Charlie Langton: What's Going On With Dave Bing's Health?

DETROIT (Talk Radio 1270) Detroit Mayor Dave Bing was admitted to the hospital -- again -- this week after a first stint in the hospital a couple of weeks ago for "discomfort" brought on by what was first explained as a dental visit.

So, what's going on with the mayor's health?

Charlie Langton talked to Dr. Robert Hyzy, director of the University of Michigan Medical Center's Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine division, about the acute pulmonary embolism Bing was diagnosed with this week, which is basically a blood clot in the lung.

"Any kind of immobility will put you at risk," the doctor said. "Clearly, after surgery your body's clotting system is on overdrive, so there's an increased risk of clot formation."

Bing first announced he had a perforated colon, which Dr. Hyzy explained is a "hole in your colon which obviously has to be repaired, there are lots of ways that can happen, lots of reasons for that."

"A hole in your colon could happen for a lot of different reasons, but of course you've to get that repaired," he said. "You can get a pretty nasty infection."

Are the two issues Bing has had recently related? "Not directly," Dr. Hyzy said, except to the extent that surgery "knocks you off your feet for a while ... A perforation, per se, doesn't cause a blood clot."

Could the stress of Detroit's financial battle play a role in Bing's sudden bout of bad health? "There's really not going to be a direct correlation," the doctor said. "Obviously, his honor's been through a lot, the city's had a lot of problems. The fact that that's a busy time, a stressful time doesn't really relate to having a blood clot in his legs that goes to his lungs."