THE SILENT WIITNESS
Pulmonary Thrombo- Embolism , The Preventable Silent Killer !
By Dr . Johansen Oduor
Case Number 1
Alice was a 54 year old female of African race who was working as a teacher in a school in Nairobi . On 15th January this year , she developed a sudden difficulty in breathing while at home . Her husband rushed her to a local hospital . By the time she was reaching the hospital her condition had worsened . She was taken to the emergency room where she passed on while being treated . Four days prior , she had complained of a heavy chest . She had also been complaining of pains on the legs at the ankle area . Post mortem found a large blood within the pulmonary artery ( this is an artery through which blood passes from the right side of the heart to the lungs in order to get oxygen ). There were also other blood clots within the arteries in the lungs
Case Number 2
John was a 43 year of male of African race living in Komarok Nairobi . He was working as a businessman . On 1st March this year , he was found at home in bed unresponsive . He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival . He had previously been diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis ( DVT ) and was on medication . Post mortem examination revealed lung infarction ( damage of some parts of the lungs due to vessels blocked by blood clots ), a blood clot within the pulmonary artery , and blood clot in the popliteal vein ( a vein found at the back of the leg , within the space behind the left knee ).
Case Number 3
Mwikali was a 40 year old female who worked with an NGO in Nairobi . She was single and lived alone in an apartment in Kileleshwa . She had no children . She had never complained of any illness , neither had she ever visited any hospital for medical check-up . The only notable thing is that she had
Having a blood clot is not a death sentence . It is a condition which can be prevented and if one is diagnosed with a blood clot , it can be managed . Be advised that you should not wait until it is too late . Once you develop symptoms or are diagnosed , you should seek medical intervention as soon as possible . recently added weight significantly , which was now a general phenomenon due to the work from home policy which had been encouraged with the worldwide onset of the Covid-19 pandemic .
When she failed to respond to telephone calls from her relatives for two days , her brother decided to go check on her . He found her door locked from inside and there was a foul smell emanating from the house , he called the police who broke the door and found her decomposing body lying in bed . Post mortem examination revealed a large blood clot within the pulmonary artery and within the deep vein in the calf muscles ( these are muscles on the back of the leg ).
Case Number 4
Zacharia was a 38 year old African male who was married with 2 children . He lived with his family in Buruburu , Nairobi and worked as an Uber driver . On 5th April 2021 , he woke up well and went to work as usual . Three hours later he came back home complaining that he was feeling unwell , even though he never specified the illness . He collapsed on reaching his house . His wife took him to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival . One week prior to his death , he had complained of chest pains . He also had recurrent right leg pain and swelling . He had gone to hospital where he was treated by use of Franol ® ( a drug used for asthma ) and Cetrizine ® ( a drug used for allergies ). Post mortem examination revealed blood clots in the lungs and within deep veins in the right leg ( popliteal veins ).
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