Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, died of a bowel obstruction, the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office has revealed. The obstruction was a result of adhesions (scar tissue) that formed after a weight-loss surgery she underwent several years ago. This is a rare but possible long-term complication of this type of surgery.
Contents
What is a bowel obstruction and how does it happen?
A bowel obstruction is a blockage in the small or large intestine that prevents the normal passage of food and waste. It can cause severe pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, constipation or diarrhea. If not treated promptly, it can lead to serious complications such as infection, tissue death or perforation of the bowel wall.
There are many possible causes of bowel obstruction, such as hernias, tumors, inflammation, foreign objects or twisting of the intestine. However, in Presley’s case, the cause was adhesions, which are bands of scar tissue that form between organs or tissues after surgery or injury. Adhesions can stick together and create a kink or narrowing in the intestine, obstructing the flow of contents.
According to CNN, Presley had undergone bariatric surgery, also known as weight-loss surgery, several years ago. This is a type of surgery that reduces the size of the stomach or bypasses part of the small intestine to limit food intake and absorption. Bariatric surgery can help people with obesity lose weight and improve their health, but it also carries some risks and side effects.
One of these risks is the development of adhesions after surgery. According to Mayo Clinic, adhesions are common after abdominal surgery and can occur in up to 93% of patients. Most adhesions do not cause any problems, but some can lead to bowel obstruction. The risk of bowel obstruction due to adhesions is estimated to be between 1% and 3% within 10 years after surgery.
How did Presley die from a bowel obstruction?
Presley died on January 12, 2023, at the age of 54. She was rushed to a hospital in California after suffering a cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas. The medical examiner’s report, obtained by BBC News, stated that she died of natural causes and that the cardiac arrest was caused by a “small bowel obstruction”.
A small bowel obstruction is a blockage in the small intestine, which is responsible for digesting and absorbing most nutrients from food. A small bowel obstruction can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, sepsis (a life-threatening infection) and ischemia (a lack of blood supply) to the affected part of the intestine. These complications can affect the heart and other organs and lead to cardiac arrest.
The medical examiner’s report also stated that Presley had therapeutic levels of oxycodone (a painkiller), quetiapine metabolite (an antidepressant) and buprenorphine (another painkiller) in her blood at the time of her death. These medications were not considered to be contributory to her death, but they may have slowed down the motility of her intestine and made it more likely for it to get obstructed by the adhesions.
How common and preventable is death from bowel obstruction?
Death from bowel obstruction is rare but not unheard of. According to a study published in 2018, the mortality rate for patients with bowel obstruction in the United States was 3.2% between 2005 and 2014. The mortality rate was higher for older patients, those with comorbidities (other health conditions), those who underwent emergency surgery and those who had malignant (cancerous) obstructions.
The best way to prevent death from bowel obstruction is to seek medical attention as soon as possible if one experiences symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, bloating or changes in bowel habits. Bowel obstruction can be diagnosed by physical examination, blood tests, imaging tests (such as X-rays or CT scans) and sometimes endoscopy (a procedure that uses a flexible tube with a camera to look inside the digestive tract).
The treatment for bowel obstruction depends on the cause, location and severity of the blockage. Some cases can be treated with conservative measures such as fluids, antibiotics and nasogastric tube (a tube that goes through the nose into the stomach to decompress it). Other cases may require surgery to remove or bypass the obstruction and repair any damage to the intestine.
How did Presley’s family and fans react to her death?
Presley’s death shocked and saddened her family and fans around the world. She was buried next to her son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 27. She is survived by her mother Priscilla Presley, her daughter Riley Keough, her twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood and her ex-husbands Danny Keough, Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage and Michael Lockwood.
Presley was a singer-songwriter who followed in her father’s footsteps and released three albums over the course of her career. She was also known for her four high-profile marriages and her involvement in various charitable causes. She was the sole heir to her father’s estate, which was estimated to be worth $100 million at the time of her death.
Her mother Priscilla Presley filed a legal challenge to the validity of her will, which had been amended in 2016 to name Benjamin and Riley as co-trustees of the estate, excluding her as a trustee. The legal dispute was settled in May 2023, but the details were not made public.
Presley’s fans paid tribute to her on social media and expressed their condolences to her family. Many also shared their memories of her music and her legacy as the daughter of one of the most influential musicians of all time.
