Docs say pellets have moved into Whittingtons heart!

[librechik]

causing Afib and a small heart attack--they cathed him this am, but the shot was left in the heart

[StaggerLee]

1. That's horrible

Damn it all.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. are you serious?

[MANative]

4. Just heard this on CNN Headline News....

Calling it an atrial fibulation. This whole story gets stinkier by the minute.

[Thtwudbeme]

3. IIRC...atrial fib is what caused Shrubbie's Daddy to go to Walter Reed

to be defibbed back in 1990 or '91. Can't remember...

[Boo Boo]

5. Yeah, the shot gets into an artery, and then goes with the flow.

What with gravity and all, once he's up and walking around it'll head for his feet.

Scary.

:scared:

[spuddonna]

15. I hope he gets better soon...

The birdshot wouldn't travel to the brain would it? I am medically ignorant...

[Stewie]

17. Depends on whether it's in an artery or vein.

What's in his heart probably got there because it found its way into a vein.

Anything that gets into an artery could end up in the brain. Scary.

[Gman]

6. This is now obviously why he was in ICU

despite them saying he was just fine. It's also why it was so hush-hush. The poor guy could still die from this. Hope he's going to be OK.

[CottonBear]

7. A doctor or nurse on Firedoglake blog posted about shot getting into

arteries and veins. The post was on the blog yesterday. I'll look for a link. I posted about this possible complication yesterday. Unfortunately, it has come to pass.

Basically, the bird shot can enter vessels, travel and cause blocakges which can lead to heart attacks and blocakges in the extremities which, in turn, can lead to gangrene and amputation.
************************************************************************
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/ Firedoglake post by LittleBit:

And then there is this bit from one of the medical folks in the audience, reader LittleBit:

Speaking as a 20-year veteran of The-Big-ICU-In-Knife-And-Gun-Club-Territory, there is no way in hell that the victim is relatively uninjured.

Shotgun injuries are some of the worst cases I have taken care of, due to the spread-shot nature of the wounds. If the victim got "peppered" in the neck, there are waaaayyyy too many important structures in that small space (oh, like maybe one of the internal or external carotid arteries) for this to be a "no big deal" situation. If any of the pellets nicks a blood vessel, it may travel as far as it can go--I took care of a kid shot in the chest and some pellets eneded up in his ankle, blocking the bloodflow, leading to an amputation. In this situation, add to that the victim's age and potential underlying medical problems--this is huge.

These days, God Almighty doesn't get to stay in the ICU unless it is absolutely imperative that He do so.

This stinks worse than a gangrenous leg....

edit: permalink to Firedoglake blog posting on this topic:
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/firedoglake/113984118736473358/#259119

[librechik]

9. the doc said shot got near the heart (then moved)

how does a bruise do that in the first place?

[CottonBear]

13. The shot can enter the blood vessels and then travel through the body.

I'm not sure what bruise you are talking about.

Let's hope the poor man recovers. :(

[KoKo]

10. Thanks for posting that....I read it over there on FDL yesterday and

wondered if this would happen. Seems it has.....Ugh...

[CottonBear]

11. You're welcome. I hope the old guy will be OK. :( n/t

[bigtree]

8. murder

she wrote . . .

[thebigidea]

12. that's ok, he's laughing and flirting with nurses. right?

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. He probably wishes he was instead.

[wuushew]

14. Heartbreaker

The police in New York City

They chased a boy right through the park

And in a case of mistaken identity

They put a bullet through his heart





Heartbreaker with your forty four

I wanna tear your world apart

You heartbreaker with your forty four

I wanna tear your world a part