Mary Ann Reck, center, is surrounded by her medical team at Allegheny Health Network Allegheny General Hospital. Reck successfully underwent a complex surgery called a pulmonary thromboendarterectomy ...

Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening and affects around 1 in 1,000 in the U.S. Every year. In most cases, pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots in the legs or arms that travel to the lung.

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) is a major surgery on the blood vessels in the lungs. It involves removing a blood clot from the lung to restore blood pressure levels. PTE is also known as ...