Much of this episode was filmed in the VA Hospital in Sepulveda, which according to the director of the episode, once was a mental institution.
Christian Clemenson would later play the medical examiner on CSI: Miami.
Although listed in the opening credits, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads and Gary Dourdan did not appear in this episode.
The "clay pot as recording media" plot device was investigated in Killer Cable Snaps (2006). They determined that it was so highly unlikely as to be impossible.
At the beginning of the episode, Nurse Nanette Faber is coming to work. Perhaps this is paying homage to actress Nanette Fabray? Character Gil Grissom is well versed in sign language and earlier in the show struggles with hearing loss only to have surgery to rectify it. In real life, Nanette Fabray also dealt with hearing loss and four surgeries to restore her hearing. She was instrumental in making television better acceptable to the deaf and hearing limited community.