DALLAS — Linda Potthoff woke up with severe breathing problems. She told her husband to call for medical help, just in case. That’s her last memory before waking up in a hospital room. Thanks to emergency treatment received at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, Potthoff survived a pulmonary embolism — the third leading cause of cardiovascular death in the U.S.

ECMO nurse manager Julie Cox, Linda Potthoff, and Andres Leal, M.D.

“I remember the morning of June 4 well,” she said. “I was in bed thinking it would just pass. Well, it would have passed — and so would I — if my husband hadn’t called 911.”

How a life-changing day unfolded

Serving a vital function in the body, two pulmonary arteries transfer blood between the heart and lungs, but when a clot blocks blood flow to the lungs, a pulmonary embolism develops. Along with shortness of breath, symptoms range from coughing and chest pain to swelling in the legs. Sometimes, it can become fatal, said Richard Kim, M.D., a pulmonologist on the Texas Health Dallas medical staff. He also serves as co-medical director for the ECMO program.

Potthoff’s 18 days of care at Texas Health Dallas involved an emergency heart procedure and extensive treatment using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy, which is an artificial heart and lung machine that works outside the patient’s body to pump blood.

Paramedics drove Potthoff to Texas Health Dallas, less than 10 miles from her home — and the care team, which included Heather Owen, M.D. an emergency medicine physician on the Texas Health Dallas medical staff — awaited her arrival.

For more than 40 minutes, they performed emergency CPR to restore Potthoff’s heartbeat and save her life. Her patient journey was far from over.

After extensive testing, including an echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to produce images of the heart and arteries, as well as a CT scan, which produces imaging to detect disease and injury, the care team noticed Potthoff had a clot that was blocking blood flow to both lungs, known as a saddle pulmonary embolism.

Considered life-threatening and rare — accounting for less than 6% of all acute cases — a saddle pulmonary embolism, without medical treatment, can lead to sudden death.

“Mrs. Potthoff wasn’t receiving critical blood flow, and her heart and lungs were shutting down,” Kim said. “The care team determined ECMO was the best approach to repair and prevent further damage to her organs.”

Receiving specialized emergency care

For eight days, Potthoff received ECMO therapy, enabling her lungs and heart time to recover and providing the care team with essential time to remove her blockage, said Andres Leal, M.D., a Texas Health Physicians Group* cardiothoracic surgeon on the Texas Health Dallas medical staff. According to Leal, who serves as co-medical director of the ECMO program, a small incision was made through her femoral artery to remove the clot, a procedure known as a transvenous pulmonary embolectomy.

“Her success story highlights the significance of an ECMO program and the importance of promptly responding to critical patients in distress,” said Leal.

Emergency Medicine physician, Sarah Way, M.D., J.D., agrees. She also serves as chief quality and medical officer for Texas Health Dallas.

“Our ECMO program is a shining example of how Texas Health Dallas is committed to mastering and delivering advanced medical therapies to enable our patients to overcome life-threatening illnesses and return to their lives, their families and our community.”

Getting back to enjoying life

A healthy lifestyle and consistent exercise played significant roles in Potthoff’s survival story, too.

Now that she’s in her late 70s, she remains active by walking daily, spending time with her grandchildren, and teaching her preschool students.

“Positivity is a huge factor in your health,” Potthoff said. “I had to overcome a life-threatening situation, and I’m grateful knowing the people around me at Texas Health Dallas were incredibly well trained and reacted calmly and quickly to my needs.”

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*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.