Excerpt

This first “Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE),” provides vital information on critical health problems that cause enormous health consequences and numerous deaths in our country. Estimates suggest that at least 350,000, and as many as 600,000, Americans each year contract DVT/PE, and at least 100,000 deaths are thought to be related to these diseases each year. Many of those who survive have complications that have a serious and negative impact on the quality of their lives. Without the joint efforts of all stakeholders, including clinicians and families, the problem will only worsen as the population ages.

Contents

• Message from the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Foreword from the Acting Surgeon General U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Message from the Director of the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
• INTRODUCTION: Definitions of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism
• SECTION I: Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism as Major Public Health Problems
  • What Are the Consequences of DVT and PE?
  • What Factors Raise the Risk for DVT and PE?
  • Acquired Factors That Raise Risk
  • The Economic Costs of DVT/PE
• SECTION II: Reducing the Risk for DVT/ PE
  • Existing Evidence-Based Guidelines, Standards, and Measures for DVT/PE
• SECTION III: Gaps in Application and Awareness of Evidence-based Interventions
  • Application of Guidelines
• SECTION IV: A Call to Action: A Public Health Response to Reducing DVT and PE
  • Setting 1: Communities
  • Setting 2: The Health Care System
  • Setting 3: Policymakers and Governments
• SECTION V: A Catalyst for Action
  • The Power of Partnerships
• CONCLUSION: A Vision for the Future
• Acknowledgments
• References