Nurse’s Persistence Saves Woman Diagnosed With Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism During Routine Iron Treatment

Yulia, a 45-year-old patient, arrived at a Maccabi Health Services clinic in Kiryat Yam for a routine iron infusion due to iron deficiency. Although initial vital signs and tests, including pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and an ECG, appeared normal, nurse Raneta Kogen noticed warning signs and insisted on further examination at the emergency room.

During the infusion, Yulia reported intermittent shortness of breath and increasing right-sided chest pain following recent abdominal hernia surgery, which she had not previously experienced. She had also missed a prior iron treatment due to the surgery and had not received preventive anticoagulant therapy post-operation. Nurse Kogen’s detailed assessment raised suspicion of a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous blood clot blocking lung vessels, despite a normal chest X-ray.

Yulia was urgently transferred to the hospital emergency department, where doctors confirmed a pulmonary embolism with evidence of lung tissue damage. Immediate anticoagulant treatment was initiated, and Yulia is now recovering. Nurse Kogen emphasized that something about the clinical picture did not fit the initial findings, prompting her to pursue further testing that ultimately saved Yulia’s life.

Dr. Ahmad Qassem, director of Maccabi’s urgent care center in Kiryat Motzkin, highlighted that pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening if undiagnosed and that initial tests may appear normal. He praised the nurse’s insistence on additional evaluation, which enabled timely diagnosis and treatment.