Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE)

UC San Diego Health System is known worldwide as the one place for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) – a surgical procedure to remove deadly clots from the lungs and restore blood flow. Our experienced pulmonary-critical care medicine physicians and cardiothoracic surgeons developed this surgery. They are considered leaders in the successful evaluation and treatment of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and  have shared their knowledge and trained physicians from around the globe in PTE.

Patients from around the world are referred to our PTE surgeons and the number of referrals increases each year. This practice reflects an increased awareness of the disease and the proven effectiveness of the surgery for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease. Surgeons at UC San Diego Health System’s have performed nearly 2,800 PTE procedures since 1970 – the majority since 1990 – and have experienced a 2.2 percent mortality rate between 2006 and 2010. This postoperative mortality rate is the lowest worldwide.

Patients who come to UC San Diego Health System for this delicate surgical procedure benefit from receiving the most progressive and advanced treatment options available in the world. At  the 2011 Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting in San Diego, Michael M. Madani, MD, reported UC San Diego Health System’s declining perioperative mortality rates in the 500 PTE patients most recently undergoing surgery, while at the same time attaining superior clinical outcomes (STS: Lung Emboli Surgery Safer). This is a testimony not only to the surgical expertise of the PTE Program specialists, but also to the multidisciplinary team approach developed for the management of this complex and demanding disease.

Learn more:

• What is PTE, and who is a candidate for it?
• Why come to UC San Diego for PTE?
• Planning your San Diego stay
• UC San Diego Health System patient shares his PTE story with 10News. Watch it now.