LARGO, Fla. — A new device is helping patients diagnosed with venous thromboembolism (VTE), a blood clot that forms in the vein.

The clot can travel from the legs to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism which can be life-threatening.

The device, called the FlowTriever and created by Inari Medical, allows doctors to rapidly remove blood clots in the lungs and deliver immediate relief.

What You Need To Know

  • Each year, close to one million Americans are diagnosed with venous thromboembolism (VTE), a blood clot that forms in the vein. The clot can travel from the legs to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism which can be life-threatening.

  • It is estimated that 100,000 people die from pulmonary embolisms each year in the U.S., making it the third leading cause of cardiovascular related death after heart attack and stroke.

  • The FlowTriever system rapidly removes blood clots in the lungs delivering immediate relief. 

John Shultz felt lucky to be walking hand in hand with his wife into Dr. Saurabh Sanon's office. Sanon saved Shultz's life at the end of 2022. 

In November, Shultz was feeling very short of breath. “The night before I was getting real light headed and real clammy, feeling kind of damp and clammy," said Shutlz. 

His wife Colleen urged him to go to the ER, and once there a CT scan showed a severe number of blood clots. Shultz was having a pulmonary embolism. 

“I think this was as severe as it gets," said Dr. Sanon, Cardiologist, HCA Florida Largo Hospital. 

Sanon is a cardiologist and decided to used the Inari FlowTriever to remove the blood clots. 

“This obviously goes in from a vein in the leg all the way through the heart and into the lungs, and we already know based on CT scans where the blood clot is in the lungs," said Dr. Sanon. "We position the catheter right on the blood clot, and then we have a syringe with we use to connect here and aspirate all of the blood clot out.”

It removed several blood clots, brining almost instant relief to Shultz.

Before devices like this, a doctor would have had to rely on blood thinners and lytics, which is not instantaneous. 

Thinking back on it now, Shultz knows how bad things could have turned out.  "Yep," he nodded with tears in his eyes. "Pretty lucky.”

Lucky and thankful his heart is performing well, once again. 

The device was FDA approved five years ago. Dr. Sanon calls it a game-changer in the field.