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For Immediate Release: September 15, 2008
Surgeon General’s Call to Action Outlines Steps to Fight Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism
Washington, D.C. – Sept. 15, 2008 – Members of the Venous Disease Coalition (VDC) and the Office of the Surgeon General came together at the VDC Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. on Monday, September 15th. Acting Surgeon General Real Admiral Steven K. Galson issued “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action for the Prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism,” which combined affect hundreds of thousands of Americans each year.
Dr. Galson laid out recommendations for the prevention of these two common, yet deadly major public health threats, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The Call to Action urges a coordinated, multifaceted plan to reduce the numbers of cases of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism nationwide. The plan emphasizes the need for:
- Increased awareness about deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
- Evidence-based practices for deep vein thrombosis.
- More research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of deep vein thrombosis.
“Together DVT and PE may be responsible for more than 100,000 deaths each year, but there is reason to believe that the true incidence rate could be significantly higher, as several studies suggest that these diseases are often undiagnosed.” said Dr. Galson. “One thing is undeniably clear—DVT and PE are major national public health problems that have dramatic, negative impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands Americans each year.”
DVT is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg that can be fatal when the clot breaks free and travels through the heart and into the lungs causing a complication called PE. Major risk factors for DVT include recent major surgery, cancer and its treatment, major trauma or injuries to the leg, previous DVT or PE, hospitalization with an acute illness, pregnancy, use of birth control or hormone replacement therapy, family history of DVT or PE and obesity.
In addition to The Call to Action, the VDC conducted its second annual meeting where more than 100 top doctors and members of governmental health agencies and major healthcare professional organizations were in attendance. The VDC outlined plans to respond to The Call to Action that will create a national public awareness campaign.
A series of panel discussions were presented on a number of critical issues on DVT and PE such as “The changing care paradigm for DVT”; DVT risk – a problem of genes or the environment?; “Why women should care about DVT”; “The new ACCP Guidelines” and others.
Susan Kahn, MD, MSc of McGill University in Montreal presented a lunch-time key note address to VDC members on the "Long-term Consequences of Venous Thromboembolism."
“This is a historical and important event,” said Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, Chair of the VDC and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action will have as much impact on preventing and treating this devastating illness as the Surgeon General’s report in the 1960s alerted the public to the dangers of cigarette smoking. Educating the American public about DVT will raise awareness, which will in turn save many lives. We are grateful to Rear Admiral Galson for championing this new government initiative and placing DVT as a top priority on America’s health agenda.”
Two Venous Disease Coalition steering committee members who were scientific co-chairs of the Surgeon General’s two-day DVT Workshop in 2006 and who also helped edit The Call to Action will be available for interviews or to provide additional medical information:
- Samuel Z. Goldhaber, M.D.
- Thomas Ortel, M.D., Ph.D.
About the Venous Disease Coalition
The Venous Disease Coalition (VDC) is an alliance of more than 30 leading health professional societies and patient advocacy groups that have united around a common goal: To improve the survival rates and quality of life for individuals with, or at risk for, venous disease. The VDC plans to develop a national campaign to educate public and health care professionals in the U.S. about venous disease. The VDC is supported by unrestricted educational grants from AngioDynamics Inc., BioMedix, BSN Jobst, Cook Medical, Covidien, Eisai Inc., Juzo, Sanofi-aventis and Vein Clinics of America. It is a program of the Vascular Disease Foundation. For more information, visit www.VenousDiseaseCoalition.org.
About the Vascular Disease Foundation
The Colorado-based Vascular Disease Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the sole purpose of educating the public about vascular disease. It is the most trusted source of credible, scientific and non-biased information on vascular disease. For more information, call 888.VDF.4INFO (888.833.4463) or visit www.vdf.org.
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