Jessica, a 44-year-old wife and mother of two children, is an avid hiker who enjoys finding new outdoor adventures with her family any chance she gets. A native of Northwest Indiana, Jessica works in alumni advancement for a local university and is fortunate to cover multiple states in her role, which allows her to explore several parks and trails during her business travels.

In early April, Jessica received her coronavirus vaccine and soon after experienced noticeable shortness of breath. As a healthy, active individual without any history of illness, she attributed the shortness of breath to seasonal allergies and continued with her daily activities.

Jessica and her husband, Bryan, celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary in late April with a hiking trip to Southern Illinois, where they enjoyed long hikes ranging from five to ten miles each day. Despite experiencing bothersome shortness of breath during the trip, she managed to complete the getaway without significant discomfort and planned a visit to her primary care physician upon returning home. Her doctor suspected pneumonia and prescribed steroids, a Z-Pak, and an inhaler to help with her breathing.

Shortly after her visit, she developed a severe cough, pain in her lower back, and shortness of breath that was worsening. It became difficult for her to walk and sit down without experiencing a severe coughing fit. Lying flat was the only way to find comfort. On May 6, Jessica’s daughter found her passed out in the bathroom. After waking her up, her daughter immediately drove her to the emergency department. A CT scan revealed a large blood clot in her lungs, while an echocardiogram showed a clot-in-transit in the right atrium of her heart. Dr. Sandeep Sehgal, an interventional cardiologist, consulted with Jessica as soon as the CT and echocardiogram were completed.

“I was shocked by my diagnosis. I thought I could justify all the reasons for my shortness of breath, cough, and back pain over the prior weeks. Never did I think blood clots would be the primary reason for my symptoms,” said Jessica.

Jessica was brought directly to the cardiovascular catheterization lab, where Dr. Sehgal used FlowTriever® to aspirate the blood clots. The procedure was completed in one hour, and her symptoms immediately improved while on the table, including a significant increase in her saturation levels that reached 98% at the end of the procedure. “I remember being able to fill my lungs with oxygen for the first time in a month. It was instantaneous. It felt so good to take full breaths again,” said Jessica about her immediate symptom improvement.

Jessica is grateful that the stars aligned for her that day. She is thankful for Inari’s technology and representative, as well as for Dr. Sehgal’s prompt decision-making, which saved her life.