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Using a novel system, physicians at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg succeeded for the first time in removing a blood clot from the main vein and the entrance to the heart of a three-year-old child, thus saving his life

If a vein is constricted, blood clots (thrombi) can form, which usually cause serious consequences such as pulmonary embolism or heart attacks. In a thrombectomy, the blood clot can be removed from the blocked vein in a minimally invasive procedure. To do this, a wire mesh is inserted into the vein and the blood clot is pulled out. Using a new system, physicians at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg have now succeeded for the first time in removing a venous thrombus from a small child in this way. It is one of the first uses of the new system in an infant in Europe.

"A big step forward"

"It is a big step for us to now be able to offer this treatment to our young patients," says Prof. Dr. Wibke Uller, Head of Interventional Radiology at the Department of Radiology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. The three-year-old patient was affected by a complete occlusion of the inferior vena cava - the largest vein in the body - the renal vein and the entrance to the heart. After drug therapy proved ineffective, the team decided to perform a thrombectomy using the new system. As a result, the blockage could be removed and the child's life saved.

The procedure is particularly challenging in children because the vessels are so small. In a first step, the vessel diameters had to be measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound of the child in order to guarantee that the system could be inserted via access points without risk to the child. "We planned the procedure quickly and with high precision. This is only possible with the appropriate expertise and a very well-coordinated team, which we are lucky to have," says Uller.

Minimally invasive approach

The innovative system is normally used in adults to remove larger thrombi in a single session using a minimally invasive approach via a small access port and without additional medication. "This usually saves patients a longer stay in intensive care and reduces the risk of bleeding," says Uller.

Caption

Image: With the new system, larger thrombi can be removed in one session by catching them in the close-meshed mesh and then pulling them out.