Natasha Richardson is dead

[Niorah]

Oh, no... RIP.

 

[RJDiogenes]

This was just terrible. I was holding out some hope that she'd be okay, but the news blackout was very ominous. My condolences to her family and her friends.

RIP, Natasha.

 

[JAG]

RIP Natasha.

 

[Trippy]

Ironically, I just watched The Handmaid's Tale earlier this week

So sad for her husband and boys.

 

[Scout101]

They've been showing B roll of her on the news shows... I've seen her with a cig in her hand a few times in movie set footage. I wonder is she was a smoker and if so how did that contribute to this.

Unless you're standing in a lake of gasoline smoking isn't known for causing sudden death, especially at her age.

Or a freak Gasoline-Fight accident...

 

[Android]

I would think and aneurism most likely. Very sad.

Highly unlikely. Traumatic brain injuries don't cause aneurysms, and if she had an aneurysm that would lead to a subarachnoidal hemorrhage (SAH). Her symptoms described in the varies news stories (fine first, and then developing problems about an hour later) don't fit that kind of brain injury at all. Also, an SAH caused by an aneurysm presents with a very different kind of CAT Scan than a traumatic brain injury does - since every media calls her apparant cause of death a traumatic brain injury I highly doubt that there are any aneurysms involved.

In fact her symptoms (and fate) are pretty much spot on for traumatic malignant brain oedema. Caused by a blunt head trauma - not uncommon to be a fairly minor accident or fall - the brain begins to swell. Occasionally that swelling reaches levels at which the brains pretty much destroys itsself, since there isn'T enough space inside the skull. Since that doesn't happen instantly there's usually a lucid time period right after the accident.

Traumatic malignant brain oedema are the kind of injuries where even with modern neurosurgical therapy there isn't a whole lot you can do. Apart from decompressive craniectomy (taking part of the skull bone out to give the brain more space) there really isn't anything you can do. Therefore, if the oedema doesn't limit itsself and the the additional space gained by craniectomy isn't enough, the patient inveriably dies. About 70% of all patients with malignant brain oedema don't survive...

 

[Emher]

My thoughts go out to her family

 

[Gryffindorian]

That's very sad. My condolences to her entire family.

 

[Candlelight]

Only 5 days ago they broadcast the episode of Top Chef where she appeared for the charity dinner.

Unbelievable.