Obstetrical venous thromboembolism: Epidemiology and strategies for prophylaxis

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of severe maternal morbidity and mortality. While pregnancy alone is a risk factor for VTE, additional population-based risk factors such as obesity are becoming increasingly common, particularly in the developed world. Maternal death from VTE is amenable to prevention and VTE thromboprophylaxis is the most readily implementable means of systematically reducing the maternal death rate. In the United States, prophylaxis is recommended primarily for patients at extremely high risk for thromboembolism and women undergoing cesarean delivery, whereas in the United Kingdom a larger proportion of the population is targeted.
Source: Seminars in Perinatology - Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Source Type: research