Is the ‘Pulp Fiction’ Adrenaline Shot Accurate? A General Surgeon Analyzes 49 Famous Medical Scenes — Watch

Would Quentin Tarantino’s famous adrenaline shot from “Pulp Fiction” actually play out that way? Are all of the doctors on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” actually speaking like real medical professionals would?

Medical scenes in film and television pose numerous questions, so it’s fitting WIRED brought in Annie Onishi, a general surgery resident at Columbia University, to make sense of it all for non-medical professionals.

According to Onishi, Tarantino’s adrenaline shot isn’t too far fetched. The doctor says a milligram shot of adrenaline is just what real medical professionals would use if they were trying to kickstart the heart back to normal rhythm. Onishi criticizes Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Lance (Eric Stoltz) for spending too much time talking while Mia (Uma Thurman) lays unconscious, but she confirms injecting the shot through the sternum is correct.

“It’s a little bit of a stretch,” Onishi says, “but it is possible a shot of adrenaline to the heart would help.”

Watch the video below for Onishi’s take on 49 famous medical scenes in film and television.