Natasha Richardson Cause Of Death Confirmed

The New York medical examiner today confirmed that actress Natasha Richardson did indeed die of a brain hemorrhage ("epidural hematoma"). This confirms what I wrote yesterday regarding it being a brain bleed.

Many online and in the press have expressed astonishment at the fact Richardson appeared fine after the ski accident, walking and talking, then went brain dead a couple hours after.  

As I stated five months ago about my own stress induced brain hemorrhage, the doctors wondered how I was walking, talking and reasoning so well in light of what happened. I too did not realize it was an anomaly, but it does happen.

However, the hours and the days after the bleed let you know whether a patient will live. This is why if you are in an accident or experience a terrible head pain, it is wise to go to the hospital to get checked out, as you could have internal bleeding, that could turn fatal. 

The way God made the human brain is quite wondrous. It can do great things that defy explanation, but it is also very delicate, which is why He placed it in a skull. Its fibers do not react well to battering and abuse.   

This complexity and sensitivity is part of the reason scientists and doctors have such difficulty finding a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's. If you tamper with the brain in a manner that becomes detrimental, the patient could prematurely die.

Natasha Richardson -- Cause of Death

Posted Mar 19th 2009 2:09PM by TMZ Staff - Natasha RichardsonThe NYC medical examiner's office says Natasha Richardson died of blunt impact to the head.

A spokeswoman for the ME says the death has been ruled an accident. The cause of death is "epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head."

Dr. Wouter Schievink, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, tells TMZ a common example of someone suffering an epidural hematoma is when a baseball player is hit on the side of the head by a pitch.

He also says that an epidural hematoma can be detected by a CT scan. But sometimes if the scan is performed early on, the injury might not be detected.

http://www.tmz.com