Where on the neck this teen got the hickey and how long she applied pressure made the difference between lightly bruising and causing major problems.
Damage to the carotid arteries, which are major blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain, neck and face is where experts thing the damage happened. There are two carotid arteries, one on the right and one on the left of the neck. Each artery has different functions, the internal carotid supplies blood to the brain and the external carotid supplies blood to the face and neck.
Doctors believe that there was direct pressure for a prolonged period of time to the carotid artery, which caused a tear or injury to the wall of the blood vessel, leading to a blood clot, which may have led to the stroke.
This unfortunate situation led to the death of this teen, but at the same time it’s helping spread awareness about how something so innocent could potentially be life-threatening.
