PRIMARY CARE
REIMAGINED
one person can’t do it well alone.
We all play a role and that really
improves the quality of care
we provide.”
One of Dr. Griggs’ patients felt
the team’s strength in late 2015.
Eric Lucas, 45, of Temple, thought
of himself as a pretty healthy guy.
The busy professional and father
of three ran 20 miles a week and
felt good overall. But in late 2015,
he experienced unusual shortness
of breath. “I would walk across
the parking lot from my car to the
office and have to stop to catch
my breath,” he says. “After about a
week or so of that, I wanted to get
it checked out.” Mr. Lucas made
an appointment at Baylor Scott
& White’s Westfield Clinic and
saw Dr. Griggs. “Eric had been to
see us the year before for blood
pressure medicine and follow-
up, but this was the first time
I’d seen him personally,” says
Dr. Griggs. “I happened to have
a time slot available when
he called.” He described his
symptoms and after checking
his medical record and history,
Dr. Griggs did a quick evaluation.
She recalls, “His heart rate was
96—not unusually high—but his
oxygenation (the amount of oxygen
in his bloodstream) was on the
lower end of normal, like someone
with lung disease. After an X-ray
returned normal I became more
concerned that something else
was going on. Combining that with
his travel schedule, I suspected
a pulmonary embolism. It’s not
typical in younger people, but I had
learned in my training at Baylor
Scott & White to put pulmonary
embolism at the top of my list if
there’s chest pain or shortness of
breath.” A pulmonary embolism,
or PE, occurs when particles,
typically a blood clot, lodge in
an artery of the lung, blocking
blood flow and depriving cells of
oxygen. The clot or DVT (deep vein
thrombosis) usually forms in the
leg and travels. Dr. Griggs says,
“DVT symptoms usually include
calf pain or swelling. Eric didn’t
have that. If he’d stayed home
or been misdiagnosed, he might
not be here today.” She promptly
sent Mr. Lucas directly to the
emergency department at Scott &
White Medical Center in Temple
for diagnostic tests to confirm
her suspicion. “If he had an
embolism,” she says, “time was of
the essence.”
“I didn’t really want to go,”
Mr. Lucas says, “but Dr. Griggs
insisted—and it saved my life.”
Dr. Griggs called to alert
emergency room staff about his
situation, so that when Mr. Lucas
arrived, the team was ready.
Diagnostic tests quickly showed
two major pulmonary embolisms,
and a DVT in his right leg. The
team treated him immediately
with a powerful medication,
and sent him to the intensive
care unit for around-the-clock
observation. After several days,
he was released, narrowly missing
a catastrophic health event that
could have proved fatal.
Today, Mr. Lucas and his wife,
Rachel, are both patients of
Dr. Griggs, who continues to
closely monitor Eric’s health.
“Eric will be on a high-powered
blood thinner for the rest of his
life, but it won’t limit his activity,”
says Dr. Griggs. “And I’ll be able
to keep a close watch on him to
make sure everything’s OK.”
bswhealth.com | Fall 17 THE CATALYST
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