Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Media Relations >
  • News Releases >
  • 021423 wm pulmonary
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

UPMC Western Maryland Marks Pulmonary Care Milestone

For Journalists

Ed DeWitt
Manager
240-522-6250
dewittej@upmc.edu

Sarah Deist
Senior Manager
814-443-5735
deistse@upmc.edu

Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?
Contact UPMC at

1-800-533-8762.

Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.

UPMC color stacked

2/14/2023

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The interventional radiology team at UPMC Western Maryland recently completed their 100th pulmonary thrombectomy. This milestone reflects the highly-skilled dedication of the interventional radiology team – who are on call and ready to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week — and celebrates the successful outcomes for patients suffering from life-threatening pulmonary embolisms (PE).  

A PE occurs when blood clots form — often in the deep veins of the legs — and travel through the blood stream blocking one or more of the arteries in the lungs. At UPMC Western Maryland, the interventional radiology team combines state-of-the-art equipment with years of experience to treat the conditions successfully and effectively. 

During a pulmonary thrombectomy, an interventional radiologist threads a catheter through the patient’s blood vessels to the site of the PE and extracts the blood clot using suction. The procedure is an improvement on decades old technology and results in consistently improved outcomes.  

“This is a common condition, and this procedure can save lives,” said John Pappas, M.D. “UPMC has embraced this new technology and has provided the resources for us to do this procedure. One of those new devices is the Inari FlowTriever system. It’s a better alternative than many of the options we had in our previous toolbox,” Dr. Pappas said.  

WM Pulmonary Milestone HR“Our interventional radiology team is fantastic,” said Michael Arata, M.D. “This procedure is highly specialized. The team has a tremendous amount of experience with this condition and has extensive training on the device used. This is a favorite procedure for us. We like having a huge influence on improving a patient’s outlook — both acutely and chronically. It is gratifying to combine technology and teamwork to positively impact patient outcomes.” 

This technology debuted at UPMC Western Maryland approximately two years ago and the team responsible for this lifesaving treatment is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The interventional radiologists at UPMC Western Maryland are all fellowship-trained, have more than 80 years of combined experience treating PEs and have performed more of these PE thrombectomies than any other hospital within a 100-mile radius of Cumberland.   

Because of UPMC’s expertise and commitment to providing this lifesaving technology, many smaller local hospitals transfer patients to UPMC Western Maryland for this treatment. A patient comes to the emergency department, is diagnosed with a clot, and experts perform the procedure within 24 hours. The procedure is often performed without using powerful clot busters, thus minimizing the bleeding risk, and decreasing the amount of time a patient needs to stay in the intensive care unit and the hospital. This new approach to treat PE also reduces the risk of death as well as long term heart and lung complications.  

Following discharge, the patient has follow-up appointments in the interventional radiology clinic, cardiac rehabilitation unit and is monitored by UPMC Western Maryland’s multidisciplinary team. This pulmonary thrombectomy technique has revolutionized the treatment of PE, and the Life Changing Medicine at UPMC Western Maryland continues to positively impact the local community. 


PHOTO DETAILS: (click image for high-res version)

CREDIT: UPMC
CAPTION: The interventional radiology team at UPMC Western Maryland gathers after recently completing their 100th pulmonary thrombectomy.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login