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Hospital-acquired VTE (blood clots) is preventable (Schünemann et al., 2018).
One of the most important things you can do to prevent blood clots is to know if you are at risk. Some risk factors are hospitalization, surgery, pregnancy, or cancer. Other things you can do to reduce your risks and protect yourself from life-threatening blood clots include:
How a Drawing Saved My Life: Lori's Story
In August 2014, I was overwhelmed with joy after delivering my baby boy, Jack. He was perfect, the delivery was pretty easy, and I was ready to go home. During a brief moment of quiet during his nap, I perused through the endless literature provided by the hospital. A hand drawing of a leg, with a red mark and arrow pointing to the calf describing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) struck me. I had a weird Charley horse in my leg, right in the same spot, but I thought it was no big deal. I mentioned it to the nurse, and we decided it was harmless. I went home with my bundle of joy. (Stop the Clot, nd).
Maury Lieberman, National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) Board member, discusses his experience with cancer and blood clots: (Stop the Clot, 2015) Video
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