Eagles fans got the hard news Thursday that Quarterback Jalen Hurts will be out of Sunday’s game after he was diagnosed with a blood clot.
69 News spoke with a local cardiologist about what this diagnosis means and what it could take for Hurts to return.
Jalen Hurts is a young, elite athlete. But even that doesn’t make him immune to blood clots.
“When we talk about blood clots, they can be very serious, usually in the legs. We kind of differentiate them between superficial and deep vein thrombosis,” Dr. Deborah Sundlof says.
Hurts has a superficial clot. But cardiologist Dr. Deborah Sundlof with Lehigh Valley Health Network says that it can still become serious.
“Although his is superficial, it can also always move or propagate to become a deep vein thrombosis,” Dr. Sundlof says. “So we want to take that seriously.”
If a clot travels, it can become life-threatening.
“That blood clot could basically propagate, go deeper, and then migrate up to the lungs and cause, you know, the heart and the rest of the body not to get enough oxygen,” Dr. Sundlof explains.
So why would this happen to someone like Hurts? Dr. Sundlof says there are several possible risk factors.
“He was flying to Europe. So, in those situations, you’re sitting for a long period of time. We know having an injury to a vein can lead to blood clot formation as well,” Dr. Sundlof says. “Then there are other things that we don’t know about with him.”
Before Hurts returns, doctors need to make sure the clot is gone.
“If it’s very superficial and a minor thrombosis, it may be treated just like you said, with local therapy, with warm compresses,” Dr. Sundlof says.
“Something that they certainly want to do is re-image him to make sure that that clot has gone away before he goes back to active playing,” the doctor added.
Dr. Sundlof says she hopes Hurts returns soon, but his medical team will need to determine when it’s safe.