Summary
Lenox Hill episode 2, “The Barrier” is an emotional rollercoaster that deals with clinical trials and complex surgeries.
This recap of Netflix documentary series Lenox Hill episode 2, “The Barrier” contains episode-specific information.
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How does Lenox Hill episode 2, “The Barrier” open?
Episode 2 opens with Amanda Little-Richardson observing a birth. She’s so busy that she’s missing her partner’s calls, highlighting how she has little time for a personal life. The Netflix series demonstrates the personal toll this kind of job can bring, with little in Amanda’s life to juggle.
Clinical trials
John Boockvar is trialling out a new surgery with a patient called Chris and he’s amazed by how much it has worked; the tumour is now much smaller. A clinical trial patient called Agy kept getting migraines and found out she’s had a tumour twice in her life. John Boockvar is going to give her a bacteria that will target parts of her brain. She will be the eighth patient in the country to get this treatment. John describes how it is such a challenging disease but they are making incremental progress — they’ve improved survival in glioblastoma; it’s human’s most aggressive cancer.
They have tested this bacteria on mice which have brought results, but John states how careful they need to be on patients or the trials will be shutdown. David prepares surgery on patient Kevin — the plan is to remove all the tumour in one go. This scene demonstrates the preparation that goes into surgery. They manage to get the tumour out and the plan is to do some experiments on it for biomedical science. Lenox Hill episode 2, “The Barrier” demonstrates the complex world of trials and how careful hospitals need to be when carrying it out.
A surprise
Mirtha Macri is pregnant and she goes in for a check-up — her blood pressure is okay. Her team throw her a surprise baby shower. It will be her last night shift. This was a sweet scene showing the togetherness of the hospital staff — even though they are constantly busy, they managed to squeeze in the time to honour Mirtha’s incoming birth.
My father shaped me into who I am
John gives patient Phyllis an update on cancer he found and she isn’t optimistic, stating she doesn’t want to go through treatment again. John expresses his experience with his father who had terminal cancer and how that has changed him. You can tell this was a difficult moment for John and the patient; there’s so much appreciation that flows between them both that it must be heartbreaking to have these discussions.
Ultrasound
Amanda Little-Richardson goes for her ultra-sound. She doesn’t want to know the gender of her baby. Suddenly, the person doing the ultrasound has found something unusual; there is a likelihood of an abnormality and a risk of birth defects — it’s borderline but there is a chance of abnormal pregnancy and chorionic villus sampling is recommended. Lenox Hill episode 2, “The Barrier” raises awareness of the processes behind a possible abnormal birth and the impact it can have on the expectant parents.
The next phase of the complex tumour removal
David Langer is planning the next phase of the complex brain surgery on Mitzie. David explains how no other hospital would operate on her. He and his team start the surgery on Mitzie for the second phase of removing the complex tumour. There was another source competing against the graft but they can still move to the tumour resection. The next day, Mitzie has a stroke and for David, it is hard to take; for the audience, it’s hard to watch as David’s research and hard work to avoid a stroke was not enough and you can tell he his holding back the tears. Lenox Hill episode 2, “The Barrier” is an emotional rollercoaster that deals with clinical trials and complex surgeries.
Mentions
Mirtha Macri, DO — Emergency Medicine
Amanda Little-Richardson, MD — Chief Resident, Obstetrics and Gynecology
David Langer, MD — Chair, Neurosurgery
John Boockvar, MD — Vice Chair, Neurosurgery
Rafael Ortiz, MD — Chief of Neuroendovascular Neurosurgery
Sherese Fralin, NP — Director of Advanced Practice Nursing
Eran Bornstein, MD — Vice Chair of Obstetrics
