Pulmonary Embolism

On December 15th 2015, I lost my son to a Pulmonary Embolism. It took everyone, even his doctors by surprise. At the end of November Liam caught a cold like virus. Because of CDH his immune system couldn't fight it off. His body tried for weeks but because of his weakened immune system, the cold like virus caused an infection in his blood. The blood infection in turn, caused a blood clot that traveled to his lungs. By this point his body was too weak to fight. The ER doctor suspected the blood clot when Liam quickly went down hill. One minute Liam was sitting there and a few minutes later he started having seizures and his heart stopped. The doctor used an ultrasound machine and found a blood clot in Liam's neck. The clot had got lodged there and cut of the blood supply to the brain causing a seizure. The nurses tried over and over to get IV access but Liam's veins were too calcified from years of pokes and IV's. As a last result they tried to get a bone IV to delivery the adult strength medicine to break the clot up. The meds had never before been delivered via bone IV so they weren't even sure it would work, but they had to try something. They never got the chance. After Liam's heart stopped for the 3rd time, they couldn't get it to restart and we lost him. With Rare Disease Day coming up on February 28th, I wanted to share one of the rarest diseases Liam suffered.


What is a Pulmonary Embolism (PE)?
A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in the lungs.
Most times, a pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots that travel from the legs or, rarely, other parts of the body (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT).


What are the symptoms of PE?
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Cough
Leg pain and/or swelling
Clammy or discolored skin
Fever
Excessive sweating
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Lightheadedness or dizziness

Can it be treated?
Yes but it's important to get immediate medical treatment. Without treatment, PE can cause death. Treatments can include blood thinners, meds to break up the clots and certain procedures.

Are PE's fatal?
If not caught, yes. It's very important to seek immediate medical treatment if you suspect you may have a PE. The mortality rate for adult who suffer a PE is 15% overall. That's 42 in every 283 PE patients.

Can a child suffer a PE?
A pulmonary embolism in children is rare but can happen. 0.9 in every 100,000 children with a 10% mortality rate.