Breakthroughs RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL � 2025
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Grateful patient breathing easy after first-of-its-kind lung procedure
Breakthroughs
rom time to time over several years, Susan Anderson would find herself out of breath after minor, everyday exertions. But she lived with it; just part of getting older, she figured. She also minimized the come-andgo cough that occasionally accompanied her breathing difficulties. “Maybe I had a cold or something,” she’d tell herself. “But it’s not as bad as it was yesterday. So, it must be getting better.”
RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL � 2025
Unfortunately, it wasn’t getting better . . . or going away. In September of 2022, Susan was working as administrative assistant to the head of school at a college-preparatory institution. She was excited that another new academic year was underway, but the simple daily ascent of the stairs began testing Susan in ways it never had before—and she was failing. “It was only 14 steps and an elevation of nine feet,” she recalls. “I used to get out of breath for a few seconds at the top and have to sort of pause and gather myself. But then the seconds turned into minutes, and I knew something was wrong.” By December of that year, Susan was at a point where she couldn’t catch her breath and ended up in the emergency department at Rhode Island Hospital. There, it was discovered she had multiple pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots, blocking the arteries in her lungs.
A concerning discovery To combat this, she was put on anticoagulants to prevent new clots from forming and stop the existing ones from getting bigger. That treatment plan worked, initially, but Susan’s follow-up three months later unearthed a concerning discovery. In March of 2023, Susan came under the care of Christopher J. Mullin, MD, at Rhode Island Hospital. In reviewing her chart and history, Dr. Mullin suspected the presence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
Susan Anderson (right) with her sister, Audrey, at the top of Diamond Head in Hawaii.
“The level of concern and compassion Rhode Island Hospital care team showed me was absolutely wonderful. It’s a remarkable gift they all have.” —Susan Anderson A rare and potentially fatal disease, CTEPH occurs when undissolved blood clots in the lungs cause scar tissue to form, which narrows arteries, obstructs blood flow, and increases pressure within the pulmonary vessels. Diagnostic testing, which included a right-heart catheterization and pulmonary angiography, confirmed Dr. Mullin’s intuition. It was determined that Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty (BPA) would be Susan’s best treatment option. BPA is a minimally invasive procedure where catheters with balloons are inserted into a patient’s pulmonary arteries and the balloons are inflated to open blockages, which improves blood flow and reduces pulmonary artery pressure. (continued on page 2)