Surgeon General Announces Historic Call to Action at Venous Disease Coalition's Second Annual Meeting

Members of the Venous Disease Coalition (VDC) and the Office of the Surgeon General came together to urge immediate action to fight deadly blood clots known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) at the VDC's second annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on September 15th. Acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, laid out recommendations for the prevention of these two common, yet deadly major public-health threats: deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

"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.

After Dr. Galson's presentation, Elizabeth G. Nable, MD, Director of the National Heart, Lung. and Blood Institute, spoke about the need for increased awareness for DVT/PE. Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), announced the publication of "Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Blood Clots," and Hani Atrash, MD, Director, CDC Division of Blood Disorders, gave a presentation on why the CDC is concerned about DVT and PE.

Le Keisha Ruffin presented the patient perspective as a DVT/PE survivor. Le Keisha's story as a new mother who suffered a DVT that turned into a PE was featured in VDF's spring newsletter (see issue Vol. 8, No. 2, "A Mother's Journey with DVT").

In addition to the "The Surgeon General's Call to Action for the Prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism," the VDC conducted its second annual meeting where more than 100 top doctors and members of governmental health agencies and major health-care professional organizations were in attendance. The VDC outlined plans in response to the Surgeon General's Call to Action that will create a national public awareness campaign.

A series of panel discussions was presented on a number of critical issues regarding 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.

"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."

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 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.

To obtain copies of the Surgeon General's Call to Action, please visit the Office of the Surgeon General's Web site at www.surgeongeneral.gov or contact the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Health Information Center at 301.592.8573. For copies of the AHRQ guide to treating and preventing blood clots, please contact 301.427.1364 or visit them online at www.ahrq.gov.