Pulmonary Embolism: Joanne’s Story
Joanne Giacalone, a 22 year old nurse, collapsed suddenly on the job at was rushed to North Shore-LIJ’s Long Island Jewish Hospital. Arriving at the ICU in an advanced state of cardiac distress, she was quickly diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism — a clot that travels through the heart and into the lungs. The only way to stop it and save her life was to remove the clot manually. Due to the quick thinking of Dr. L. Michael Graver to take Joanne immediately to the operating room for emergency open heart surgery and the tireless work of the ICU team to keep her alive, Joanne regained brain function and awoke a few days after surgery. She has since made a full recovery. After experiencing the high level of care at North Shore-LIJ, Joanne has since joined the team so she can help patients receive similar care.
About the Author
