Case study for a blog regarding PE from venous thrombosis of the leg veins during a long flight on an airline from Africa to USA that had to perform an emergency landing in Houston at George Bush Houston International Airport .The patient developed a sudden pulmonary embolus taken to the hospital at Memorial Herman and despite all measures died.
That case study demonstrates the need to maintain near normal coagulation at all times, since one never knows when long distance travel, by air, in a car, or by bus or train is anticipated. Long periods of studying writing or any other inactivity and sitting would have the same effect.
A middle aged nun decided to travel to Chicago to visit her long time friend, left Kenya by air, a 16 hour flight, but at the 12 hour mark as the flight was approaching the United States over the Atlantic she developed breathing difficulties which became progressively worse, the captain made a decision that an emergency landing in Houston the closest airport would probably be a good idea considering the circumstances, the aircraft landed in Houston, the nun was taken by ambulance directly to the nearest hospital which was Memorial Herman Hospital where they attended to her.
Diagnosis was a massive pulmonary embolus probably from the leg veins, patient had a cardiac arrest, from which she was resuscitated, with great difficulty, she also had a brain scan that showed no blood flow, which was considered very unusual. The patient eventually died that night.
Thus what can be surmised from this case is that she probably developed blood clots or thrombi in the leg veins which eventually travelled up the inferior vena cava to the pulmonary artery and caused a saddle embolus, that eventually caused the cardiac arrest.
Some of the key factors that promote this kind of medical emergency or similar situations often occurs with long distance travel of any kind, car, bus, train etc.
The combined inactivity and bending of the veins at the creases makes individuals prone to slow circulation in the veins ultimately causing the thrombus in the veins then that blood clot travels to the lungs, blocking the blood flow and the entire circulation.
The science behind this situation is that when blood slows down due to travel or any other circulatory pathology and there are many plasmin tries to stop the blood clots from forming but thrombin also keeps increasing since PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) also increases to promote more coagulation.
One of the best safeguards is to take a natural product that is known to reduce PAI-1 known as Vasculex or Vasculex AO these specifically lower PAI-1 levels tested clinically for many years and is well documented.