Treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in Pregnancy

Pregnancy and the puerperium are well-established risk factors for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), which are collectively referred to as venous thromboembolic disease (VTE). The venous thromboembolic disease can manifest during pregnancy as an isolated lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or clot can break off from the lower extremities and travel to the lung to present as a pulmonary embolus (PE). PE is the seventh leading cause of maternal mortality, responsible for 9 percent of maternal deaths. Thus, the detection of DVT during pregnancy is critical to preventing deaths from PE. Although most reports suggest that VTE can occur at any trimester in pregnancy, studies suggest that VTE is more common during the first half of pregnancy. The Treatment of VTE during pregnancy and the puerperium will be reviewed here