O’Malley’s Broken Clavicle & Cancer
George’s dad is admitted to Seattle Grace after breaking his clavicle. While being treated, he complains of abdominal pain and the doctors diagnose him with esophageal cancer. Meredith is on the case with Dr. Bailey and Dr. Webber.
Before Harold’s first surgery, which is supposed to be primarily exploratory to see if and where the cancer has spread, Harold asks Webber and Bailey to do everything they can to get it all out. Once Harold is on the table, Meredith sees how bad the cancer is and assumes they’re going to close him up, but her supervisors don’t do that and now Meredith must keep a big secret from her best friend.
A John Doe Named George O’Malley
At the end of season five, George tells his friends and co-workers that he has joined the Army. Everyone at Seattle Grace thinks George is crazy and the doctors decide to stage an intervention. At the same time, a “John Doe” comes into the emergency room, having been hit by a bus and so deformed that he’s unrecognizable. Meredith is treating the patient, who at one point, grabs her hand and spells out “007” in it.
A horrified Meredith realizes it’s George they’ve been treating and rushes to tell everyone else before bringing him into surgery.
Ray Suerta In The Ambulance
Ray has been a recurring character on the series for many seasons. He’s the paramedic who is usually seen at the ambulance bay delivering a patient in need of serious help. In season four, Ray is now the patient after another ambulance barrels into the one Ray is in, flipping the vehicle and trapping Ray and his partner.
Ray is upside down with a cardiac tamponade and Meredith is the only person who is small enough to crawl into the ambulance and help Ray, which is what she bravely does.
Derek & Painful First Aid
When Meredith, Derek, Arizona, Lexie, Cristina, and Mark take a private plane to Idaho for a surgery, the plane crashes en route, leaving the doctors and their pilot fighting for their lives in the middle of nowhere. Derek was in the back of the plane with Lexie, which broke off, leaving him scattered away from the rest of the group.
When Meredith finally reunites with Derek, his hand is badly injured and Meredith must use a safety pin to close his wound and stop the bleeding, which causes Derek an extreme amount of pain.
The Bomb
In one of the most suspenseful episodes of the entire series, Meredith finds herself with her hand in a man’s chest cavity, grasping onto a grenade that could explode at any moment. The surgical procedure Meredith is forced to do is to use her hand to remove the bomb from the patient’s chest without detonating it.
First, Meredith and the bomb squad must move the patient to another OR to get away from the oxygen lines in case the bomb does go off. Meredith’s life is literally in her hands.