This offers a life-saving cure. In the procedure, called a pulmonary thrombo-endarterectomy, special instruments are used to clean out the interior of the pulmonary arteries. Espada said for most people, clots in the lungs do not present a problem because the body dissolves them. But, some people are missing the properties in blood that eliminate the clots. For the other group of people, however, the clots become rubbery masses that obstruct the blood flow.
Patients usually arrive at the hospital with an enlarged, failing heart and difficulty breathing.
He said the condition often goes undetected because it is difficult to diagnose without the specialized test. A history of miscarriages, inflammation of veins in the leg and shortness of breath are possible indicators of the condition. During the surgery, the patient is placed on a heart-lung machine and the body temperature is dropped to stop circulation. The pulmonary artery is opened and cleaned out with special instruments that peel out the clots. After the surgery, the patient recovers quickly.