Complex procedure saves man on life support, reverses organ failure

Mark Powers remembers waking up in a hospital room with no memory of how he got there.

Unable to speak with a tube down his throat, Powers could only listen as his family explained that he had just undergone a lifesaving procedure.

In June of 2023, Powers was in Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center. He had just been taken off of an advanced form of life support called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, commonly referred to as ECMO.

The last thing he could remember was going to the emergency room in May for shortness of breath.

“I dreamed a lot while I was asleep, so when I first woke up, I thought it was just my imagination,” Powers said. 

“It took several hours to come to terms with the fact that this situation was reality.”

In the following days, Powers was able to retrace the path of his health care journey with the help of his family and a detailed journal kept by his 14-year-old daughter.

Pulmonary embolism

Back in February, Powers experienced an intense muscle spasm in the middle of the night. The pain persisted for several weeks, even causing him to limp, but eventually subsided.

“I think back to that moment and wish I would have just seen a doctor,” Powers said.

“It’s far too common for people to ignore their pain and end up in situations that could have been prevented.”

Just when he thought the worst was behind him, Powers began experiencing severe shortness of breath. He could barely walk 20-30 feet before needing to stop and take a break.

On May 23, he went to the emergency room in Grand Rapids. After several alarming tests, a CT scan revealed blood clots in two chambers of his heart.

Powers had suffered a massive pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that blocks blood flow to an artery in the lung. Blood clots most commonly come from deep veins in the legs.

Due to a congenital heart defect of which Powers was unaware, the clots were able to enter through a small flap-like hole in his heart known as a patent foramen ovale.

“Getting this news all at once was terrifying,” Powers said. “Once I saw the surgeon walk in the room with my scans, I knew it was bad.”

He was admitted and scheduled for emergency open heart surgery the following day. 

Advanced life support

During surgery, extensive blood clots within Powers’ lungs could not be completely removed, rendering his heart and lungs unable to maintain oxygen delivery throughout his body. 

In a final attempt to save his life, the team placed Powers on ECMO, a machine that temporarily pumps blood and oxygen until a more definitive treatment can be completed. He was placed on blood thinners in the hopes of dissolving the remaining blood clots.

Days passed with no improvement of his condition.

“There was essentially no plan in place,” Powers said. “My family was mentally preparing for me to die.”

He had been on ECMO for more than three weeks when adult cardiac surgeon Jonathan Haft, M.D., was brought onto the case and agreed to perform surgery to remove the remaining clots.

“It was initially unclear if Mark’s neurological status was intact or if he had already suffered a devastating injury,” said Haft, director of the U-M Extracorporeal Life Support Program.

“As soon as the hospital confirmed his brain function was healthy, we arranged transfer to University of Michigan Health to perform his operation.”

Transporting patients on ECMO support from one hospital to another can be challenging and requires experienced personnel.

With a demonstrated history of leadership in the use of ECMO, the U-M Health ECMO and Survival Flight teams ensured his condition remained stable throughout the transport.

A high risk surgery

Powers’ surgery took place on June 18 − Father’s Day – to remove the blood clots in his lungs.

“The procedure was particularly dangerous because he had been on ECMO for so long,” Haft said. 

“Several of his organ systems had failed, including his kidneys.”

But the surgery was a success. Powers was taken off life support and awoke for the first time in nearly a month.

Despite the positive outcome, Powers had a long road to recovery ahead of him. His time spent on ECMO meant an even more challenging rehabilitation period.

“I spent several more weeks at the hospital, and it was such a relief to finally return home,” Powers said.

“But I still had to do rehabilitation for several weeks back in Grand Rapids, building back my muscles and relearning how to walk.”

Since receiving the surgery, Mark has regained full organ function and made a significant recovery. Despite painful nerve damage in his feet as a result of his prolonged illness, he returned to work full time in January 2024.

In February, he married his longtime girlfriend and has most recently adopted an emotional support dog named Milly. Moving forward, he’s hoping to get back into his favorite activities, like golfing and camping.

“Dr. Haft and the team at U-M gave me a second shot at life and I don’t plan on wasting it,” Powers said.

“After this experience, I have found myself spiritually and I’m appreciative of every second that I get to spend with my wife, daughter and all my loved ones.”

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