Whitney Houston's cause of death revealed by L.A. coroner

[steve2470]

Source: USA Today

The toxicology report is in.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office has determined that Whitney Houston's official cause of death is: "drowning and effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use."

The singer was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton Hotel room on Feb. 11, hours before a pre-Grammy party. She was 48.

The coroner's office also said the manner of death was an "accident."

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2012/03/whitney-houstons-cause-of-death-revealed-by-la-coroner/1#.T2ufNS_Ku30

[Little Star]

1. RIP Whitney. You were one of the greats and will be missed.

[Warpy]

2. I had a feeling it would be a slip and fall.

Coke might have caused a dysrhythmia that contributed to the fall but we'll never know.

RIP, Whitney, you are missed.

[Lex]

6. What fall?

I didn't read that she fell.

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. RIP, Whitney.

I wonder if she knew she had a heart condition.

[crunch60]

13. Thank goodness, a reputable Dr. who refused Whitney's request for plastic surgery.

For the reasons stated below.

Whitney Houston failed a routine medical check two weeks before she was found dead in a hotel bathtub, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.

The legendary pop singer had sought a facelift to be performed by a Beverly Hills, Calif., plastic surgeon.

But Dr. Marc Mani, a board certified plastic surgeon, refused to perform the procedure on Houston after she didn't pass the medical clearance exam that tests a patient's heart, lung and liver, according to a source. more info at link

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/02/whitney-houston-failed-medical-exam-two-weeks-death

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Good catch. Thanks.

[Duer 157099]

4. "drowning AND...?"

I would think after drowning, there is no "and." Maybe "precipitated by" or "caused by" or something, but and?

Drowning is sufficient, I think.

[JDPriestly]

9. What a lot of people don't know about cocaine:

Cocaine is responsible for more U.S. emergency room visits than any other illegal drug. Cocaine harms the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs -- and can even cause sudden death. Here's what happens in the body:

Heart. Cocaine is bad for the heart. Cocaine increases heart rate and blood pressure while constricting the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The result can be a heart attack, even in young people without heart disease. Cocaine can also trigger a deadly abnormal heart rhythm called arrhythmia.
Brain. Cocaine can constrict blood vessels in the brain, causing strokes. This can happen even in young people without other risk factors for strokes. Cocaine causes seizures and can lead to bizarre or violent behavior.
. . . .
Kidneys. Cocaine can cause sudden, overwhelming kidney failure through a process called rhabdomyolysis. In people with high blood pressure, regular cocaine use can accelerate the long-term kidney damage caused by high blood pressure.

More at

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/cocaine-use-and-its-effects

I don't think that very many doctors who work in the emergency rooms in LA would ever use cocaine.

I hope that DUers never use it. You can end up brain dead, and no doctor can help you.

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. This has the wording of the coroner's press release:

The final cause of death has been determined to be:

• DROWNING

• EFFECTS OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE AND COCAINE USE

HOW INJURY OCCURRED: FOUND SUBMERGED IN BATHTUB FILLED WITH WATER; COCAINE INTAKE

OTHER SIGNIFICANT CONDITIONS: NONE

MANNER OF DEATH: ACCIDENT

TOXICOLOGY: COCAINE AND METABOLITES WERE IDENTIFIED AND WERE CONTRIBUTORY TO THE DEATH. MARIJUANA, ALPRAZOLAM (XANAX), CYCLOBENZAPRINE (FLEXERIL) AND DIPHENHYDRAMINE (BENADRYL) WERE IDENTIFIED BUT DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEATH

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedman/2012/03/22/whitney-houston-cause-of-death-drowning-cocaine-found-in-system/

(Caps in original; sorry, but I'm not retyping it all)

[Duer 157099]

25. Fortunately I just watched a Frontline episode about coroners

last night, about how corrupt and ill-educated they can be as a group, and how woefully inadequate our whole postmortem system is.

So I take that statement with a huge grain of salt. Just saying that those depressants did not contribute to the death is a huge WTF glaring me-thinks-thou-doth-protest-too-much moment.

[Land Shark]

27. that was an interesting frontline show

as was the 'child cases' episode which has somewhat analogous issues.

[LuckyLib]

30. That program highlighted small town and many southern communities where

state law does not regulate medical examiners or coroners. In Los Angeles, the MEs/coroners would likely be practicing MDs, forensic pathologists, trained and highly skilled with much experience. Plus LA medical folks have seen every possible kind of chemical abuse deaths -- I would imagine they are likely right here.

