Press Release
Contact: Rod Gardner
Publication Specialist
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Director of Community Relations
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Today's Date: March 11, 2008
St. Joseph’s recognizes March as DVT Awareness Month
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Center announced today its support of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month, joining a national effort to raise awareness of this serious, yet preventable condition and it’s potentially fatal complication, pulmonary embolism (PE).
According to the American Heart Association, up to two million Americans are affected annually by DVT and PE causes approximately 300,000 deaths in the United States each year, more than AIDS and breast cancer combined. Yet, a national survey found that 60 percent of Americans have little or no awareness of DVT.
DVT occurs when a blood clot forms and partially or completely blocks blood flow inside a deep vein, typically located in the calf or thigh. If the blood clot breaks free and travels to the lungs – known as a pulmonary embolism (PE) – it may obstruct the pulmonary artery or one of its branches, blocking blood flow from the heart.
Identifying and treating at-risk patients is critical in the fight against DVT and PE. However, a recent study in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis found that although 62 percent of patients admitted to a hospital for six days or longer received some form of therapy, only 34 percent had this therapy maintained throughout their full stay, as recommended by American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines. Of the 66 percent of patients who were discharged without receiving appropriate therapy, 38 percent received none at all. In addition, 18 percent of DVT-PE events among hospitalized medically ill patients occurred after discharge from the hospital.
“Providing the highest quality of service and safety for our patients is a Mercy value,” said Dr. Vineet Chopra, a spokesperson for St. Joseph’s. “DVT and PE are easily preventable occurrences and are thus a carefully monitored quality standard at our facility. We are proud of the preventative measures that are already in place at St. Joseph’s, and are strong supporters of the National DVT Awareness Month campaign.”
The Coalition to Prevent DVT, a national organization funded by sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, is comprised of more than 45 members from medical societies, patient advocacy groups and other public health organizations. It has spearheaded DVT Awareness Month efforts since its launch in March 2003. Since the Coalition’s formation, more than one billion educational messages have been delivered.
In 2007, the Coalition led the fourth-annual DVT Awareness Month with DVT Awareness by Design, an engaging educational campaign designed to promote awareness and inspire action. This year the Coalition will extend its 2007 successes through an updated extension of the DVT Awareness by Design campaign. Melanie Bloom, widow of NBC correspondent David Bloom and the Coalition’s National Patient Spokesperson, along with the Coalition and its member organizations, have turned to the healthcare community this year, to ensure that proper care and treatment of DVT is provided for at-risk patients. Ms. Bloom’s personal commitment to this cause has had tremendous impact in awareness-raising efforts both in the national media as well as the public policy forum.
“DVT Awareness Month provides an excellent opportunity for the general public and healthcare community to learn about this disease and how to reduce the risk of a DVT blood clot,” Chopra concluded. “We encourage both the public and healthcare professionals to be aware of all the risk factors associated with DVT, so that patients can be treated appropriately.”
For more DVT information, please visit www.preventdvt.org or www.dvt.net.
