Maureen scalia

I read with interest the reports that Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead in bed with his CPAP neither attached to him nor even plugged in. Many of the news reports noted that: “…the chance of death from skipping a single day is tiny, and patients can and do take breaks because they have a cold, forget to take the machine on a short trip or because the masks are irritating. Typically the only immediate ill effects are snoring and possibly getting up at night gasping.”¹ But oh how I wished the message was different! Given Justice Scalia's reported comorbid illnesses and his probable severe sleep apnea (I am guessing his neck circumference at least 18+ inches), the likelihood that he died of either a cardiac arrhythmia, massive stroke or pulmonary embolism is quite high. We will never know if he wore his CPAP that night, would he be alive today, however it is likely that if he had been using his CPAP that night, assuming the final event was a cardiovascular event, there would have been a reduced likelihood of a mortal event.

Reportedly, Justice Scalia's death certificate liste