For Melbourne-born Kirsty Nisbet, Christmas Day 2025 began like every other—filled with the joy of being at home with family. Then, without warning, everything changed.

Kirsty suddenly collapsed, lost consciousness and stopped breathing. As she lay there, before CPR was preformed, one thought ran through her mind:

Please don’t let me die.

Thanks to the quick thinking of her son and the rapid response of paramedics, her heart was restarted and her life was saved.

Kirsty had suffered a pulmonary embolism (PE) - a life-threatening blood clot in her lungs - caused by a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in her leg.

After spending seven days in hospital, Kirsty returned home to begin her life again..

“Physically, I'm recovering well, but mentally, it's a different journey. It's challenging to process nearly dying.”

For Kirsty, part of that ongoing challenge has been accessing timely DVT testing. Her discharge from hospital was delayed because a DVT ultrasound was not immediately available, and she then waited 13 weeks for a follow-up ultrasound.

Having experienced these delays firsthand, Kirsty has become aware of Kynetyka's work to develop DVTect and hopes it will become available to patients in the future.

“DVTect is such a needed part of the hospital system. It would help so much with people in my position.”

Kirsty's experience highlights not only how suddenly DVT and pulmonary embolism can become life-threatening, but also the importance of rapid diagnosis and timely access to appropriate testing. Innovations that can help clinicians assess suspected DVT more quickly have the potential to improve patient care, reduce delays and provide reassurance for people facing an uncertain diagnosis.