Podcast on Risk of Blood Clots after Cesarean Delivery Now Available

CHICAGO, March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- "Risk of Blood Clots After Cesarean Delivery," a podcast about the increasing risk of blood clots after cesarean delivery, is now available at the Physician-Patient Alliance For Heath & Safety YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKvAYZkd6rZRkvy7V8ldhA/

On iTunes, the podcast is available at https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/peter-cherouny-on-venous-thromboembolism/id897887688?i=338029261&mt=2

In the podcast, Peter Cherouny, MD (Emeritus Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Vermont, Chair and Lead Faculty of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Perinatal Improvement Community) discusses why all women who undergo cesarean delivery are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). VTE (commonly known as blood clots) can lead to long-term health complications and even death.

Dr. Cherouny cited data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which shows that the maternal death rate in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1987.

To help prevent VTE, Dr. Cherouny recommends that "All patients having a cesarean delivery should have pneumatic compression devices placed prior to surgery."

Pneumatic compression therapy -- such as fitting inflatable compression devices on a patient's legs before cesarean delivery and using inflatable compression sleeves until the patient is able to walk after delivery – improves blood flow in the treated area, which reduces the opportunity for VTE to occur.

"I would encourage clinicians and families to watch the podcast," said Michael Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety). "The birth of a child is an event that is anticipated and celebrated by family and friends. Mothers may develop VTE at or around the birth of their children, such as Amber Scott who suffered a blood clot in her brain and has had to undergo more than a year of rehabilitation, and Amee VanTassell, who died from a blood clot four days after delivering her daughter via cesarean section at the age of 36. 

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) urges the adoption of the consistent application of standards for every pregnant mother admitted to a hospital. PPAHS, in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the National Perinatal Association, released recommendations, compiled by a panel of health experts, that provide a step-by-step checklist to help assess all OB patients' risks for VTE and identify the appropriate prophylaxis regimen to improve health outcomes for maternal patients. These recommendations can be downloaded at http://www.ppahs.org/ob-vte-safety-recommendations-pdf/.

About Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety
Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety is a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to promote safer clinical practices and standards for patients through collaboration among healthcare experts, professionals, scientific researchers, and others, in order to improve health care delivery. For more information, please go to www.ppahs.org.

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SOURCE Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety

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http://www.ppahs.org