Quote:
|
Originally posted by SimeyTheLimey: This is very sad. I only caught a bit of his coverage, but he seemed to be doing a great job. One thing I don't understand is how you die of a pulmonary embolism riding in an M88. The only person I know who ever had one got it diving in SEAL training. That I can understand. But riding in a vehicle? Is there anyone here with any medical knowledge who could comment? Is this basically natural causes, or was it connected with being in Iraq? |
according to JAMA:
Quote:
|
JAMA Patient Page Pulmonary Embolism We often hear of people who have sudden life-threatening attacks caused by blocked arteries, such as heart attacks and strokes, but we may not be as familiar with pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism is a blockage in an artery in the lungs caused by an embolus (a free-floating blood clot) that travels through the blood vessels (usually from a vein in a leg or in the pelvic area) to the lungs. Pulmonary embolism causes damage to lung tissue, disrupts the proper functioning of the damaged lung, and can cause death. The February 14, 2001, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the effectiveness of the use of two tests to determine whether someone has a pulmonary embolism. What is an Embolus? An embolus is a blood clot that has moved from the location where it was formed. Once it travels through the blood stream it can obstruct a blood vessel, causing an interruption in the supply of blood. |
A blood clot could have been caused by almost ANYTHING. it just had to be mobile and obstruct a vessel near the lungs.
My understanding is a person might be more susceptible than normal to these, either through hereditary factors or some underlying medical condition.