'I wondered if it has perhaps been a single one at a bifurcation.'
Then it's possible for it to have travelled up and into the opposite lower limb?
My only experience of ICU was my daughter, who was a paed and also extremely ill from cancer and sitting two infections in her lungs.
It's very full on and 1:1 in ICU.
She was ventilated, oscillating vent 100% towards the end, and there were issues with pressure, pressure sores, etc. Being ventilated is not like being asleep. There are many, many complications that can occur as a result of such treatment.
She presented with a clot during physio, crashed and was resussed (she died two days later from respiratory failure of pneumonia). That is how quickly it came about. She was very ill, ventilated patients in ICU are. Before she went under for it we were advised that she might die. The consultant on duty spoke to me and made a character judgement of me, he allowed me to stay as she was put under for it, something that is not standard. I heard him appointing who was to do what if she crashed. I am eternally grateful to him. That was the last time I ever saw my child alive, and he didn't have to do that.
I am grateful to her doctors and nurses, even though she died, even though I know they signed up for all-nighters, unsociable hours, what have you.
I worked for years in the legal field, too. I've seen some incredible people and some utter sheisters, like any other field. They all signed up for unsociable hours and all-nighters, but most of the clients were grateful because it's a skill they don't have themselves that the lawyer provided for them. And the entire team.
It will all come out in court if it gets that far, and there again, unless you've been sitting in that court room day after day, you really have no idea.
They did their best to save her and I am still, 4 years on, grateful for their efforts and have sent them written letters to express that.
There's a big difference between could have died and dead.