Concern over blood clots in hospitals

Patients are being kept in the dark about the danger of hospital-acquired blood clots, it is claimed.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Apr 2010, 00:33 BST
Updated 13th Apr 2010, 00:33 BST

Half the former surgical patients questioned for a UK-wide survey said no-one discussed the risk of blood clots with them in hospital.

Yet blood clots are the biggest cause of hospital deaths in the UK, accounting for an estimated 25,000 fatalities each year.

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Professor Beverly Hunt, medical director of Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity, said: "Today's research clearly shows that there is a huge education gap concerning hospital acquired blood clots."

A total of 1,000 people took part in the poll.

The survey, published today, showed that the MRSA superbug, hospital food, and noisy wards were greater causes of concern than blood clots.

Previous research has shown that clots kill 20 times more patients than MRSA and claim more lives in hospital than breast cancer, Aids and traffic accidents combined.

The survey was commissioned by the the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim (UK) Ltd.

Related topics:Patients