A mechanical, catheter-based thrombectomy was successfully performed in a 56-year-old patient at the Military Medical Academy, in cooperation with colleagues from the Institute of Lung Diseases Sremska Kamenica. This intervention was necessary because the patient had a large neurosurgical operation - the stabilization of the sacrum three days earlier, after which he suffered from massive pulmonary thromboembolism. The patient now feels significantly better after an intervention and is recovering well.

The team of the Military Medical Academy, led by Colonel Prof. Dr. Slobodan Obradovic, was composed of Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Sinisa Rusovic, Dr. Miodrag Mihajlovic, an X-ray technician Renata Cuckovic and an instrument nurse Miladinka Topalovic and the team from the Institute of Lung Diseases Sremska Kamenica was Doc. Dr. Jovan Matijasevic, Dr. Uros Batranovic, an X-ray technician Zoran Elez and an instrument nurse Maja Stanojevic. This method, which was carried out at the MMA Radiology Institute, enables thrombus mass to be fragmented and aspirated from the main pulmonary arteries through a catheter.

This method has been for the first time applied in Serbia and is used to treat patients with severe pulmonary thromboembolism who have a contraindication to the use of drugs contributing to thrombus fragmentation.