August 9/10 Patient 26-519 died in the evening hours.
For more than three weeks, her case had moved through periods of stabilization, cautious improvement and serious setbacks.
Her PCV had initially been 10%, fallen to 8%, improved following intensive treatment and transfusion to as high as approximately 16–17%, and then declined again to critically low levels during her final days.
Advanced imaging had shown improvement in the abnormalities initially seen in her lungs, but later imaging identified significant thrombosis. Bone marrow evaluation showed that her body was attempting to produce red blood cells, yet those cells were not being produced or maintained at a rate sufficient to overcome the severe anemia, her body was destroying the red blood cells faster than her body could make them and her bone marrow was compromised enough not to be able to keep up.
Despite extensive diagnostic testing, supportive care, treatment and consultation with specialists across the country, the underlying process responsible for the full complexity of her illness had not been definitively established before her death.
Her remains were transferred into the care of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for further examination.
A necropsy, the veterinary equivalent of an autopsy, was planned to examine her organs and tissues more closely and potentially provide information that could not be obtained while she was alive.
