What to know about Jalen Hurts’ condition after blood clots found in Eagles star’s lungs and leg

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl champion and one of the NFL’s biggest stars, is now facing a long absence because of blood clots in his lungs – and his team faces serious questions about his medical treatment.

Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, and the Eagles said in a statement Monday that his “prognosis is very good and we anticipate a full recovery.”

The condition can be life-threatening and the Eagles say Hurts could miss the rest of the season.

However, Hurts was cleared to play a week ago in London after a blood clot was discovered in his leg. He threw for 222 yards and a touchdown, but the Eagles lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 19-17.

A day earlier, he was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in his left calf and doctors ordered him to stay awake all night, according to NFL insiders, who report the quarterback didn’t sleep for about 36 hours. After being released from the hospital, he would have had some time to rest before playing against the Jaguars.

Since then, the diagnosis has gotten worse. The star quarterback now faces deep vein thrombosis and a bilateral pulmonary embolism with blood clots in his left leg and both lungs, the team and his agent said.

Deep vein thrombosis, also known as DVT, refers to a condition in which a blood clot develops in the deep veins, usually in the lower extremities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A pulmonary embolism, or PE, is the term for when the clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs, which can be life-threatening, according to the CDC.

“You have a clot in your leg. The problem is it can travel up the veins and go to your heart, and from there go into your lungs and block the blood vessels in your lungs. And you get what’s called a pulmonary embolism. It’s very serious,” CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, who is not treating Hurts, told “CBS Mornings.”

Whether it could end his career, LaPook said, it’s “too early to know.”

“Normally you treat this with blood thinners for three months and then see what happens,” he continued. “Now they’re going to monitor it closely. It might be more than that, and after that you take them off the blood thinners.”

LaPook said Hurts’ doctors would then likely test his blood to see if there was a problem increasing the risk of clotting.

The revelation of the diagnosis sparked negative reactions against the Eagles and its medical staff.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni did not comment Monday on why the quarterback was allowed to play in London or return with the team to the United States after the game.

“I’m not a medical expert. I rely on our guys in all these situations, right? I’m a football coach,” he said. “I rely on our medical experts in every situation. I have full confidence in them.”

Flying could be a problem, doctor says

One of the biggest questions from fans is whether a flight to London or a flight back could have aggravated the injury. LaPook said it’s possible this could be a problem.

“Flying you can get dehydrated, you don’t move much,” so your blood doesn’t return to your heart either, LaPook said. “When he arrived (in London), they did a test, and they found this superficial thrombophlebitis, so a little clot, and they… cleared him to play. He ended up playing, and then right after the game he came back.”

The fact that Hurts didn’t get much sleep wasn’t as concerning as the flying, LaPook said.

“Well, the most important thing for me is not the fact that he didn’t sleep, it’s the fact that he took a flight there, and a flight back a few days later,” he said. “That increases the risk of a blood clot in the first place. We tell people when they’re in flight to walk around, maybe wear compression stockings.”

The CDC issues similar warnings regarding flights.

“Prolonged periods of limited mobility are inherent to long-distance travel and may increase a traveler’s risk of VTE,” according to the agency. “An association between VTE and air travel was first reported in the early 1950s; since then, long-distance air travel has become more common, leading to increased concerns about travel-associated VTE.”

Different organizations offer different advice on how soon a person with DVT should fly, but that advice is significantly longer than the time it took Hurts to return to the United States.

The International Air Transport Association says that if a person is stable they should wait at least five days before taking a flight, while the British Thoracic Society advises someone with DVT or PE to wait two weeks before flying.

“Over the past several days, Jalen Hurts has received comprehensive medical evaluations from expert physicians,” the Eagles and Hurts’ agent said in the release announcing his long-term absence.

For now, the Eagles will wait three months to see how the condition improves with blood thinners.

“We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to return to contact football activities when he is no longer taking blood thinners,” the statement said. “In the meantime, he will remain active with the team and continue to condition. Most importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects.

“We are thinking of Jalen and looking forward to a strong recovery.”