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Surgeon General’s Call to Action highlights current DVT and PE risk in America

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Acting U.S. Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, issued a Call to Action yesterday concerning deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) risk, urging the public and physicians to become better educated about these two potentially deadly conditions.

“The good news about these conditions is that they are preventable and treatable. So this Call to Action today marks another step forward in a process the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) has been following toward increased public awareness of the human cost and economic cost,” Galson said at a press conference in Washington.

The report, “The Surgeons’ Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism 2008,” was developed by HSS officials over a 2-year period that began with a May 2006 workshop, he said.

The 43-page Call to Action document discusses various aspects of DVT and PE, including risk factors for the conditions and evidence-based treatment practices.

According to Galson, the document also provides an update on current research and lists actions the public and health care community can take now to prevent DVT and PE.

“We know that together, DVT and PE contribute to at least 100,000 deaths in America every year” and affect between 350,000 and 600,000 individuals in the United States annually, he said.

To heighten awareness of these conditions, he announced the release of two documents the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed to further educate the public and health care providers about DVT and PE risks, symptoms and treatments.

The document for physicians stresses the importance of working together to care for and treat patients with DVT or PE by using a coordinated strategy. The guide for patients and the public also urged them to do their part by participating in a team effort to fight DVT and PE.

Galson said that anyone over 50 years old, obese patients, smokers and those with genetic factors are at a higher risk for these sometimes-silent conditions.

“It’s very important to talk to your family members and be aware if someone in the family had a blood clot before,” he said.

For more information:

• The Call to Action can be found at www.surgeongeneral.gov. Free copies of the AHRQ guides can be obtained by calling 800-358-9295 or by sending an e-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.