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Christopher Heid, M.D.

How plasma exchange helped save her heart, decades after strep attacked her brain

A rare blood disorder made Sherri Merchant’s heart surgery nearly impossible until a UT Southwestern team found a lifesaving solution.

Yu-Min Shen, M.D. / Christopher Heid, M.D.

February 18, 2026

One complex lung surgery makes a lifetime of difference

UT Southwestern specializes in pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), a complex surgery for patients with blood clots caused by chronic pulmonary hypertension. For patient Dan Dudley, it was lifesaving.

Christopher Heid, M.D. / Sonja Bartolome, M.D.

October 30, 2025