09-25-2020, 09:41 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-25-2020, 09:46 AM by BostonCard.)
https://sports.yahoo.com/grieving-parent...30826.html
I think that absent the death certificate, it is challenging to interpret what has been made of the cause of death, a "blood clot to the heart", because it is not a medical term. Usually, when you think of blood clots in the heart, you think of heart attacks, which are caused by blood clots that are formed in the coronary arteries, the arteries that supply blood to the the heart. As you can imagine, heart attacks in 20 year olds are exceedingly rare. Blood clot "to the heart" suggests that the blood clot was formed elsewhere and then went to the heart, what is called an embolism. The problem with that is that an embolism won't typically go to the coronary arteries, unless there was a septal defect or what is called a PFO, which is colloquially known as a hole in the heart, which allows a blood clot to go from the venous circulation, where it is formed, to the coronary artery, causing a heart attack. The more likely option, and this is well-documented with COVID-19, is that a blood clot formed in the legs and went to the lungs (a pulmonary embolism). While blood clots (typically in the legs) happen for a number of different reasons, including prolonged immobility (for example knee surgery or a trans-Atlantic flight) or situations that result hypercoagulability (excessive clotting, which can be a genetic condition, or can be caused by cancer), they often a consequence of COVID-19.
A second possibility is that the blood clot formed in one of the heart's chambers. This typically only happens when either the heart isn't beating properly (for example, if it is in a rhythm like atrial fibrillation), which, again, would be unusual in a 20-year-old or if the heart's chambers are dilated (enlarged), which would be a consequence of severe myocarditis.
The bottom line is that most clinical situations that could reasonably be translated to "blood clot to the heart" would be very unusual in an otherwise healthy 20-year-old and have been well described with COVID-19. If the exact cause of death could be established, then it would be easier to tie it directly to COVID-19. The challenge is that if we say "if they meant X, here's how COVID-19 would have played a role; on the other hand, if they meant Y, then here's how COVID-19 would have contributed." But almost any way that "blood clot to the heart" could have been interpreted, COVID-19 almost certainly played a role.
BC
One other comment, the article states, "His mother said Stephens returned to school in part to work out with his teammates." It would be wrong to assume that because he went back to school to work out with teammates that he got it from teammates. But it would also be wrong not to wonder what happens in a world where there is no football and he doesn't go back to school for (I presume) voluntary workouts.
I think that absent the death certificate, it is challenging to interpret what has been made of the cause of death, a "blood clot to the heart", because it is not a medical term. Usually, when you think of blood clots in the heart, you think of heart attacks, which are caused by blood clots that are formed in the coronary arteries, the arteries that supply blood to the the heart. As you can imagine, heart attacks in 20 year olds are exceedingly rare. Blood clot "to the heart" suggests that the blood clot was formed elsewhere and then went to the heart, what is called an embolism. The problem with that is that an embolism won't typically go to the coronary arteries, unless there was a septal defect or what is called a PFO, which is colloquially known as a hole in the heart, which allows a blood clot to go from the venous circulation, where it is formed, to the coronary artery, causing a heart attack. The more likely option, and this is well-documented with COVID-19, is that a blood clot formed in the legs and went to the lungs (a pulmonary embolism). While blood clots (typically in the legs) happen for a number of different reasons, including prolonged immobility (for example knee surgery or a trans-Atlantic flight) or situations that result hypercoagulability (excessive clotting, which can be a genetic condition, or can be caused by cancer), they often a consequence of COVID-19.
A second possibility is that the blood clot formed in one of the heart's chambers. This typically only happens when either the heart isn't beating properly (for example, if it is in a rhythm like atrial fibrillation), which, again, would be unusual in a 20-year-old or if the heart's chambers are dilated (enlarged), which would be a consequence of severe myocarditis.
The bottom line is that most clinical situations that could reasonably be translated to "blood clot to the heart" would be very unusual in an otherwise healthy 20-year-old and have been well described with COVID-19. If the exact cause of death could be established, then it would be easier to tie it directly to COVID-19. The challenge is that if we say "if they meant X, here's how COVID-19 would have played a role; on the other hand, if they meant Y, then here's how COVID-19 would have contributed." But almost any way that "blood clot to the heart" could have been interpreted, COVID-19 almost certainly played a role.
BC
One other comment, the article states, "His mother said Stephens returned to school in part to work out with his teammates." It would be wrong to assume that because he went back to school to work out with teammates that he got it from teammates. But it would also be wrong not to wonder what happens in a world where there is no football and he doesn't go back to school for (I presume) voluntary workouts.