Doctors from the Upper Silesian Medical Center removed a clot from the heart without opening the chest

In the Upper Silesian Medical Center named after prof. Leszek Giec SUM in Katowice, a pioneering procedure of percutaneous removal of a large thrombus from the right atrium of the heart was performed. The operation saved the life of a 45-year-old oncology patient.

The procedure was performed using the modern AngioVac system – a technology that allows for the removal of embolic material without the need for classic open-heart surgery.

The procedure was performed jointly by: the physician in charge of the Cardiac Surgery Department, dr hab. n. med. Radosław Gocoł and the interventional cardiologist from the 1st Department of Cardiology of GCM, dr n. med. Marek Grabka.

"She is a young patient undergoing oncological treatment for colon cancer with liver metastases," Dr. Gocoł explained to PAP. "She had a vascular port inserted through the jugular vein, which enabled the administration of chemotherapy. During check-up heart tests, a large, unstable structure was detected in the right atrium, which could break off at any time and cause pulmonary embolism. It was a direct threat to life," he added.

Until now, such cases required extensive cardiac surgery with opening the chest and the use of extracorporeal circulation.

"In the case of this patient, standard surgery would involve not only high risk, but also the need to delay further oncological treatment, including subsequent cycles of chemotherapy," emphasized Dr. Marek Grabka.

That is why the team of doctors decided to use a modern, minimally invasive percutaneous method – using the AngioVac system. This is a special set consisting of a catheter and a so-called biopump, which allows the removal of the clot from the heart using suction, without opening the chest. The procedure involves inserting the catheter through the femoral vein, sucking out the blood along with the clot into a filter and then returning the filtered blood to the patient's circulatory system through the second vein.

"This method significantly reduces the risk for the patient, shortens the recovery time and does not cause delays in the treatment of the underlying disease," said Dr. Grabka. "The procedure lasted an hour and a half, and the patient was walking around the ward the next day. Today, three days later, she was discharged home in good condition," added Dr. Gocoł.

As doctors emphasize, such a procedure is not yet a therapeutic standard - it requires not only modern equipment, but also a lot of experience of the team and access to a hybrid operating room. "This is a new, innovative technology - used in only a few centers in Poland and Europe. Our center, thanks to experience in intravascular procedures and the Heart Team, can afford to implement such methods" - added Dr. Gocoł.

The patient feels well, does not require rehabilitation, and doctors are expecting the results of a histopathological examination of the removed lesion in the near future – which will ultimately determine whether it was a clot or a cancer metastasis to the heart. (PAP)

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