Astronaut's blocked vein, treated in space, brings medical insight

[Judi Lynn]

JAN. 3, 2020 / 8:40 AM

"In this space case, the power of telemedicine from a room on the International Space Station to the doctor's office on Earth is sensational," said Dr. Craig Greben.

By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay News

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- "Space medicine" took another small step forward after an astronaut who developed a blood clot in a neck vein was diagnosed and treated while onboard the International Space Station, physicians at NASA and elsewhere report.

The research team didn't reveal the astronaut's name, age or gender, but said the ISS crew member developed an asymptomatic thrombosis -- blood clot -- in the jugular vein, the major vein draining blood from the brain back to the heart.

Back on Earth, such a case could be quickly remedied in the nearest emergency room. But the logistics of doing so in space were far more complicated, said the team that included Dr. James Pattarini of Houston's National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center and Dr. Serena Aunon-Chancellor of the Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Baton Rouge.

Reporting the details of the incident in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, they said that in this episode of space medicine, medical decisions occurred "across multiple space agencies to overcome the numerous logistic and operational challenges."

More:
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2020/01/03/Astronauts-blocked-vein-treated-in-space-brings-medical-insight/4321578057607/?sl=1&ur3=1

[Native]

1. So, his clot disappeared after he returned to Earth's normal gravity..

It seems that "the weightlessness astronauts experience during space missions may be another unstudied cause of DVT that requires rigorous research, because it can be silent and fatal, and space travel is only increasing," Greben said.he