Acting surgeon general calls attention to DVT.

The AP reports, "Far too many Americans are dying of dangerous blood clots that can masquerade as simple leg pain," according to government officials who aim "to get both patients and their doctors to recognize the emergency in time." Acting Surgeon General Steven Galson, M.D., who announced the new campaign on Monday, said, "I don't think most people understand that this is a serious medical problem, or what can be done to prevent it." Dr. Galson "issued a 'call to action' for better education of both consumers and doctors, plus more research." The AP notes, "At issue are clots with cumbersome names: A deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, forms in large veins, usually a leg or the groin. It can quickly kill if it moves up to the lungs, where it goes by the name pulmonary embolism, or PE." Some physicians, however, are also "ill-informed" when it comes to DVT awareness. Research suggests 33 percent "of patients who need protective blood thinners when they enter the hospital for major surgery don't get them."