Why did Christopher Reeve die?
Published October 12, 2004
"He had extraordinarily good state-of-the-art care, which is not necessarily something available to everyone who suffers a spinal cord injury," said Susan Howley, the executive vice president and director for research the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation in Springfield, N.J.
Infection is perhaps the biggest enemy for people with such injuries.
According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, some form of infection is the No. 1 cause of death among patients who are paralyzed from the waist down.
Mr. Reeve's own problems with pressure sores show how difficult they can be.
Patients who cannot move for themselves must be shifted and turned regularly during the day and often must have 24-hour nursing care.
And even when expert full-time care is available, as in Mr. Reeve's case, it is no guarantee.
"After nine years, it takes its toll, that continual pressure," Ms. Howley said, with "proclivity to skin breakdowns that comes from sitting or lying in one place day after day, month after month, year after year."
For those patients who cannot breathe on their own, lung infections are also common, said Dr. Kristjan Ragnarsson, chairman of rehabilitation medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
Patients get treatment to keep mucus from building up in the lungs, but the airways can still become fatally plugged, he said.
Another risk is that blood clots that form in the legs or abdomen can travel to the heart and lung, resulting in a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot in the lung.
And any infection, in the skin, in the lungs, in the kidneys, can get out of hand, with bacteria pouring into the bloodstream, producing septicemia.
Beyond infection, paralysis is associated with a host of medical problems that deeply affect patients' quality of life.
Many people with spinal cord injuries deal with chronic pain and muscle spasms, and the body can lose its ability to regulate blood pressure and temperature.
There is often loss of bowel and bladder control.
Those who rely on artificial ventilation through a tracheostomy tube are prone to pneumonia and infections related to the tube.
Cardiovascular illness is another leading cause of death in people who have become paralyzed over the long term.
"These are the kinds of things that I don't think the average person generally thinks about when they think about spinal cord injury," Ms. Howley said.
The course of Mr. Reeve's illness was not unusual, experts say.
Dr. John McDonald, the director of the spinal cord research center at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, who treated Mr. Reeve, said that "people typically die from common complications" associated with their injuries, "each one accumulating over time, making you more vulnerable to the next one."
- Why did Christopher Reeve die?
- Published: October 12, 2004
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- Section: Culture
- Writer: bookofjoe
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I agree that the WaPo had the best explanation of Reeve's death. I cited their package about him on my thread about his death. I also made a point of saying that pressure wounds do not normally follow the causal path Reeve's did. I think it important to emphasize that before people latch onto to something inaccurate. In an online chat at the WaPo, a physician who treated Reeve during the early years of his paralysis did what he could to dispel some of the nonsense cropping up, such as there is some kind of "winding down" process for people with SCI. But, considering how people are, no telling what claptrap they will end up believing.
Considering your interest in SCI, I think you would enjoy reading Teddy Pendergrass autobiography, Truly Blessed, which I've reviewed. He does an excellent job of describing living as a quadriplegic. BTW, he had a bout of dysreflexia at the famous Live Aid concert. It was hot and there was no air conditioning. His temperature spiraled, sparking autonomic responses. Fortunately, his aides controlled it by packing bags of ice around him.
(For people not exposed to the subject matter, quadriplegics cannot control their body temperature. They are unable to sweat below the point of injury.)
Of course, with my background, I thought about issues of negligence while reading about Reeve. But, I'm going to withhold judgment until I know more. Reeve had a very powerful personality. He made have made the decision about whether to be hospitalized to care for his pressure wound. Reminds me of Pendergrass, again. He traveled to an awards show while requiring an operation on a pressure wound. So, let's wait and see.
Exceptional post Joe, perhaps your best and most important ever - I really appreciate the information beign presented in such a clear and logical manner. Now I'm sadder still about it since it never should have happened
Thank you for writing this detailed and informative description of the medical details and issues surrounding the death of this inspirational person. I have cited your article on my own blog.
Thanks again.
John.
Typo in previous comment: He may have made the decision about whether to be hospitalized to care for his pressure wound.
I've seen a few other pieces online alleging negligent care, but none of them substantiate the claim, either. Such a case turns on why Reeve was being treated when and where he was. It is possible his doctors approved the home treatment and/or that Reeve refused suggestions he be hospitalized. He spoke to scientists working on SCI research within a week of the day he died. Seems that he was very determined to adhere to his work schedule. Again, I think people should wait and see before assuming Reeve's caregivers were at fault for his death.
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An interesting, informative and valued account of both Christopher Reeve, his death, and his injury. I too was greatly saddened at his death. He was doing some great work in an effort to aid people with similiar and/or related conditions.
Thank you for this piece.
Claire