EMPLOYERS URGED TO INVEST IN LIFE SAVING PRODUCT FOR SEDENTARY STAFF

Millions of office workers who spend hours at a time sitting at a desk could soon have access to a brand-new product which could save their lives.

Research has shown sedentary workers who sit at a desk for eight hours a day and spend more than three hours without stretching, double their risk of developing a potentially deadly blood clot.

But now the RBR legflow™ has been developed by a group of experts to improve venous blood flow in the lower limbs and could have a significant impact on the health of employees across the UK.

Paul Westerman, who survived a massive pulmonary embolism and has been instrumental in the creation of the product, said: “An association between prolonged periods of occupational or computer-related sitting and developing a blood clot was first identified in the early 2000’s and in a series of studies, the increased risk of developing a blood clot (e-thrombosis) was up to 2.4 times greater than that of the general population.”

“So many workers sit in confined desk spaces for long periods of time with absolutely no idea that by just sitting still, they are placing themselves at serious risk. This threat is significantly heightened at present, as since February 2020, many employee’s have been working from home, where research by the ONS shows an 86% increase of staff are now working from home. This brings extra concerns for the duty of care and wellbeing of staff, as research shows that 30.3% of employees now work longer hours than when office based.”

“Most responsible employers put the health and safety of their employees first and foremost and we believe that this product could reduce instances of deep vein thrombosis in our workforce.”

According to studies, almost two thirds (63%) of office workers spend six hours or more sitting at their desk. Nearly half (48%) admitted to not leaving the office all day.

Sales, media and marketing (60%) and finance (54%) emerged as the sectors with the most amount of people desk bound. 

Mr Westerman has spent the last eight years researching blood clots and risk factors and has worked with experts within respiratory and thrombotic medicine to create the RBR legflow™, which fits comfortably underfoot.

This has undergone clinical trials which have shown that it increases the flow of blood in leg veins.

Paul collapsed in 2011 after a minor knee injury left him immobilised for several days.

A clot, the size of a man’s thumb, had travelled from his leg – destroying the valves in the deep veins in his thigh as it went – passing through his heart and blocking both pulmonary arteries with coagulated blood.

The clot had then moved on to fill the blood vessels of the lungs, so only a trace of oxygenated blood could flow – Paul had almost suffocated.

He said: “The reality is that my lungs and heart will never fully recover, the deep veins in the injured leg will never support natural blood flow and I will be on medication to keep me alive for the rest of my life.”

“Facing this reality has not been easy. But I feel like I have a purpose – to try to boost awareness of this condition and do whatever I can to prevent others from going through this nightmare.”

Since 2011, Paul has built relationships with other survivors and their families, along with the bereaved. He has also offered his personal experience to inform changes in medical policy.

In 2013, Paul became a trustee of Thrombosis UK and in 2014 he was appointed as a committee member of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its examination of thromboembolic diseases.

Last year, he joined a pulmonary embolism study (initiated by the NCEPOD), working to identify avoidable and remediable factors in the management of patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.

The RBR legflow™ is the result of an inspired collaboration between Paul and eminent medical professionals in the field of thrombosis.

Key facts:

• The cost of thrombosis to the NHS is estimated at over £200 million a year.
• Globally this is a cost to health service providers of more than £22 billion each year.
• More than 60% of all cases of VTE are associated with hospitalisation, with many events occurring up to 90 days after admission.
• VTE affects approximately one in 1000 of the UK population and is a significant cause of mortality, long-term disability and chronic ill-health problems.
• In Europe, there are 544,000 VTE-related deaths every year.
• In the U.S. and Europe, VTE-related events kill more people than AIDS, breast cancer, prostate cancer and motor vehicle crashes combined
• In the UK, up to 60% of VTE cases occur during or after hospitalisation, making it the leading    preventable cause of hospital death
• Hospital-acquired blood clots cause an estimated 25,000 preventable deaths each year

For more information visit: www.rbrlegflow.com

Risk Factors for DVT

Older Age                                 Immobility                                           Obesity

History                                     Pregnancy                                            HRT

Surgery                                    Hospitalisation                                     Oral Contraceptives

Long-Haul Travel                       Cancer                                                 Trauma

For further information – please contact

Paul Westerman           paul.westerman@rbractive.com