Grateful Patient

from Focus on Wellness Winter/Spring 2023

Innovative Technology

Chris and Alison Olsen, joined by their twin boys Ben and Sam.

Sharing of Gratitude to the Life-Saving Treatment at Dominican

The journey to good health can feature life-saving moments. Alison Olsen, a 35-year-old Santa Cruz mom, was finally on her road to good health. She had suffered from severe pelvic pain for years and was happy to be home, recovering from surgery at Dominican Hospital. Alison had endured a total robotic hysterectomy required to treat endometriosis, a painful disorder in which scar tissue grows outside the uterus. Alison’s surgery was a success, performed by Sienna Titen, MD, a surgical obstetrician specializing in robotics, who was instrumental in diagnosing her pelvic pain and guiding her through surgery to better health.

Alison and her husband, Chris, had good reasons for her to be healthy. Waiting at home were Ben and Sam, their two recently adopted one-year-old twin boys.

I want to thank everyone for what you do each and every day, year after year to make Dominican the place it is - where nearly all staff are overflowing with compassion for their patients, and where clinical excellence drives life-saving outcomes. Each and every day of the last 7 ½ years that I have come to work, I have been in awe of the dedication

and expertise of the individuals I get to work with. ”

- Alison Olsen

Three days into her recovery from surgery, Alison was preparing for a walk and suddenly felt dizzy. She had shortness of breath, and her heart was pounding with knife-like pain in her chest and head. An ambulance was called to rush Alison back to Dominican Hospital. In the Emergency Department, an ultrasound revealed a blood clot in her leg, not an uncommon complication after major surgery. In Alison’s case, the blood clot that formed in her thigh during her healing from surgery broke off and lodged in her lungs.

Each year, two million Americans experience deep vein thrombosis. The condition arises when a clot develops in a vein surrounded by dense connective tissue, typically in the arms or legs, and begins to block blood flow. About a third of the time, a piece of the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, becoming a pulmonary embolism (PE) that interferes with breathing or causes worse problems. In this country, pulmonary embolisms kill about 60,000 people a year.

Alison was now under the care of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team at Dominican, the first in the Monterey Bay region. Only three days after major surgery, Alison could not receive standard blood clot treatment for blood thinners. She spent the night under observation in the intensive care unit. With signs of cardiac decline, Juan Rodriguez, MD, an interventional radiologist, was called to utilize new technology to remove the clot from Alison’s body.

Alison benefitted from a new treatment called the FlowTriever Retrieval/Aspiration System, which can quickly resolve a pulmonary embolism and reduce the risks of side effects with traditional therapies. If a large clot stays in place, the heart must work extra hard to push blood to the lungs. That can strain the heart and may even cause it to stop working. Tests showed that Allison’s heart was under strain, and her clot needed to be addressed immediately.

The FlowTriever system quickly removes even large clots. A catheter, a thin, flexible tube, is navigated through a large vein in the groin, up to the heart, and into the pulmonary arteries. With the catheter in position, clots are removed by suction into a syringe. The treatment mechanically removes clots more immediately than medication, though medication may also be used. FlowTriever treatment spares patients large doses of thrombolytic medicines, which may lengthen the time spent in the intensive care unit and increase the risk of bleeding.

Alison and her family have expressed gratitude for the fast-acting PE Response Team and acknowledge the lifesaving care she received at Dominican Hospital. A return to good health lets everyone focus on doing what they love.

Share your gratitude. There are many ways to say thank you to those who care for us at Dominican Hospital. Contact the Foundation at 831.462.7712 to learn how you can impact the care received for future patients.

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