MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) The omicron surge continues to put local hospitals in a tailspin. Now, doctors are seeing a rise in blood clots in patients suffering with COVID-19.<\/p>\n
Where you land during an emergency could make the difference between life and death as one Macomb County woman found out when her life was on the line.<\/p>\n
At the end of 2021 Christina Peak, a nurse, was not working. Three months pregnant, she found herself short of breath and feeling like she was running on a treadmill when she was only sitting.<\/p>\n
I said my heart should not be beating that fast, Peak said.<\/p>\n
Without health insurance and afraid of a big bill, she stayed home hoping she would feel better but instead, she fainted.<\/p>\n
I said, you got to call 911. I said, something is not right, Peak said.<\/p>\n
After passing out two more times, paramedics arrived. Her oxygen level and heart rate were low. She had pulmonary embolisms in both lungs and at risk of death.<\/p>\n
I remember my niece hitting me and saying, Tee Tee, wake up, wake up. It's going to be OK, waking up, Peak said.<\/p>\n
They raced her to Ascension Macomb-Oakland where Dr. Theodore Schreiber says they have pioneered brand innovative technology to deal with blood clots on the lungs.<\/p>\n
How major of a case was hers?\" WXYZs Carolyn Clifford asked Dr. Schreiber.<\/p>\n
It was a very major case. Anytime someone has had a pulmonary embolism, has episodes where they faint and lost consciousness, pass out, that meant the heart is incapable of pumping enough blood to the vital organs, Schreiber said.<\/p>\n
Ascension Macomb has a PERT team, which stands for Pulmonary Embolism Response Team. Even with an overload of COVID-19 patients, their emergency rooms know what to do when a patient has a clot.<\/p>\n
Without a PERT team and had she not arrived to you, would she have died? Clifford asked.<\/p>\n
Had she landed at another hospital without a PERT team and without the knowledge and experience we have at Ascension Macomb, she would have died, Schreiber said.<\/p>\n
Knowing she was pregnant, doctors told her they had to save her first and time was critical.<\/p>\n
If you go, then you and your baby will go as well, Schreiber said.<\/p>\n
They first did the least invasive procedure to break up the clots by going up her groin.<\/p>\n
It felt as if an elephant was on my chest, I mean I could not breathe, it was horrible, Peak said.<\/p>\n
They quickly realized it did not work and she had to be rushed back to the operating room.<\/p>\n
So, I'm trying to breath oxygen, 15 liters. And I still couldn't breathe at the point, it was like panicking, Peak said.<\/p>\n
An entire team of doctors surrounded her.<\/p>\n
I just remember throwing my hand in the air and saying, 'I quit. God, this is my time.' They were just so supportive, Peak said. I could actually feel that last blood clot pulled out. Oh my God, I can breathe.<\/p>\n
Shreiber says before clot retriever technology, a patient like Peak would have needed open -heart surgery to remove her pulmonary embolisms.<\/p>\n
It's the only easily available technology that's easily useable and safe to remove most if not all of the lung clots, Schreiber said.<\/p>\n
Shreiber says since the pandemic began, the number of lung clots in patients doubled, tripled and quadrupled.<\/p>\n
Risk factors include weight, exercise, heart disease, diabetes and if you are elderly. And a major risk factor now is the presence of COVID-19.<\/p>\n
Did you realize how lucky you were going to a hospital with a PERT team? Clifford asked Peak.<\/p>\n
To me, or it could be based on my intuition that was nothing but God, Peak said.<\/p>\n
Shreiber says if you have any symptoms of pulmonary embolism including leg clots, which cause swelling, pain in your calves or new discoloration, seek medical attention immediately.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/p>\n
Ascension Macomb has new technology to help patients with blood clots from COVID-19 - WXYZ<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. Continue reading