When Kern County resident Kimberly Marchant first discovered she had a blood clot in her heart that needed to be removed, her first thought was “I don’t know how I’m going to do this.” Kimberly was considering how she would handle recovering from open-heart surgery, the proposed treatment for her condition.
After multiple consultations and scans, Eric Peck, MDa cardiothoracic surgeon with Dignity Health Medical Group—Bakersfield, had an idea. Dr. Peck suggested using AlphaVac technology to clear Kimberly’s clot. AlphaVac is an instrument designed to aspirate a mass by entering a vein to access multiple parts of the body.
“I was immediately relieved to have this option because I wouldn’t have to miss so much work,” says Kimberly. “So many things in my life that are important to me would have stopped if I had to have heart surgery.”
Using AlphaVac technology from Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Dr. Peck was able to remove the blood clot by making an incision in the thigh, following a vein to the upper right heart chamber. The procedure took less than two hours and Kimberly was able to return home after just one night in hospital.
The availability of the AlphaVac procedure to Kern County residents with heart clots, tumors or other cardiac masses that need to be removed will significantly improve the patient’s overall recovery and reduce the risk of complications from surgery. The success of this procedure is a great example of how Dignity Health continues to advance cardiovascular care by identifying new, minimally invasive solutions.
“Being at the forefront of cardiovascular care allows us to continue to improve outcomes for patients, helping them get back to life faster,” says Dr. Peck. “We frequently research new technologies and learn how they can help our patients more effectively.”
