New medical device saves Alberta woman from deadly COVID-19 blood clot
An Alberta woman’s life was saved from a blood clot caused by COVID-19 utilizing a new medical device making its Canadian debut.
The Indigo Lightning CAT12 was used by physicians at the Foothills Medical Centre to remove a pulmonary embolism from Brenda Crowell's lungs.
"Unfortunately, she had COVID-19," explained Dr. Jason Wong, the physician who performed the surgery. "Shortly after that, she developed what we would call venous thromboembolic disease. That basically means blood clots that form in the deep veins of the legs or the arms, or possibly can form in the blood vessels in the lungs.
"In Brenda's case, I'm quite sure that because she had COVID-19, she developed these blood clots from her legs, [which] broke off and went to her lungs."
Crowell was rushed to the emergency room on May 6 after being clinically dead for more than 30 minutes.
"I made it about halfway to the hospital," recounted Crowell. "And then I don't remember anything until I woke up on May 13.
"I had gone into full cardiac arrest by [the] time I got to the hospital."
Crowell was quickly resuscitated, stabilized, then brought to surgery where the Pulmonary Emergency Response Team used the CAT12 to remove the embolism.
"I was intubated as well," said Crowell. "They took me to the ICU to stabilize me. And then from there I had the procedure to remove the major blood clot from my lung."
Crowell was put in a medically induced coma for eight days following the surgery.
The CAT12 uses a flexible catheter, roughly the size of a drinking straw, to remove blood clots. Different sizes of catheters can be fitted depending on the size of the blood vessel. The device is designed to detect the difference between free-flowing blood and blood clots.
The Foothills Medical Centre acquired the CAT12 last year for emergency use.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.