DVT Experts Available for March 2007 DVT Awareness Month
BOSTON, March 1 /PRNewswire/ — In anticipation of DVT Awareness Month beginning March 1, 2007, the newly formed nonprofit organization North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF) announced today that it has experts available for interviews and comment in the field of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and anticoagulation.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s office has acknowledged the importance of DVT prevention, education, and advocacy in a specially convened Surgeon General’s Workshop on DVT in May 2006, which was co-chaired by NATF President, Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Senior Staff Cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
DVT occurs when a blood clot, or thrombus, develops in the large veins of the legs, pelvis, chest, or arms. Only half of those with DVT will have typical symptoms of leg or arm swelling and pain. With prompt diagnosis and treatment, the majority of DVTs are not life-threatening. However, if the blood clot breaks loose and travels through the heart to the lung, a condition known as a pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs. If the traveling clot, called an embolus, clogs the main lung artery, it can be fatal. On average, hundreds of thousands of PEs occur annually in the United States, placing it as the third most common cause of death.
NATF is working with the Coalition to Prevent DVT, as well as other thrombosis organizations, to help provide public education about thrombotic disorders. So far, more than 40 organizations have joined the Coalition to Prevent DVT. It is our goal to provide accurate, unbiased information to healthcare providers and to the general public about thrombosis, including DVT and PE.
North American Thrombosis Forum Directors, Officers, and Advisory Committee Members are available for interviews and comments regarding DVT:
Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Jawed Fareed, PhD Professor of Pathology and Pharmacology, Loyola University Kenneth V. Leeper, Jr., MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Crawford University Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD Professor of Medicine, McMaster University
The North American Thrombosis Forum is a multinational organization conceptualized to fill a void that currently exists in North America regarding thrombosis treatment and prevention. NATF is dedicated to thrombosis research, education, public policy, and advocacy. NATF Directors, Officers, and Advisory Committee Members are primary leaders in the field of thrombotic disorders. Our objective is to promote awareness of thrombosis prevention and treatment methods, and to close the gap between evidence and practice based prevention. We encourage public policy and advocacy dialog on thrombosis-related issues. For more information, call 617.525.8324 or visit our Web site, http://www.natfonline.org/.
Contact: Kim Mahoney, Executive Director North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF) Office: 617.525.8324 Cell: 857-891-4029 kmahoney@NATFonline.org http://www.natfonline.org/
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North American Thrombosis Forum
CONTACT: Kim Mahoney, Executive Director of North American ThrombosisForum, +1-617-525-8324, cell +1-857-891-4029, or kmahoney@NATFonline.org
Web site: http://www.natfonline.org/