Amber, 28, a mother of two, lives outside Dallas, TX. She loves running, spending time with her children, and watching her 11-year-old son play football and baseball. In December 2021, a month after the birth of her daughter, Amber began to experience pain in her leg along with shortness of breath. There was a rapid onset of pain and swelling in Amber’s leg that made it difficult for her to take care of her children. She decided it was time to go to her local hospital.

Upon arrival at the emergency department, Amber was unable to get out of her car due to severe pain in her right leg. An ultrasound confirmed a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in her leg and a minor pulmonary embolism (PE) in her lungs. Due to the severity of her DVT, the team recommended that Amber be transferred via ambulance to a larger hospital in Dallas for advanced care. The team at Texas Health Presbyterian decided that the best treatment for Amber’s DVT would be a minimally invasive procedure using the ClotTriever® system to remove the large clot burden in her leg. “I remember crying from the pain caused by the DVT. My leg was swollen and heavy. The clot removed was unreal,” said Amber, referring to the significant amount of clot removed during her procedure. Amber’s PE was minor enough to be successfully treated with anticoagulation.

The swelling and pain in Amber’s right leg improved within a few weeks, and her shortness of breath resolved. In May, Amber ran her first 5K and is now back on the sports fields cheering on her son. She is planning for a career in crime scene investigation.