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Orlando teen Rajan Laddu and his family visited New England to tour Harvard, Brown and Tufts University last month. During their college visits, they made certain to stop by BWH to thank Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, director of the Venous Thromboembolism Research Group. This group’s work led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the anti-blood clot medicine that helped save Rajan’s life last spring.
Goldhaber and members of the North American Thrombosis Forum—the non-profit organization that he and his colleagues founded to promote education and awareness of blood clot conditions—welcomed Rajan and his family at a special luncheon.
“It’s good to see such a happy, healthy family,” said Goldhaber, as he greeted the Laddus in his office. “And it’s also great to see Rajan again.”
A Blocked Lung
The unlikely path that brought the Laddus and Goldhaber together began in May 2011. Rajan had undergone surgery to treat scoliosis, an abnormal curving of the spine. The day after surgery, Rajan noticed pain in his chest and had trouble breathing. His symptoms were caused by a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that travelled to and became stuck in the large main artery of his lungs.
Since the risk of bleeding would be too high to give a full dose of tPA after spinal surgery, doctors decided to administer the powerful clot-busting medicine at a much lower dose. To deliver the medicine, they threaded thin, narrow tubes to arteries in Rajan’s lungs. A novel device was also used to aid the procedure by emitting low-energy ultrasound waves directly into the blood clot. At 15 years old, Rajan was the youngest patient in the world to undergo this specialized procedure.
Helping Others
Although it is uncertain whether the blood clot was a side effect of surgery or due to other factors, the Laddus are thankful for the medicine and device technology that helped ensure their son’s survival. With Rajan fully recovered, the family is now committed to educating others about pulmonary embolism and other types of blood clot conditions.
“Pulmonary embolisms can happen to anyone,” said Rajan’s father, Prashanta Laddu, MD, a cardiologist at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, FL. “It’s important for people to learn more about them.”
Recently, Rajan spoke to his high school student body about his experience. “I wanted to let them know that if I could overcome a pulmonary embolism, then they can overcome whatever adversity they encounter in their own lives,” he said.
Rajan also proposed a patient support group at a children’s hospital in his hometown for those who’ve experienced pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, another condition where the clot blocks blood vessels in the legs. The support group would be similar to one that Goldhaber started almost 20 years ago at BWH.
As the luncheon came to a close, Goldhaber extended an invitation for the Laddus to return to Boston in September when he and the North American Thrombosis Forum will host their sixth annual Thrombosis Summit. The conference is an opportunity for medical professionals, patients and family members to come together to learn about the treatment and prevention of blood clot conditions, such as pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and stroke.