Mercy event brings Melanie Bloom to Sioux City
Posted: Saturday, June 09, 2007
Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City will host a free community program Tuesday to raise awareness of the dangers of deep-vein thrombosis, a potentially fatal medical condition that affects more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City will host a free community program Tuesday to raise awareness of the dangers of deep-vein thrombosis, a potentially fatal medical condition that affects more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
During the special program from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Sioux City Convention Center, Melanie Bloom, national patient spokesperson for the Coalition to Prevent DVT, will share the story of her husband, David Bloom, veteran NBC News correspondent who died from complications related to DVT while covering the war in Iraq.
Prior to Bloom's presentation, Dr. Gregg Galloway, Mercy pathologist and chairman of the hospital board's Quality Committee, will offer a short educational overview of DVT.
Hors d'oeuvres will be served from 5:30 to 6 p.m. prior to the start of Galloway's presentation and Bloom's address.
After her husband's death in April 2003, Bloom became more aware of DVT and pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal complication of DVT. She learned about the risk factors for this condition, such as prolonged immobility and how this, combined with dehydration, may have led to the development of her husband's fatal blood clot.
She also learned that her husband had a silent risk factor, Factor V Leiden -- an inherited blood coagulant disorder that can increase a person's risk of DVT. Having three or more risk factors for DVT may put someone at risk and can lead to a potentially fatal PE.
According to Galloway, deep-vein thrombosis is a medical condition that occurs when a thrombus (blood clot) forms in one of the large veins, usually in the legs, leading to either partially or completely blocked blood flow.
"Although DVT itself may not be life threatening, it may lead to pulmonary embolism, or PE," he said. "PE can occur when a blood clot or fragment of it breaks loose from the wall of the vein and migrates to the lungs where it blocks a pulmonary artery or one of its branches. If the clot is large, it can cause sudden death."
While Tuesday's special event is free of charge, pre-registration is requested and may be arranged by calling Mercy at (712) 279-2995.
Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City will host a free community program Tuesday to raise awareness of the dangers of deep-vein thrombosis, a potentially fatal medical condition that affects more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
During the special program from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Sioux City Convention Center, Melanie Bloom, national patient spokesperson for the Coalition to Prevent DVT, will share the story of her husband, David Bloom, veteran NBC News correspondent who died from complications related to DVT while covering the war in Iraq.
Prior to Bloom's presentation, Dr. Gregg Galloway, Mercy pathologist and chairman of the hospital board's Quality Committee, will offer a short educational overview of DVT.
Hors d'oeuvres will be served from 5:30 to 6 p.m. prior to the start of Galloway's presentation and Bloom's address.
After her husband's death in April 2003, Bloom became more aware of DVT and pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal complication of DVT. She learned about the risk factors for this condition, such as prolonged immobility and how this, combined with dehydration, may have led to the development of her husband's fatal blood clot.
She also learned that her husband had a silent risk factor, Factor V Leiden -- an inherited blood coagulant disorder that can increase a person's risk of DVT. Having three or more risk factors for DVT may put someone at risk and can lead to a potentially fatal PE.
According to Galloway, deep-vein thrombosis is a medical condition that occurs when a thrombus (blood clot) forms in one of the large veins, usually in the legs, leading to either partially or completely blocked blood flow.
"Although DVT itself may not be life threatening, it may lead to pulmonary embolism, or PE," he said. "PE can occur when a blood clot or fragment of it breaks loose from the wall of the vein and migrates to the lungs where it blocks a pulmonary artery or one of its branches. If the clot is large, it can cause sudden death."
While Tuesday's special event is free of charge, pre-registration is requested and may be arranged by calling Mercy at (712) 279-2995.
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