Heart Concern? See a Duke Heart Specialist Within 48 Hours

Raleigh, NC resident Terry Woodyard waited two months before he did something about his shortness of breath. “It was not normal for me. I remember thinking, ‘I’ve ridden up this hill before, and I didn’t feel like this,’” he said. “There was no pain, so I kind of brushed it off.” Woodyard’s primary care doctor ordered a stress test, lab work, and an ultrasound, but the results were inconclusive. Woodyard’s family encouraged him to try Duke.

Within 48 hours, Woodyard got an appointment with Duke cardiologist Anita Kelsey, MD, and her team at Duke Cardiology Arringdon, about a 20-minute drive from his home. Dr. Kelsey reviewed Woodyard’s previous test results and walked the stairs with him to observe his symptoms.

Even without Woodyard having the typical risk factors, elevated levels of a protein called D-dimer in Woodyard’s blood made Dr. Kelsey and her team suspect Woodyard could have a pulmonary embolus -- a blood clot that travels from elsewhere in the body, usually the legs, to the lungs. Without treatment, these clots can block blood vessels, cut off blood flow, and cause sudden death -- this is called a pulmonary embolism.

Dr. Kelsey’s team arranged for Woodyard to undergo a CT scan the next morning, which confirmed their suspicions. Before he could sit down to breakfast with his wife after the scan, Woodyard got a phone call. “It was Dr. Kelsey telling me I needed to go to the emergency room right away.”

A team of doctors was waiting when Woodyard arrived at Duke Regional Hospital’s emergency room. “At one point, there were four different people with stethoscopes on me,” Woodyard said. “That’s when I realized this might be a little more serious than I originally thought."

Woodyard was admitted to the hospital so doctors could administer intravenous blood-thinners and keep a close eye on him. Woodyard responded quickly to the medication and was discharged the following day, along with a prescription for blood-thinners to continue at home.

Woodyard is seeing Duke hematology and pulmonology experts to identify what caused his blood clot to form and prevent it from happening again. In the meantime, Woodyard worked closely with Dr. Kelsey to safely return to cycling. “I'm back to riding as much as I want,” Woodyard said.

Dr. Kelsey stressed that preventing blood clots from forming in the legs is the best way to avoid a pulmonary embolism. “The way to do that is to keep a healthy body weight, stay active, and do not smoke. If you’re traveling, get up and walk around every hour or wear compression socks, especially if you have any risk factors for blood clot formation, like being pregnant, undergoing surgery recently, or having cancer,” she said.

Dr. Kelsey said she understands it’s difficult to know when a symptom could be something serious. “If you're having a symptom that is significant and new for you, then you should get it checked out at a place like Duke, because we can take care of everything from minor issues to advanced disease,” she said. Duke offers same day or next day appointments for people with heart-related concerns, even without a doctor’s referral.