UAB doctor: Jalen Hurts’ blood clot progression rare, warning signs should not be ignored

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and former University of Alabama player Jalen Hurts will be out for the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with double pulmonary emboli.

UAB Pulmonary and Critical Care Specialist Dr. Derek Russell said superficial clots, like the one Hurts was initially diagnosed with, typically go away, and patients are encouraged to stay active to keep blood flowing.

“This is something that typically with time and just keeping an eye on it goes away, but it, as happened with him, it can kind of continue. The clot inside that small vein can keep going to where it connects to a deeper vein, and that’s where it gets more dangerous,” Russell said.

The Philadelphia Eagles reported that Hurts first told the team’s medical staff that he was cleated during a game on Oct. 4 on Oct. 8.

“This was his first treatment session for the calf injury following the game, after having practiced in full both Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Jalen received treatment, practiced in full, and was added to the practice report,” according to a statement shared on Oct. 15.

Hurts traveled with his team to London, and “out of an abundance of caution,” the team said an ultrasound was performed and revealed a superficial blood clot.

The medical staff concluded Hurts could safely play against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a statement, and advised a follow-up ultrasound within 72 hours of returning to Philadelphia.

The follow-up ultrasound revealed movement of the blood clot, and Hurts did not play against the Carolina Panthers.

Monday, the team revealed Hurts had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.

Russell said the progression of Hurts’ case is unusual.

“The odds are that the thing we know about the blow to his leg and possibly the contribution of the flights, um, could have contributed to… definitely that’s enough to have a blood clot,” Russell said, while emphasizing he has not reviewed Hurts’ medical records.

“He got really unlucky. It doesn’t usually extend into the deep venous system. But when it does, it, you know, leads to this.”

That’s because once a clot is in the deeper veins, it has a straight pathway to the lungs and heart.

“Because there’s that direct highway from the deep veins up into the right side of the heart, if it goes up and lodges in the lung, that hurts your breathing, it hurts your oxygen level, and it can be too much for that right side of the heart to handle,” Russell said. “It’s kind of like a clog in a pipe, things back up and that pressure kind of can overwhelm the heart if it’s too much too fast.”

Hurts is clinically stable, according to his agent, and his treatment should only involve anticoagulation.

“These blood thinners do carry the risk you might expect of bleeding, including bleeding inside. And so the chances in a high impact sport, like football, that something could be bruised inside and it could go from just a minor bruise to something life-threatening. It’s just a chance you can’t take,” Russell said.

He said Hurts’ case, starting with a calf injury and ending with clots in both lungs, is an unusual progression.

While most patients with superficial clots never see them move that far, Russell warns new one-sided leg swelling, or chest pain and trouble breathing, should always be treated as an emergency.

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