http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=704164&cmpid=pit-twt-penguins said:
Woah. That's some scary stuff. It's great that it's not life or even career threatening.
Letang Suffered Stroke
- Thread starter CarltonTheBear
- Start date
Woah. That's some scary stuff. It's great that it's not life or even career threatening.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
Was just coming here to post this - nuts.
WhatIfGodWasALeaf
Active member
Crazy, let's hope he can get back to 100%.
GhostofPotvin29
New member
mc said:
Well if it had to do with that heart defect then it wasn't really something that being in shape or not would have made a difference with.
Champ Kind
New member
L K said:
LK, my question is this: how, after playing elite hockey for close to 20 years and pushing his physical limits for all that time, does this happen now?
L K
Active member
A Weekend at Bernier's said:
It's tough to say exactly. Based on the limited details reported, Letang likely had a congenital cyanotic heart defect. That basically just means that there was a connection between the left side of his circulatory system (blood that goes to the body after getting oxygen from the lungs) and the right side of his circulatory system (either deoxygenated blood returning to the heart, or skipping the lungs).
What can happen in those situations is that someone who develops a blood clot (risk factors of a hockey player would include - trauma, prolonged air travel) can have a clot go from the legs (most common place) and instead of getting stuck in the lungs and becoming a pulmonary embolism, could instead skip the right side of the heart and get shunted through that hole in the heart and and go someone in the body, in this case, the brain to cause a stroke.
The other thing that can happen is that you get get a small air bubble that develops because of some of the abnormal flow of blood through the hole and that could cause more of an ischemic (lack of oxygen rather than a direct clot) type stroke.
The stroke itself isn't something I'm surprised at, it's more that one of the team doctors/physical staff didn't notice a small murmur at some point during one of his physicals. If it was really small it might have been very quiet, and sometimes these defects can actually look normal because you don't get abnormal blood flow when you ultrasound the heart, but at this point I think paying big money to a hockey player should probably involve a million and one tests to make sure they are healthy and stay healthy as you are paying them. Especially in a US based league that operates in a very investigation happy system.
EDIT: I should add that this is entirely speculation and it is tough to back-seat doctor based on a few select comments that get through the media filter. Letang very well could have been worked up to the nth degree with nothing abnormal ever being found. At the same time, you have situations like the Philadelphia Flyers medical team that were basically forcing players back out on the ice when they were clearly injured so I do have a bit of skepticism when it comes to professional athletes and how their health is handled.
Bottom line, Letang suffered a pretty dangerous medical condition but it also seems like there was limited effects of the stroke so hopefully he makes a full recovery.
L K said:
Pff, what do you know?
(Seriously though thanks for information)
Champ Kind
New member
L K said:
Great explanation, thanks for taking the time for us laypersons.
Peter D.
Moderator
Holy crap...I was shocked to hear this.
Great explanation LK. Do athletes take an ECG as part of their pre-season physicals? I was under the impression that they didn't as we've seen numerous athletes suffer from underlying heart related issues on the playing field/surface. Or perhaps that just applies to the lower ranks of sports. If they don't, hopefully it soon becomes part of the routine.
This just goes to show how vulnerable we can be.
Great explanation LK. Do athletes take an ECG as part of their pre-season physicals? I was under the impression that they didn't as we've seen numerous athletes suffer from underlying heart related issues on the playing field/surface. Or perhaps that just applies to the lower ranks of sports. If they don't, hopefully it soon becomes part of the routine.
This just goes to show how vulnerable we can be.
hockeyfan1
New member
I can empathize with Letang. I know someone close to my family that suffered a stroke due to several factors and that person was never the same.
I, myself, have had a heart murmur, coupled with circulatory problems & other factors. Dietary factors, supplementation, natural herbals (such as blood thinners) all work well in synergy to keep me going.
Stroke can happen to anyone. My family physician always orders an ECG/ultrasound as a precautionary check-up for some of us in my family.
That's why it's important to get checked periodically, stay healthy, don't smoke (smoking causes vessel constriction), don't do anything in excess that may hamper your health, and best of all, if one does have a problem, have it monitored & treated before it's too late.
I, myself, have had a heart murmur, coupled with circulatory problems & other factors. Dietary factors, supplementation, natural herbals (such as blood thinners) all work well in synergy to keep me going.
Stroke can happen to anyone. My family physician always orders an ECG/ultrasound as a precautionary check-up for some of us in my family.
That's why it's important to get checked periodically, stay healthy, don't smoke (smoking causes vessel constriction), don't do anything in excess that may hamper your health, and best of all, if one does have a problem, have it monitored & treated before it's too late.
Highlander
Active member
Just found out this morning that a very good friend is close to death from Pneumonia, when they took his blood test found out he has leukaemia. We had a feeling that the secondary thing is deathbed Pneumonia so we expected something like cancer to be the cause. Strokes can come on in anyone at anytime with no sign and no warning. Of course in the case of Letang he had a heart defect in youth that could have led to his stoke.
Lets pray it is minor and he is back playing great again.
My bro suffered a stroke 6 years ago and is now 60 and I am 5 years behind so I am very wary of having one.
The main thing that I think caused my Bro' stroke was smoking and stress. A deadly combo plate, so if you are going to smoke, be stress free.
Lets pray it is minor and he is back playing great again.
My bro suffered a stroke 6 years ago and is now 60 and I am 5 years behind so I am very wary of having one.
The main thing that I think caused my Bro' stroke was smoking and stress. A deadly combo plate, so if you are going to smoke, be stress free.
LittleHockeyFan
Moderator
holy crap, he's what, 26 ish?!!
man that's freakin' scary?.
and weird enough, I was just wondering last week why he hadn't been named to Team Canada. Just wow.
Get well soon KL! Not a big fan of most Penguins, but I do like him.
man that's freakin' scary?.
and weird enough, I was just wondering last week why he hadn't been named to Team Canada. Just wow.
Get well soon KL! Not a big fan of most Penguins, but I do like him.
The Pens announced that Letang will return to the line-up today. He suffered his stroke 10 weeks ago. He's been practicing with the team for about 3 weeks now.