In a landmark achievement for South African healthcare, the Cape Town Interventional Radiology (CTIR) team, a group of highly trained specialists bringing cutting-edge interventional radiology techniques from leading Canadian universities to South Africa, successfully performed Pulmonary Embolectomy procedures on two patients at Groote Schuur Hospital on Tuesday, 14 October and Wednesday, 15 October 2025. 

This marks the first time this life-saving expertise has been available in the public sector not only in South Africa, but across Africa.

The procedures were performed by interventional radiologists Drs. Dale Creamer (Head of Interventional Radiology at Groote Schuur Hospital) and Gercois Human, alongside training interventional radiologist Dr Jateel Kassim. 

Groote Schuur Hospital is currently the only facility in the country with two subspecialist interventional radiologists, Dr Creamer and Dr Human and the only hospital training future interventional radiologists in South Africa, with current fellow Dr Kassim.

The patients, who presented with shortness of breath and coughing up blood, were diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms by internal medicine specialists before being referred to the CTIR team for advanced intervention.

Pulmonary embolisms, sometimes described as a “stroke of the lungs,” can be fatal if untreated. Using minimally invasive techniques, the team accessed the lungs via a blood vessel in the leg, deploying specialised equipment to remove the blood clots, a procedure that can save lives and reduce the need for open surgery.

The team used state-of-the-art devices: EKOS from Boston Scientific and Lightning from Penumbra. With these innovations, Groote Schuur Hospital is now at the forefront of advanced cardiovascular care in South Africa. 

The team is also developing the country’s first Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT), aimed at coordinating rapid, multidisciplinary intervention for patients with life-threatening clots.

Dr Dale Creamer commented on the significance:

“This is a landmark for healthcare across all sectors. Patients die from pulmonary embolisms, but by accessing the lungs through the blood vessels in the leg, we can place specialised equipment, remove the clots, and save lives all without traditional surgery.”

The introduction of these procedures into South Africa’s public sector represents a major step forward in advanced cardiovascular care, bringing techniques previously only available in international hospitals to a wider population.

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus 

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