It was confirmed that the cause of death of Grant Wall (48), an American football reporter who collapsed and died in the stadium press box while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, was a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
Journalist Wall’s wife, Celine Goulder, a medical doctor, told CBS morning news show ‘This Morning’ that her husband died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm in the ascending aorta.
“It is possible that (the aortic aneurysm) has progressed slowly over several years without any conscious symptoms,” said Dr. Goulder, adding that the definitive cause is unknown.
He said that the chest pressure experienced by reporter Wall just before his death could have been a prognostic symptom.
Reporter Wall died suddenly on the 10th in the press box at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, where Argentina and the Netherlands were held in the quarterfinals.
Fellow reporters sitting nearby at the time of the accident said, “From around the time the overtime began, Reporter Wall seemed to be in excruciating pain.”
Paramedics rushed to the scene and attempted CPR, and soon moved to a nearby hospital, but he was not revived.
According to Fox News, reporter Wall said on his social media on the 5th, “I haven’t slept well for 3 weeks because of stress and excessive work.” I feel pressure and discomfort from my superiors,” he said.
“I tested for Corona 19, but the result came out negative,” he wrote. “I went to the media center medical room today and they said that it could be bronchitis, and they gave me antibiotics and syrup. After eating, I feel much better, but I still feel bad.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like swelling of the aorta, the largest artery that supplies blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
When the force of the heart pumps blood is strong, the aortic intima is torn and separated from the adventitia, and blood collects between the two layers.
The CDC reports that in 2019 alone there were 10,000 deaths caused by aortic aneurysms or aortic dissections, of which 59% were due to wounds.
(Photo = AP, Yonhap News)