Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman returned to Dr. Oz for a lung scan and to provide an update on his condition. Chapman previously appeared on the show in September to reveal he was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism when he was rushed to the hospital earlier that month. Although Chapman has said he is taking better care of himself, Dr. Mehmet Oz said there were still some alarming results.
During a preview clip from Monday’s episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Oz showed off the results of a recent lung scan, which shows Chapman’s pulmonary embolism. The condition is a sometimes deadly blockage within the lung’s arteries. Oz told Chapman the scan “really alarmed me and I was fearful of this.”
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“You see how this normal artery here has little white middle part? But this one has a little piece missing out of it. You notice it’s white on the outside but the middle is like an eclipse, real black,” Oz told Chapman, reports PEOPLE. “That’s a piece of blood clot, that is actually inside the arteries of your lungs. That’s called a pulmonary embolism.”
“The problem with these clots is when they block off the arteries, they don’t let any oxygen get to the lungs,” the host continued. “There are plenty of folks who died from these emboli.”
After seeing the results, Chapman said his first response was, “How do we get rid of this.”
There are several treatments for pulmonary embolisms, according to the Mayo Clinic. These include medications like blood thinners and clot dissolvers, and surgeries like clot removal and vein filter.
Common symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include shortness of breath, cough and chest pain.
“Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience unexplained shortness of breath, chest pain or a cough that produces bloody sputum,” the Mayo Clinic notes.
Chapman was rushed to the hospital in September, and he feared he suffered a heart attack. Thankfully, tests showed that was not the case. However, the incident was an eye-opener for Chapman, who has said he will try to stop smoking and eat a healthier diet.
“You’re not going to be here with the heart the way it is right now,” Oz told Chapman in September. “”Fear of death is normal. I’m surprised you don’t fear death when you’re chasing after convicts. But when you run away from doctors, that means you have to do your own doctoring.”
Dog’s hospitalization came after his wife, Beth Chapman, died in June following a battle with lung and throat cancers. During hone of his first interviews after he was released from the hospital, Chapman said he was suffering from a broken heart.
“It feels much better now. And I’m going through some psychological things right now too, so that doesn’t help,” Chapman told Fox31 in Denver. “I think, basically, I had a broken heart. And of course, it’s going to heal.”
Chapman and Beth filmed the first season of Dog’s Most Wanted before her death. The new series airs on WGN America Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
Photo credit: Getty Images
