Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Does Senator McCain’s blood clot explain his recent behavior?

Brian C. Joondeph, MD
Physician
July 18, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

Senator John McCain recently had surgery to “remove a blood clot above his left eye” according to a CNN report. CNN, fortunately, didn’t have a chance to wade into their familiar territory of fake news because they had a practicing neurosurgeon, and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta on hand to discuss Senator McCain’s surgery.

Despite the cheery description, “minimally invasive craniotomy,” this was brain surgery, opening the skull and removing something from the Senator’s brain. Nothing simple or minimal about this. Otherwise, neurosurgeons wouldn’t need many years of training to perform such delicate surgery.

Dr. Gupta is correct in calling what was removed from the Senator’s brain “an abnormality.”  It could also be described as “a lesion” or “a mass.”  Although news articles called it “a blood clot,” it was sent to pathology to be reviewed under a microscope to see what was actually removed.

Typically blood that is drained or removed from a body cavity is not examined under a microscope. Such detailed analysis is used for a tissue diagnosis. Meaning that there was likely something besides blood removed from the Senator’s brain.

Lots of possibilities. A cyst. A mass, meaning a growth or tumor. Could be benign or malignant. Could be primary to the brain or spread from somewhere else.

Senator McCain was diagnosed with cutaneous or skin melanoma in 2000. One of his skin tumors penetrated a bit deeper into the skin, meaning higher risk of spread throughout his body. But this was also 17 years ago.

His surgery and lymph node analysis found no evidence of spread. Good news at the time. But the old saying applies, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”

Fast forward to last month, when Senator McCain was questioning former FBI director James Comey at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. As the Washington Post reported at the time, McCain “referred to ‘President Comey,’ and at times looked confused and frustrated with Comey’s answers. Viewers clearly thought it was notable; Twitter announced it was the most-tweeted moment of the hearing.”

Partisan questioning or an uninformed Senator trying to sound smart in front of the TV cameras? Or something more?

Senator’s McCain recent surgery was just above his left eye. Meaning the frontal lobe of his brain. The brain is incredibly complex, and each portion has specific purposes. What does the frontal lobe do?

The frontal lobe is responsible for higher functions of the brain. Personality, thought process, problem solving and conscience. Including socially acceptable responses. In other words, specifically human aspects of behavior, as opposed to lower brain functions such as the “fight or flight” response.

A lesion in the frontal lobe could certainly be responsible for behavioral changes, such as his “bizarre questioning of Comey” as described by the Washington Post.

Whether the Senator just had a blood clot pressing on his brain or whether he had a tumor, melanoma or otherwise, remains unknown. I am an eye surgeon, not a neurosurgeon, and am not the Senator’s physician. But given the speculation by reporters and journalists who know little about medicine, I wanted to provide another, hopefully, more educated and useful analysis of the Senator’s situation.

ADVERTISEMENT

I wish Senator McCain and his family the best under these challenging circumstances.

Brian C. Joondeph is an ophthalmologist and can be reached on Twitter @retinaldoctor. This article originally appeared in the American Thinker.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A hidden reason for electronic prescribing of controlled substances

July 18, 2017 Kevin 4
…
Next

How do we create the medical culture that is conducive to physicians' health?

July 18, 2017 Kevin 8
…

Tagged as: Neurology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A hidden reason for electronic prescribing of controlled substances
Next Post >
How do we create the medical culture that is conducive to physicians' health?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Brian C. Joondeph, MD

  • Ophthalmology in the era of COVID-19

    Brian C. Joondeph, MD
  • An ophthalmologist analyzes Joe Biden’s red eye

    Brian C. Joondeph, MD
  • When medical science becomes fake news

    Brian C. Joondeph, MD

Related Posts

  • The blood of patients is not a rhetorical device

    Andrew J. L. Smith
  • Using the Avengers to explain how cancer treatments work

    Jennifer Lycette, MD

More in Physician

  • The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Ethical dilemmas in using unclaimed bodies for medical research

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The Nova Oath: a physician’s pledge to courageous and ethical care

    Kenneth Ro, MD
  • True stories of doctors reclaiming their humanity in a system that challenges it

    Alae Kawam, DO & Kim Downey, PT & Nicole Solomos, DO
  • Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

      Marc Arginteanu, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • How a family’s strength led to a successful kidney transplant

      C. Nicole Swiner, MD | Conditions
    • The food-drug interaction risks your doctor may be missing

      Frank Jumbe | Meds
    • Beyond the TikTok hype: Rebuilding trust in evidence-based weight loss medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 7 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

      Marc Arginteanu, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why sleep is the missing pillar in modern health care

      Carlos Nunez, MD | Conditions
    • How a family’s strength led to a successful kidney transplant

      C. Nicole Swiner, MD | Conditions
    • The food-drug interaction risks your doctor may be missing

      Frank Jumbe | Meds
    • Beyond the TikTok hype: Rebuilding trust in evidence-based weight loss medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • The weaponization of rules: How regulatory overreach puts physicians and health care at risk

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Does Senator McCain’s blood clot explain his recent behavior?
7 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...