A 30cm blood clot could have ended very badly for this pregnant mum

Discover how a multidisciplinary team at Mater Private Hospital Brisbane successfully used cutting-edge technology to save pregnant mum, Clare Foreman and her baby suffering from a lethal blood clot.

Aussie mum, Clare Foreman was 34 weeks’ pregnant and relaxing on her couch when she began suffering agonising pain in her leg and abdomen.

She knew immediately something was seriously wrong – and she was right.

Unknown to her, a potentially lethal foot-long blood clot had developed in her deep femoral vein.

She was admitted to hospital and treated with standard blood thinners, but unfortunately this did not improve her symptoms. She had terrible leg swelling and pain, making it impossible for her to even walk to the bathroom.

The clot-busting drugs usually used to treat Deep Vein Thrombosis would have threatened her baby’s life – but today both mum and baby are safe at home following a pioneering procedure by Mater vascular surgeon Dr Danny Hagley.

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Dr Hagley became the first surgeon in Queensland to use the cutting-edge Inari ClotTriever device late last year and in this case was again able to extract Ms Foreman’s ‘unusually large’ clot via a tiny 1cm incision.   

The surgery was performed at Mater Private Hospital Brisbane just days after baby Isabel was delivered via an emergency caesarean section at Mater Mothers’ Hospital.

“Clare’s condition was not just painful, it was also very dangerous,” Dr Hagley said.

“A multidisciplinary team of specialists worked together to ensure Isabel’s safe arrival, while making sure Clare’s health and wellbeing was not compromised.

“Prior to her DVT surgery, we put a clot filter in via Clare’s neck to minimise the chance of clotting moving to her heart and lungs during the delivery of baby Isabel.”

The pregnancy blood clot was safely removed

Dr Hagley said the ClotTriever device utilises a metal ring which opposes the edges of the vein connected to a mesh collecting basket which is inserted directly into the vein and surrounds the clot, which is then safely removed out of the bloodstream.

“Without the ClotTriever, Clare would have had significant risk of bleeding from her caesarean section surgery or have to go undergo major open surgery and would have faced a lengthy recovery time,” Dr Hagley said.

“Clare’s surgery was so successful that she was up and walking the next day and out of hospital the same week.”

How pregnant Clare discovered her blood clot

Ms Foreman said she had experienced some pain in her left leg during her pregnancy, but it was a seemingly harmless movement on the couch at home that led to her being taken to the Pregnancy Assessment Centre at Mater Mothers’.

“I felt a pop and there was intense pain from my leg up into my abdomen,” she said.

“My leg went a different colour and started to swell up immediately and we knew it was time to go to hospital for further investigation.

“After various scans, the DVT was confirmed – it was all just so incredibly daunting.”

Ms Foreman said it was Mater’s multidisciplinary approach, coupled with Dr Hagley’s expertise in Inari ClotTriever technology, which gave her the confidence she and little Isabel would receive the best possible care and outcome.

“My husband Stuart and I both cried tears of relief once we knew how the problem was going to be dealt with because it had all been so scary,” she said.

“It was amazing to be up and walking the day after surgery and holding Isabel for the first time.”