Deep Vein Thrombosis - His Leg Was Saved with Emergency Surgery

Late on a Sunday night, Dr. Ben Marsan performed surgery that averted amputation for this 83-year-old patient

Days of discomfort turned into pain so sharp that Eric Pleskow could not even set his foot on the floor. His daughter insisted it was time to go to the hospital … but it had to be Stamford Hospital, even though he lived in Weston. It turned out to be an excellent choice. Within hours the 83-year-old Weston resident was in surgery, where Dr. Ben Marsan, vascular surgeon, removed a dangerous blood clot from his leg. "I was told that if a few more hours had passed, my leg would have had to be amputated," says Pleskow. "Dr. Marsan saved my leg and everyone at Stamford Hospital took such good care of me."

Why Stamford Hospital when several others were closer? Pleskow said that his daughter has three active children - her numerous trips to the Stamford Hospital emergency room had demonstrated to her that Stamford Hospital was the best place to go for emergency care. Her father agrees that it was a good decision. "Check-in, paperwork, sonograms, admitting me … it was all handled quickly and so professionally and the emergency room doctor was very good. He quickly figured out that my leg was getting no blood at all and had to be taken care of immediately. Even though it was Sunday night, Dr. Marsan came right in to do the surgery."

Pleskow had some classic risk factors for vascular disease. He'd returned just the week before from Europe, a nine-hour flight. He'd also discontinued his blood-thinning medication in preparation for a scheduled colonoscopy a few days earlier. Slightly more than a year has passed and all has been well - he's even been back and forth from Europe several times since. "Dr. Marsan said it is fine for me to fly," Pleskow says, noting that he wears compression stockings during the flight, moves around a lot and drinks plenty of fluids. He has had no problems since that one frightening event. Deep vein thrombosis, which is what Pleskow had, only rarely requires such a dramatic surgical intervention - but when it does, it's a true medical emergency. Pleskow considers himself a lucky man to be still able to travel the world in his mid-80s. "It's like everything is completely normal!"

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