GROUNDBREAKING HOSPITAL BLOOD CLOT GUIDELINES TO SAVE OVER 3,100 NEEDLESS DEATHS PER YEAR

THE NICE recommendations on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, mark a significant advance in the prevention of an estimated 25,000 avoidable deaths from hospital acquired blood clots in the UK every year. It stipulates that all adult patients admitted to hospital must be assessed for their risk of acquiring deep vein thromboses (clots) during their stay so that preventative measures can be used in those patients deemed high-risk.

Whilst the dangers associated of developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from long haul journeys are well-publicised, in fact, this is a relatively rare occurrence affecting people on less than 1 in 10,000 flights. What is less well-known is the dramatically greater risk of contracting DVT for people admitted to hospital. Without preventative measures, up to one in 10 of all people admitted to hospital risk contracting DVT is a significantly greater risk compared to boarding an aircraft.

In the UK pulmonary embolism (PE) following the development of hospital- acquired DVT causes about 25,000 preventable deaths each year. Indeed PE is the immediate cause of death in 10% of all patients who die in hospital. This death rate is greater than the combined total of deaths from breast cancer, AIDS and traffic accidents and is five times greater than the total of all hospital acquired infections.

There are a number of factors that can increase a person’s risk of contracting DVT, including:-

Increasing age
Previous surgery
Pregnancy
Oobesity
Immobilisation
Cancer
Heart failure
Inflammatory illnesses
Previous clots

Commenting on the publication, Professor Beverley Hunt, Medical Director of Lifeblood - The Thrombosis Charity and a member of the NICE Guideline Development Group said:- “The simple measures outlined today by NICE are cost-effective, have been proven to significantly reduce hospital mortality and can potentially save up to 25,000 avoidable hospital deaths a year. Now the challenge is for Hospital Trusts to prioritise DVT prevention by adopting the NICE Guideline and increasing patient safety and the quality of patient care.”

In December, NHS Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh said preventing hospital-acquired clots will be the top clinical priority for improving quality and productivity in hospitals in 2010 to 2011. From April 2010 Trusts that do not risk assess 90% of all admissions will lose 1.5% of their tariff budget through the new Department of Health commissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) framework.

This follows lobbying from Lifeblood, working with other charities, health professional groups and the All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group Survey.

Professor Beverley Hunt added:- "Having the Trusts penalised if they don't adequately risk-assessment, is great news for patients. Hospital-acquired clots not only kill, they can also have a life-long debilitating effect on people who survive. The NICE Guidelines clearly outline what protection patients at risk from VTE should expect. With the new CQUIN targets in place, hospital managers have now been forced to make this a priority, with those Trusts that fail to meet the new targets facing significant fines."

Liverpool Italian Opera Co. host:- 'OPERA FOR HAITI'

NO one can be unaware of the dramatic events of the recent earthquake in Haiti, which has visited death, destruction, terror, disease and displacement on the people of one of the poorest, if not the poorest, countries in the western hemisphere. To say the survivors of this terrible catastrophe need help would be a vast understatement. No amount of help would be too much right now. How quickly and how efficiently help is arriving is a matter for debate but one thing is clear, any provision that can be got there will be got there more quickly and more effectively with more money behind it. The Disasters Emergency Committee has been appealing for financial support for the relief effort from the outset and there can be no doubt that every penny it can raise will be needed if any semblance of order is to be re-established.

Haiti is a country whose history has been characterized by a sense of hopelessness, epitomized in its political inertia and economic disarray, and there is therefore a sense of cruel irony in the disaster that has befallen it. It may be that for it to recover, even to the lowly standards of social provision and quality of life it experienced at the moment the earthquake struck, will take many years (and of course the loss experienced by the bereaved cannot be recovered from), but it may also be the case that with a massive effort on behalf of the rest of humanity the country can be helped onto its feet and restored materially to a level at which life can be sustained with dignity. Such an outcome would be a fitting gift to these singularly unlucky people.

Many people reading this message will have already given in response to the appeal but it would be easy to underestimate how much we could give, and in how many different ways.

Nick Hardy from the Liverpool Italian Opera Co. said that:- "I feel we should contribute not only our cash but also our skills to try and raise amounts beyond our own pockets. In that spirit the Liverpool Italian Opera Co. has decided to mount a concert in which all the participating musicians and singers will give their services freely to this cause. Although you may have given already I would like to tempt you to give again of your incredibly valuable cash by attending this concert and joining together with others similarly concerned with the plight of the destitute Haitians.  The concert will take place on Thursday, 4 February 2010, at 7.15pm at Liverpool Parish Church, Our Lady & St Nicholas, Pier Head, Liverpool. There will be an interval in which you will be refreshed with wines, teas and coffees, and soft drinks. The performance should finish about 9.30pm.   Because of the limited time available to prepare this concert we will not be posting tickets out.

 If you wish to attend you may phone or (better still) text:- 07747 494655 and reserve tickets to be paid for on the night when you collect them, or you may of course purchase any unreserved tickets on the door. Tickets will be sold at a flat rate of £8. It will be an evening of much loved opera items and instrumental music performed by top quality singers, musicians and entertainers including favourite Liverpool tenor Nick Hardy, Liverpool radio legend Johnny Kennedy, leading concert pianist John Peace, leader of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra Joanne Atherton, magnificent Liverpool bass-baritone Edward D’Arcy Hatton, Wirral jazz pianist Alan Derrick and various other stars (and a few starlets). 

I promise you a lovely evening of music and singing in a marvellous setting, in a cause which could not be more important right now. Every penny collected will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee for the Haitian Earthquake Appeal  Please come! Please bring your friends and neighbours!"