Bristol thrombosis expert to chair international panel

Company news

Apr 24, 2018

A Bristol-based thrombosis expert is to lead a panel of top professionals at a major conference, designed to cut the number of potentially fatal cases of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) incidents experienced in hospitals. 

Stephane Jaglin, a pharmacist at Emersons Green NHS Treatment Centre with a special interest in thrombosis, is chairing a session on hospital acquired thrombosis at Thrombosis UK’s conference in Belfast, on Wednesday 9 May at Belfast Castle.

Stephane explained: “Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a blood clot develops within a deep vein in the body, usually in the leg. It not only has the potential to cause pain and swelling but also it may lead to complications such as pulmonary embolism, where a piece of the clot breaks off, blocking one of the blood vessels in the lungs.

“In Europe and America 1,600 deaths a day are caused by clots. 60 per cent of all incidents of DVTs occur in hospitals, where hip and knee surgery and long periods confined in bed play a significant role in increasing risk.”

Stephane, who is also a trustee of the national Thrombosis Society, says that the good news is that research is revealing more ways to reduce the risk to patients. As well as discussing the latest research, he will be sharing the new National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on DVT prevention in hospital, which are already in use at the Emersons Green centre.

Stephane said: “The new guidance is excellent and gives a lot more precision about what the current evidence shows, in terms of preventing patients from having a blood clot after surgery or a long hospital stay.

“The more practitioners understand, follow and build upon it, the safer patients across the UK will be. At the centre we have not only introduced the new guidance but we also use an enhanced recovery pathway to get people who are undergoing hip and knee surgery back on their feet as quickly as possible, so further cutting the risks of DVT.”