Nurse’s Persistence Saves Woman Diagnosed with Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism During Routine Iron Infusion

Yulia, a 45-year-old patient, arrived at a Maccabi Health Services clinic in Kiryat Yam for a routine iron infusion treatment. Although initial vital signs and tests appeared normal, nurse Raneta Kogen noticed warning signs and urged Yulia to undergo further examination at the hospital emergency room. At the hospital, Yulia was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous blood clot blocking blood vessels in the lungs, along with signs of a pulmonary infarction, which is lung tissue damage due to blood supply blockage.

Yulia had recently undergone abdominal surgery to repair a hernia and had missed her previous iron treatment. During the infusion, she reported intermittent shortness of breath, worsening right-sided chest pain during breathing, and unusual sensations she had not experienced before. Despite normal pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and an ECG, nurse Kogen’s thorough assessment and consideration of Yulia’s recent surgery and lack of preventive anticoagulant treatment raised suspicion of a pulmonary embolism.

Even after a chest X-ray showed no abnormalities, Kogen insisted on urgent hospital evaluation, which ultimately saved Yulia’s life. At the hospital, she immediately began medication treatment and is now recovering well. Dr. Ahmad Qassem, director of Maccabi’s urgent care center in Kiryat Motzkin, emphasized that pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening if not diagnosed promptly and that initial tests may appear normal, highlighting the importance of clinical judgment and patient symptoms in diagnosis.