ANA and the Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis Announce DVT Awareness Month
March 1, 2007
More on DVT
DVT is a leading cause of death and strikes more than three million Americans each year
The American Nurses Association (ANA) today announced its support of the Coalition to Prevent DVT’s fourth annual National DVT Awareness Month. 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 to the heart. Each year, DVT-related complications kill up to 300,000 Americans.
About Deep-Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism
Up to 600,000 Americans are hospitalized each year for DVT and its primary complication, PE. Fatal PE may be the most common preventable cause of hospital death in the United States. Complications from DVT kill more people each year in the U.S. than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Certain individuals, including registered nurses, may be at increased risk for developing DVT, but the disease can occur in almost anyone. As an OR nurse, I am acutely aware of the potential for DVT in nurses as well as in patients noted Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, ANA President. Risk factors include, but are not limited to, trauma or major surgery, such as hip or knee replacements, advanced age, oral contraceptives or hormone therapy. It is important to consult your healthcare provider about the signs and symptoms associated with DVT said Patton.
About DVT Awareness Month
DVT Awareness Month is being sponsored by the Coalition to Prevent DVT to raise awareness of this serious medical condition among consumers, healthcare professionals, government and public health leaders. The Coalition is comprised of more than 42 representatives from nationally known organizations, including ANA.
The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis
The mission of the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis, which is funded by sanofi-aventis US, LLC, is to reduce the immediate and long-term dangers of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), which together comprise one of the nation’s leading causes of death. The Coalition will educate the public, healthcare professionals and policy-makers about risk factors, symptoms and signs associated with DVT, as well as identify evidence-based measures to prevent morbidity and mortality from DVT and PE.
The ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.