The death of Richard Branson's wife, Lady Joan Branson, could have been prevented if she had received medication to prevent blood clots, a British coroner reportedly found.
uncertain
coroner → prevent → clots
Lady Branson died at 80 after being admitted to the hospital in November 2025 after a fall weeks earlier on Necker Island, a British Virgin Island owned by her billionaire husband.
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Branson → die → husband
Her cause of death was determined to be a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery, the BBC reported.
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BBC → determine → artery
Senior coroner Fiona Wilcox told Westminster Coroner's Court earlier this month that Lady Branson did not receive preventive anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, at the hospital despite a "very high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis," according to the outlet.
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Branson → tell → outlet
According to testimony during the legal inquest, Lady Branson's biggest risk factors included her immobility after a fracture following her fall.
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factors → accord → fall
"I do find her death would have likely been prevented and the lack of anticoagulation did cause or contribute to her death probably," Wilcox said.
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Wilcox → find → death
Wilcox added, however, that the case was not one of neglect because Branson did receive medical care.
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Branson → add → care
The inquest, she said, was to "explore the facts, come to the correct conclusions and learn lessons from this," The Independent reported.
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Independent → say → this
During the inquest, doctors gave differing testimony about whether bleeding risk justified withholding the medication, namely enoxaparin, an injectable blood thinner commonly used to help prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.
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risk → give → patients
The hospital's admitting doctor, Dr. Basir Kunduzi, testified that he did not complete a bleeding risk assessment on the day of Lady Branson's admission.
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he → admit → admission
Kunduzi said Lady Branson's death led him to "reflect on [his] role as a doctor" and the importance of "good communication between team members," according to the BBC.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the hospital for comment.
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Digital → say → comment
The findings highlight the lifesaving role of blood thinners, which are often used in hospitals to help prevent DVT in patients who are unable to move normally after surgery, fractures or prolonged bed rest.
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who → highlight → surgery
They can increase the risk of bleeding, however, so doctors must weigh both risks before giving them.
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doctors → increase → them
Nearly all hospitalized adults should receive some form of blood clot prevention, either with blood-thinning medication or mechanical devices that help keep blood flowing in the legs, Dr. Jared Ross, a South Carolina-based emergency medicine physician, told Fox News Digital.
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Ross → hospitalize → Digital
"In the vast majority of cases, the benefits outweigh the risks," Ross, who was not involved in the inquest or Branson's care, added.
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who → outweigh → inquest
A spokeswoman for Sir Branson said the family does not plan to comment on the inquest and pointed to the numerous social media posts he has made for his wife.
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he → say → wife
"Life will never be the same without her," Branson wrote on Instagram last year, calling her the "shining star" of the family.
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Branson → write → family
"But we have fifty incredible years of memories — years filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture.
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words → have → family
It was a relationship that worked.
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that → work → ?
We just had lots of laughs.
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We → have → laughs
Although pulmonary embolisms can be life-threatening, prompt treatment greatly improves the chances of survival, making early recognition critical.
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recognition → threaten → survival
Symptoms of DVT can include swelling, pain or tenderness, warmth and redness in the affected leg or arm, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Symptoms → include → Control
A pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a clot travels to the lungs, may cause shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with deep breathing or coughing, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, coughing up blood, lightheadedness or fainting.
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that → occur → blood
The CDC and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say anyone with symptoms of a pulmonary embolism should seek immediate medical attention.
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anyone → say → attention
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