Cells at Work! Code Black

Episode 8

Disclaimer: The views and opinions in these reviews are observations made by the reviewer(s) and should in no way be construed as medical advice! If you have a question, please contact your general practitioner for information!

AC1677 might be free of his caffeine addiction, but it's hardly smooth sailing in what is now a rapidly-collapsing body. This latest episode alludes to overwork as we find out the host body hasn't moved from a sitting position or slept for almost 48 hours. This deadly combo is laying the groundwork for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a subsequent embolism. This cause of death doesn't discriminate by age either; there were a number of cases publicized involving hardcore gamers in their teens and 20s in net cafes dying for the same reason.

Embolisms can be terrifying because of their potential to lead to strokes if the clot lodges in the brain or what occurs in this case, a pulmonary embolism. Consider this a PSA to remember to stretch after sitting for long periods. As far as how this plays out in the episode itself; the events are heavy on the horror. Red Blood Cell and AC1677 discover the clot, represented as a mass grave in the calf. The episode talks a bit about how the calf muscles help to push blood up the leg and DVT can in turn hinder adequate oxygen delivery by slowing down the calf muscles' "pumping".

As awful as it was, I was also amazed that the human body has a last-ditch effort mechanism to keep the lungs alive via the bronchial artery. That said (and you can read Matt's notes for more details), the host body should definitely have died this episode. There wasn't any indication that medications were used to deal with the clot, if anything the trip into the bronchial arteries might have kept him alive long enough to seek some medical help. This body is going to hell in a handbasket and the organs are starting to fail, judging by the liver's current status. We saw last episode that the hair follicles haven't recovered from stress-induced balding either. You can almost understand how the two bully RBCs (whose faces looked off this episode, imo) got the way they are. Their fitting end in this episode was both creepy and ironic, something the bully RBC was even able to recognize in his last moments of life.

I don't see a way these cells are going to get a happily-ever-after no matter how motivated they are. I'm expecting a really dark finale.

Thoughts from Matt (RN): Deep vein thromboses (DVT) by themselves aren't inherently dangerous. The main concern is that put forth by the show: the potential to migrate to the lungs. Oftentimes patients will detect DVTs themselves by experiencing calf pain, swelling, and red streaks on their calves. Patients that get DVTs typically need to be anticoagulated for several months, and the clots can sit in the leg veins during this time. They didn't make it especially clear in the episode, but it's most likely the case that White Blood Cell was referring to needing external forces, such as a clot buster, to quickly dissolve an embolism. A suspected pulmonary embolism is an emergency and if you think you have one you should not wait for it to spontaneously dissolve.

There are many risk factors that increase risk of DVT. Alcohol consumption, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, age, certain medications, and some genetic conditions all can increase these odds.

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Cells at Work! Code Black is currently streaming on Funimation.