The patient having orange skin is based on a small scene in the pilot episode of House, where a clinic patient has orange skin too. House guesses that the patient eats too many carrots and has been taking too much of the vitamin 'Niacin'
Dr. Cox diagnoses J.D.'s patient with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken-heart syndrome". It's usually triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, causing the left ventricle of the heart to change shape and get larger. The word 'takotsubo' comes from the name of a pot used by Japanese fishermen to trap octopuses. When the left ventricle of the heart changes shape, it develops a narrow neck and a round bottom, making it looks similar to the octopus trap.