Hillary Clinton admitted to hospital with blood clot

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on December 6, 2012, at Dublin City University in Ireland. / Getty Images

Updated 7:52 a.m. ET

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been admitted to a hospital with a blood clot following a concussion she suffered several weeks ago.

Spokesperson Philippe Reines said in a statement that the clot was discovered during the course of a follow-up exam. There has been no announcement yet on the location of the clot.

"She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at New York-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours," Reines said.

Doctors are expected to make a determination shortly about whether any further action is required, Reines said, adding that doctors will continue to assess Clinton's condition, "including other issues associated with her concussion."

Secretary Clinton was expected to return to work next week, almost three weeks after being sidelined by the concussion. She had been recuperating at home.

The seriousness of a blood clot "depends on where it is," said Dr. Gholam Motamedi, a neurologist at Georgetown University Medical Center who was not involved in Clinton's care.

Clots in the legs are a common risk after someone has been bedridden, as Clinton may have been for a time after her concussion. Those are "no big deal" and are treated with six months of blood thinners to allow them to dissolve on their own and to prevent further clots from forming, he said.

A clot in a lung or the brain is more serious. Lung clots, called pulmonary embolisms, can be deadly, and a clot in the brain can cause a stroke, Motamedi said.

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How serious is Secretary Clinton's condition?

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook (who says he has not been briefed on the particulars of Clinton's condition, such as the location of the blood clot) says that it is unusual for someone to be given blood thinners after suffering a blow to the head.

"Normally you would not give blood thinners for three months following somebody hitting her head," Dr. LaPook said on "CBS This Morning."

"The reason is when somebody falls and hits their head, you're worried about bleeding into the skull, into the brain, like Natasha Richardson had, so the last thing you would want to do is thin their blood," he said.

Actress Natasha Richardson hit her head while skiing in Quebec in 2009 and later died from bleeding underneath the skull.

Dr. LaPook said Clinton would have had a CAT scan or MRI done following her fall, and that doctors likely observed either no clot or little bleeding, until a follow-up scan.

"At this point the reason to give anti-coagulation, blood thinner, would be to prevent another clot from forming," he said.

Dr. LaPook said there may be other, unknown medical issues that are putting Clinton at increased risk for another clot.

"I'm thinking they're between maybe a rock and a hard place. They want to thin her blood to prevent a further clot, on the other hand they're afraid to give her blood thinners because that could increase bleeding in somebody who's smacked their head recently, so they're going to observe her very closely in the hospital."

• Clinton suffers concussion, won't testify on Libya

Keeping Clinton in the hospital for a couple of days could allow doctors to perform more tests to determine why the clot formed, and to rule out a heart problem or other condition that may have led to it, he said.

Dr. Larry Goldstein, a neurologist who is director of Duke University's stroke center, said blood can pool on the surface of the brain or in other areas of the brain after a concussion, but those would not be treated with blood thinners, as Clinton's aide described.

Aides and doctors say Clinton contracted a stomach virus in early December and became dehydrated, then fainted, fell and hit her head. She was diagnosed with a concussion on Dec. 13 and hasn't been seen in public since.

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[Petal129]

Thank God the clot is where it is, and I am praying for a full recovery. And for all those spiteful enough to ill-wish her or suspect her of ducking testifying, be very damned grateful this didn't happen to you and please get over yourselves.

[Vince_Foster]

You should wish her as much ill will as she wished to Vince Foster. Karma can be Hell....which is where she will be spending eternity.

[1stdaygirl]

Simply put, I and nobody else I talk to believes this line of BS that she is not able to testify.

[Lindag20]

Next time you're admitted to the hospital perhaps your employer will say you're "faking it" and will fire you.

[reefrocket]

Just another Democratic ploy to keep her from testifying.

[1pheasant1]

Many people are prescribed coumadin (Warfarin) as an anticoagulant.

"One of the first rodenticides was warfarin, a anticoagulant related to the plant-derived coumadin from spoiled sweet clover. In the 1950s rats developed resistance to warfarin and development of more potent anticoagulants began."

http://toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Rodenticides

[quantum_analysis]

1PHEASANT1 replies: "I haven't seen Dan in days."

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I don't miss his ridiculous repetitious attack posts, do you?

[1pheasant1]

Not at all, but his absence is notable. I wish him no ill.

[AbinicoWarez]

She had a stroke.

[Lindag20]

Zann: through the grapevine no doubt. LOL

[1pheasant1]

It certainly is a strong possibility. We'll see if that is confirmed.

[e_montagu]

None of the commenters seems to have noticed the BIG story here.

Hillary has a blood clot that is supposedly related to the "fainting and concussion" incident that she had recently. Her spokesman, Phillipe Reines (where have I heard that name before?) says she is being giving anti-coagulant drugs, but multiple doctors quoted in this story say that giving anti-coagulent drugs to somoeone with a blood clot in the head is "exactly what you DON'T want to do". In other words, something's rotten in Denmark.

Was Reines that guy who CBS reporter Cheryl Adkisson said "screamed at me for asking questions about 'Fast and Furious'"?

[Lindag20]

Good grief, people don't become ill on PURPOSE.

[1pheasant1]

A clot could be anywhere, including, but not limited to, the brain, lungs, and heart.
Pull your nose out of your Denmark.

[quantum_analysis]

MORTAR_BREATH replies: "I dont sit the fence. I am fully engaged in protecting the Constitution and unalienable rights of everyone"

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LOL! By sitting here day after day (after telling everyone you had posted at CBS for the last time several months ago) posting 3rd grade juvenile attacks on everyone that has a different OPINION than yours, unable to give a straight answer to a simple question.

Your juvenile attacks protect nobody's unalienable rights or Our Constitution, nor does it show you have any idea of discussing anything!

Since we know you hate D.C. just down the road from you, and most likely everyone inside the beltway, whom specifically that's ALIVE today supports your RWNJ fantasies and is helping preserve our unalienable rights?

[quantum_analysis]

Come on fence sitter, and just name one politician you can support!

Just one!

[quantum_analysis]

I would imagine that mortar_breath supports bob "transvaginal rape" mcdonnell, since neither one of them like or respect women!

[quantum_analysis]

QUANTUM_ANALYSIS says: I often wonder how morty can attack each and every politician as "UnAmerican" and an "enemy of the Constitution," and never once has shown us whom exactly he supports that's ALIVE today!

Hey morty -- it's easy being AGAINST everyone and everything, but that solves none of our problems today!


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MORTAR_BREATH replies: "I have shown who I endorse many times. You of course, never pay attention......If they support the Constitution and unalienable rights, I support them."
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1PHEASANT1 replies: "He's a fence sitter. Everybody is wrong."
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Exactly pheasant, mortar breath is a fence sitter claiming everyone is always wrong, and as usual, can only post attacks on everyone that has a different OPINION than his far-right obsessions and extremism.

All I ever see him do is attack every politician and poster while posting quotations from our founding fathers that he likes, or that agree with his position on any particular day.

Typical dodge by mortar breath again today, just like the rest of the constipated conservative trolls posting their hate and discontent, playing juvenile 3rd grade games because they cannot answer a simple question.

Again mortar breath, simple question that I've never seen you answer specifically (YOU must be related to willard romney -- mr. unspecific) which politician TODAY supports your RWNJ philosophy and ideology?

[quantum_analysis]

Simple question for your simple mind, mortar breath......just answer it specifically.........whom.....no generalizations!

[1pheasant1]

"I really don't believe that that's something I will do again," Clinton said of a presidential bid.
______________________________________________________
A far cry from "I will be shutting down for good," Morty.