David Bloom, 39, dies in Iraq

NBC News correspondent David Bloom, who has been reporting on the war from the Iraqi desert, died from a pulmonary embolism, the network announced Sunday.

Bloom was the anchor of the weekend "Today" show and had been traveling with U.S. troops for several weeks in Iraq. He was 39.

What is pulmonary embolism?
Pulmonary embolism, a severe and life-threatening condition, is the blocking of the pulmonary artery by foreign matter such as:

a blood clot (thrombus) or pieces of it
fat
air
tumor tissue

Conditions that may contribute to pulmonary embolism include:

heart disease
chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
extended bed rest
surgery
cancer
paralysis
aging
sickle cell disease

Posted April 06, 2003 05:00 AM | Comments (32)