Allegheny Health Network (AHN) has announced a significant achievement in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. Dr. Candice Lee, a renowned surgeon at AHN’s Cardiovascular Institute, successfully performed her 100th pulmonary thrombectomy (PTE) at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital. This procedure addresses chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a rare and severe lung condition.
Dr. Lee leads the clinical program for CTEPH and is among the few surgeons nationwide who frequently conduct PTEs for this condition. CTEPH results from blood clots forming scar tissue in the lungs’ arteries, restricting blood flow and placing strain on the heart.
“The blood clots, inflammation and scar tissue within the lungs serve as restrictive barriers for blood flow and force the right side of the heart to work even harder to circulate blood through the pulmonary system,” explained Dr. Lee. “The added work on the heart muscle can cause right heart failure, and reduce oxygenated blood flow to the body’s cells, tissues and vital organs. Although rare, CTEPH can be debilitating, and fatal if left untreated.”
Symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, cyanosis, and fainting spells make diagnosis challenging due to their non-specific nature. Advanced imaging scans and catheterization are effective diagnostic tools according to Dr. Lee.
Treatment for CTEPH often involves surgical procedures like PTE but may also include medical therapies or balloon pulmonary angioplasty for those not suited for surgery. The PTE procedure involves open-heart surgery where surgeons remove obstructions from pulmonary arteries using a bypass machine.
“This procedure essentially removes obstruction within the pulmonary arteries, thereby normalizing pulmonary pressures and restoring heart function,” said Dr. Lee. “In the majority of cases, PTE is considered to be curative for CTEPH and we’ve been highly successful at Allegheny General Hospital with getting our CTEPH patients back to living their lives, to the fullest.”
The multidisciplinary care team at AGH includes cardiac surgeons, cardiologists specializing in heart failure, pulmonologists, among others.
“We’re extremely proud of Dr. Lee and her exceptional work in this rare field of medicine,” said Stephen Bailey, MD, Chair of AHN Cardiovascular Institute. “Today’s milestone announcement is a testament to the clinical expertise at Allegheny General Hospital, and further underscores how Dr. Lee’s leadership of a highly specialized, multidisciplinary care team results in remarkable long-term health outcomes for our patients.”
According to data from the American Lung Association, approximately 3,000 cases of CTEPH are diagnosed annually across the United States.
