Blood clot research gets major boost
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Ginsberg.jpg” caption=”Jeffrey Ginsberg”]McMaster University announced today the creation of a newly endowed research chair, which will strengthen its cutting edge research in blood clots through the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic measures.
The chair in thromboembolic disease was made possible by a $1 million contribution from Hamilton businessman, David Braley, and his wife, registered nurse, Nancy Gordon, and with $1 million in research funds directed towards blot clot research through McMaster's thrombosis clinical research group.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blot clot commonly in the thigh or calf. It can have two serious consequences: a blockage of the flow blood through the vein, causing swelling and pain, or the blockage (blot clot) could travel through the veins to the lung causing a pulmonary embolism (PE), a potentially fatal condition that can kill within hours.
Orthopaedic surgical patients are at risk of blood clots without the use of preventative therapies, and DVT and subsequent PE are the most common cause for emergency.
Existing data, which may underestimate the true incidence of DVT, suggest that about 80 cases per 100,000 persons occur annually. DVT occurs in approximately 1 person per 20 over his or her lifetime, and 600,000 hospitalizations for DVT occur annually in the U.S.
Jeffrey Ginsberg, professor of medicine, and director of the Clinical Thromboembolism Group (CTG) at the Henderson Research Centre will be the inaugural chairholder. Ginsberg says: “The Chair will provide a huge boost to our group and allow us to continue to be at the cutting edge of clinical research in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of thrombosis.”
Members of McMaster's CTG have led many, many high impact studies that have influenced the way clotting problems are diagnosed, prevented and treated around the world.
“Venous thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries,” says Ginsberg. “While life-saving anticoagulant therapy is available to treat virtually all patients, the challenges include diagnosing DVT and PE, as the symptoms are not specific and require accurate diagnostic testing, administering preventive measures in patients at high risk for the development of DVT/PE (e.g. patients undergoing hip or knee joint replacement), and optimizing both initial and long-term therapy in patients diagnosed with DVT or PE.”
John Kelton, dean of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences said: “This Chair will provide the resources for Jeff Ginsberg and his team to continue their crucial research into the formation and treatment of blood clots and their devastating effects.”