[arcane1]

5. Sounds like the classic rockstar "death by insomnia"

Trying to come down from a cocaine high, coming down a little too much, and drowning in the tub

[polly7]

8. Had she still been using, though?

Long-term complications can include catastrophic cardiovascular effects including disturbances in heart rhythm. I wonder if this was something that had been present for years.

[arcane1]

10. That's what it says, anyway:

"Cocaine and metabolites were identified and were contributory to the death. Marijuana, Alprazolam (Xanax), Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) were identified but did not contribute to the death."

[polly7]

11. Thanks arcane1. I have no idea how I missed that.

That's too bad, I thought I'd heard she'd completely stopped years ago. So sad.

[crunch60]

18. What is sad to me, is that Whitney's slow decline into drug addiction, was played

out in the MSM, like a cruel form of Entertainment. Addiction is a debilitating slow decline to death, if your a Diva pop star, or just an ordinary Joe.
And notice how many of the drug's she was taking were RX.

Of course they will say it was the cocaine, Big drug companies and Dr.s don't want to take any responsibility for over prescribing meds, that might hit them in the wallet.

Their are many Dr.'s who have outstanding ethics, but many do not.

[polly7]

28. Yes, it was awful and difficult to watch ... and they did make sure the cocaine use was top news.

I know how bad Rx drugs can be, we call them 'accidental addictions' ... re: the benzos specifically, even after using for the short time period they're supposed to be for, tolerance and inter-dose W/D can be immediate and cause someone to believe they're going crazy with the increased anxiety, depression and insomnia. Withdrawal from them can be worse than from heroin, so for anyone already struggling kicking something else, it may seem impossible. So many doctors do have no clue, and just keep prescribing and upping the doses despite it being obvious someone has long reached tolerance. It's a horrible, desperate situation to be in. I feel so bad for her and what I imagine she must been through.

[sakabatou]

7. Now watch as the RW media pile on the "cocaine use" and ignore the rest

[nobodyspecial]

19. What rest?

The fact that continual cocaine use hardened her arteries?

[Duer 157099]

20. How does hardened arteries cause drowning?

that's the part I don't get. Well unless she suffered a heart attack while in the tub and then *that* caused the drowning. But they aren't saying that.

[nobodyspecial]

22. This link has more details

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/22/showbiz/whitney-houston-autopsy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Her cocaine use appeared to have "in the time period just immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel," Assistant Chief Coroner Craig Harvey told reporters.

The 60% narrowing of her arteries "suggest a cardiac event complicated by the cocaine use" led to Houston slipping underwater, Harvey said.

"Something happened that caused her to go down and we know that when she slipped under the water she was still alive," he said. "We have evidence of drowning since there was water in the lungs.

[cindyperry2010]

12. When a drug/alcoholic addict does not

come into the rooms and get the help they need it is always a sad loss no matter who they are. there is plenty of meetings out there all one has to do is surrender

[.99center]

14. If only it were that simple

Most that can afford real treatment go on to reuse.

[cindyperry2010]

26. it is that simple two simple words

one day at a time will save anyone who is out there and needs that 24 hour reprieve

[EFerrari]

15. We loved you, Whitney. n/t

[rhett o rick]

16. An accident!!! Nancy Grace is going to be furious. nm

[Duer 157099]

21. Frankly I would think the benedryl and flexeril were more likely to cause drowning than cocaine

but what do I know

[nobodyspecial]

23. More details

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/22/showbiz/whitney-houston-autopsy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Her cocaine use appeared to have "in the time period just immediately prior to her collapse in the bathtub at the hotel," Assistant Chief Coroner Craig Harvey told reporters.

The 60% narrowing of her arteries "suggest a cardiac event complicated by the cocaine use" led to Houston slipping underwater, Harvey said.

"Something happened that caused her to go down and we know that when she slipped under the water she was still alive," he said. "We have evidence of drowning since there was water in the lungs.

[Fortox]

29. Spam deleted by EarlG (MIR Team)

[steve2470]

31. Whitney Houston: How cocaine use compounds heart disease

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-whitney-houston-cocaine-heart-attack-20120322,0,6229065.story?track=lat-pick

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office reported Thursday that singer Whitney Houston’s death at the Beverly Hills Hotel was an accidental drowning.

Cocaine use and heart disease were contributing factors in her death, officials said Thursday.

“She may have had a heart attack” that rendered her unconscious, leading to her drowning, said Ed Winter, deputy chief of coroner investigations.

Cocaine’s negative effects on cardiac health are well-established. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2001, Dr. Richard A. Lange and Dr. L. David Hillis of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas explained how the popular drug can hurt the heart.

*more at link above*