Doctors' Teamwork Saves College Student's Life

Twenty-year old Kaitlin Haywood, a junior at Southeast Missouri State University, was walking across campus last June when she started feeling ill. She made it inside Parker Hall, where she coaches a children's competitive gymnastics team, before passing out.

University staff called 911 and Kaitlin was rushed to the Emergency Department at Southeast Hospital. The ER physician, suspecting she may have a potentially fatal blood clot, ordered a CAT scan. Kaitlin was admitted to the Hospital and placed in ICU. Test results determined she had pulmonary emboli -- blood clots in the lungs. "I had multiple, massive blood clots," Kaitlin recalls.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly, according to Mark Dalton, DO, a Southeast adult hospitalist. "Kaitlin had a fast heart rate, and her blood pressure and oxygen levels began to drop. An echocardiogram report showed the right side of her heart was failing and she needed urgent treatment," Dr. Dalton says.

David A. Law, MD, of Cardiovascular Consultants and the Southeast Hospital Medical Staff, performed catheter-directed thrombolysis, a minimally invasive procedure which likely saved Kaitlin's life. "Before this treatment was available, we usually had to perform surgery," Dr. Law says. "This approach allows us to deliver clot-dissolving medication directly to the clot."

Kaitlin's condition improved, and within 48 hours her vital signs were normal. James C. Mosley III, MD, of Southeast Hematology/Oncology, ultimately found the pulmonary emboli were caused by Antiphopholipid Antibody Syndrome -- a rare autoimmune disorder that carries an increased risk of blood clots. "The treatment is long-term, including lifelong, use of anticoagulants (blood-thinners) to reduce the risk of recurrent potentially life-threatening clotting complications," Dr. Mosley says.

Kaitlin says the anxiety of initially not knowing what caused the blood clots and later the realization that she would be on medication the rest of her life were overwhelming. But she adds that the doctors and Hospital staff kept her informed and made her feel comfortable.

An exercise science major, Kaitlin was a competitive gymnast from ages 6 to 18. Kaitlin says that although she can no longer physically do gymnastics because of the risk of internal bleeding, she enjoys working with kids and plans to continue coaching. "I like passing my knowledge on," she says.