Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Rotary Club Medical Lecture

Over 100 Rotarians and guests, together with the Mayor of Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Councillor Mrs Gill Birch, and Councillor Dale Birch, Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing, attended the fourth in a series of Medical Educational lectures arranged and hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim UK in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Ascot.

Guest speaker was Professor Ajay K. Kakkar from the Thrombosis Research Institute, whose specialisation is Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE). Professor Kakkar told the audience that VTE is the biggest “avoidable” killer of hospital patients in the UK, causing 16 times more fatalities than the highly publicised “superbugs”. He discussed the risk factors that make some people more prone to VTE, and suggested that all surgical patients be assessed for VTE susceptibility prior to surgery.

(LtoR) Councillor Dale Birch, Councillor Mrs Gill Birch (Mayor), Ian Valentine (President of the Rotary Club of Ascot) , Professor Ajay K. Kakkar, Uwe Weiler (Managing Director of Boehringer Ingelheim (UK)

Replying to questions on Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and travel, Professor Kakkar said that there was little evidence of any correlation between long-haul travel and DVT. Most reported occurrences of DVT after travel occur when there are other factors which put the traveller into a higher risk of thrombosis. He also did not believe there was anything to be gained by wearing constrictive stockings, and these could in fact be harmful to certain travellers, e.g. diabetics.

A collection was taken from attendees which raised £1.000. This sum will be matched by Boehringer Ingelheim UK so that a donation of £2,000 can be made to AntiCoagulation Europe, a charity providing information and advice to users of Warfarin, other anticoagulants and antiplatelet therapy, and whose Director, Eve Knight, was also in attendance.

Previous Medical Information lectures in this series have included:

· Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

· Stroke

· Parkinson’s Disease.