Deadly blood clots can be prevented

NEW YORK, March 3 (UPI) -- The widow of David Bloom, of NBC-TV news, who died of a deep-vein thrombosis-related blood clot while covering the Iraq war, wants to prevent similar deaths.

"The goal of Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness In Motion is to use movement as a way to continue to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of deep-vein thrombosis, to help assess personal risk and to encourage dialogue with a healthcare professional," Melanie Bloom, national patient spokeswoman for the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis, said in a statement.

The coalition is partnering with Mary Ann Wilson, a registered nurse and host of the PBS-broadcast, "Sit and Be Fit," to present Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness In Motion. The program demonstrates simple movements that can be done anywhere -- a hospital bed, an airplane or at the computer -- that may help reduce the risk of blood clots by encouraging blood circulation.

"Everything we are recommending can be done in a chair, requires only simple movement and can be done anytime -- for example, place your feet flat on the floor, leave the heel on the ground and lift the toes, hold for 3 seconds, then alternate to lift off your heel for 3 seconds, and repeat," Wilson told United Press International.

Up to 2 million Americans are affected by deep-vein thrombosis annually and approximately 300,000 die -- claiming more lives than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

"The risk of developing deep-vein thrombosis is nearly eight times higher during hospitalization, but being age 40 and older, overweight, a smoker, having restricted mobility, cancer, an infectious disease, respiratory failure or a family history of blood clots can increase the risk of having a blood clot," Dr. Geno Merli, coalition steering committee member and chief medical officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, told UPI.

The DVT Awareness in Motion video and movement guide are available on the coalition's Web site, www.preventdvt.org.