HPN 2023 December

End of Year Review: Thrombosis Ireland Our Achievements, Challenges & Opportunities Written by Ann Marie O’Neill, CEO, Thrombosis Ireland

Blood Clots (Venous Thromboembolism or VTE), is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with 544,000 VTE-related deaths every year in Europe alone. Up to 60% of VTE cases occur during or up to 90 days after hospitalisation, making it a leading preventable cause of hospital death. It is also the leading cause of maternal death in our Maternity Hospital. VTE is a life-changing and traumatic event. Among survivors of VTE, a significant burden of chronic morbidity (including painful postthrombotic syndrome) has been reported and it is associated with a major impact on quality of life. The devastation that it can cause to survivors and the families who have lost loved ones, should not be understated, therefore, there is an urgent need to invest in national awareness and education of patients & healthcare professionals. Blood clots can happen to anyone at any time. They usually occur when a person is experiencing more than one risk factor at any one time in their life. They are very preventable and easily treatable if caught on time but potentially fatal if the signs are missed. This is why it is so important that every person knows risk factors, signs to watch for and the importance of getting medical attention fast. For more information: www.thrombosis.ie WHAT IS A BLOOD CLOT?

Thrombosis Ireland was officially formed by Patients in 2016 to address the lack of awareness and education for patients and Health Care Professionals about VTE and the complicated anticoagulation medication involved in treatment. We also have grave concerns about the absence of any co-ordinated physical or psychological recovery supports for blood clot patients and we will continue to advocate for improvements. 7 years on we are a fully voluntary, transparent, not-for-profit company limited by guarantee with charitable status and a strong determined and dedicated Board of Directors. Our Mission

Our Biggest Challenge Our biggest challenge is to reach every household in Ireland with our life saving message. This requires a comprehensive & expensive national campaign on all platforms from TV to Radio and through social media. This is our Everest and highlights our 2nd biggest challenge – funding for these kind of campaigns and our day to support, awareness & education service. We must ensure that the these essential services will be available to everyone affected by blood clots into the future. We are a fully voluntary charity and do not receive any direct core funding support from our Government or Health Department.

We could not do the work we do without the kind support of our grant sponsors. These grants are for use on specific awareness/ education projects and we are limited on what we can use the money for. Our challenge then is to raise enough core funding to pay for our rent, phone lines, printing, postage, insurance and auditors fees. We are dependent on fundraising events and sponsorship & donations from our members and the public for which we are truly grateful but this involves walking a tight rope as we never know how much we will manage to raise or receive. We are small organisation and constantly worrying about raising income is very time consuming when we have many other lifesaving & patient support projects to be working on. If you know a company, who would like to support us to raise awareness about bloods and help patients

• To promote awareness of thrombosis among patients, medical staff and the general public nationwide. • To provide support, education and advocacy for blood clot patients & their families.

Thrombosis Ireland World Thrombosis Day

• To save lives in particular from hospital acquired VTE through awareness and the introduction and implementation of a mandatory VTE assessment on admission to hospital and encourage distribution of the Blood Clot Alert Card to all patients attending our Hospitals as in or out patients.

VTE Awareness Event Kit & Multimedia National Awareness Campaign is kindly supported by

We believe that we will achieve our mission by creating national awareness of the risks & signs of blood clots, advocating for all patients to receive a VTE risk assessment and the Blood Clot Alert Card. We will also work closely with our VTE HSE National Lead, Prof. Fionnuala Ni

BlOOd clots know THE rISks AND signs

BLOOD CLOT ALERT CARD

RISKS

signs

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A BLOOD CLOT

This is the formation of a clot inside a blood vessel, usually in the leg, which may break off and go to the lungs. This can be fatal.

Warmth or redness in the leg or arm

60%90 DAYS

Chest pain (particularly when breathing deeply)

of clots happen in HOSPITAL

or in the

Ainle and the National HSE VTE Program (NVTEP), all health care professionals, our patients and the general public. We truly believe that we all have a part to play and TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER!

following admission.

Swelling or pain in one leg or arm ➢Short of breath or rapid breathing

Cancer

Pregnancy

Immobility/ Leg Cast/ Long Haul Travel

Combined pill & oral HRT

Hospital Stay/ Surgery

Swelling or pain in one leg or arm

Warmth or redness Short of breath in one leg or arm or rapid breathing

Coughing or coughing up blood

Blood clots can be very serious - but there are effective treatments to deal with them and help prevent them CSN: 20154240

If you have one or more of these, you may have a clot and need urgent treatment