Fort Worth, Texas — Tracia Davis, 40, of Euless thought she was having an asthma attack when she began struggling to breathe. Physicians soon discovered a blood clot obstructing her mechanical mitral valve, a rare and life-threatening condition that often requires emergency open-heart surgery.
“Doctors told my family the usual options were very risky,” Davis says. “I’m grateful they found another way.”
To treat Davis, Medical City Fort Worth successfully performed the first documented stand-alone primary percutaneous transseptal mechanical thrombectomy for obstructive mechanical mitral valve thrombosis using cerebral embolic protection. This minimally invasive approach uses a catheter inserted through a vein in the leg and carefully guided to the atrial septum in the heart to remove the clot and restore blood flow, avoiding open-heart surgery. Protective filters were placed in arteries supplying the brain to reduce the risk of stroke during the procedure.
For Davis, traditional treatment was not considered safe. She had previously undergone two open-heart surgeries and had experienced a recent stroke with intracranial bleeding. Both repeat surgery and clot-dissolving medication carried significant risk.
“This case required coordination across structural heart, cardiology and neurointerventional teams,” says Farhan Ali, MD, medical director of the Structural Heart Program at Medical City Fort Worth. “In a situation where conventional treatment posed elevated risk, a catheter-based approach allowed us to address the obstruction without repeat open-heart surgery.”
The procedure highlights the strength of Medical City Fort Worth’s Structural Heart Program and its ability to manage complex valve emergencies within a comprehensive cardiovascular system of care. By aligning structural heart expertise with stroke intervention capabilities, the hospital advanced a coordinated treatment pathway for high-risk mechanical valve patients.
The case reflects Medical City Fort Worth’s focus on innovation to advance and improve care delivery across generations for patients with complex heart conditions.
Find out more information about cardiology services at Medical City Fort Worth.