The Pulmonary Embolism Treatment Team (PERT) at Cooper works together for rapid evaluation of patients with high-risk pulmonary embolisms to provide catheter-directed therapy, surgical thrombectomy, percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and systemic thrombolysis. Together, team members tailor treatments based on each patient’s unique scenario and critical need.
Currently, Cooper has the highest volume of catheter-based procedures in the Delaware Valley, performing, on average, five to eight catheter-based procedures for intermediate to high-risk pulmonary embolism patients each month. Since their inception in 2017, the PERT team has performed more than 225 procedures with excellent clinical outcomes with low incidence of procedural or major complications.
Because of the success of Cooper’s PERT program, Cooper was selected as one of 40 sites for the STRIKE-PE trial evaluating penumbra mechanical aspiration thrombectomy for intermediate risk pulmonary embolism with objective clinical and exercise outcomes.
As the leading academic health system in South Jersey, we are proud of the lifesaving care that we provide to patients. The success of this program is a testament to the cooperation, dedication, and involvement of the members of the PERT team:
- Sabina Amin, MD, Interventional Radiology
- Elias Iliadis, MD, Interventional Cardiology
- Shawana Hussain, MD, Critical Care Medicine
- Hussein Kiliddar, MD, Pulmonary Medicine
- Brian Freeze, MD, Emergency Medicine
- Megan Manno, DO, Hospital Medicine
- Lauren Igneri, PharmD, Critical Care Pharmacist
- Karen Gruber, BSN, RN, Nursing Administration