The outer limits of medicine: How doctors treated an astronaut's blood clot in space

Physician and space travel devotee Stephan Moll’s first wish when NASA reached out for a consultation was to examine the patient in person – at the International Space Station. Given the impracticality of that desire, the coagulation expert and University of North Carolina professor settled for an approach that combined old-fashioned medicine with cutting-edge means. Moll hopes the resolution of the astronaut’s blood clot in the internal jugular vein not only leads to further research on travel in zero-gravity but also inspires wider use of telemedicine. NASA has not revealed the patient’s name or the time frame of the incident to protect the privacy of the astronaut, who was two...