Cardiology Letters 2021, 30(1):14-18

Venous thromboembolism in pregnancy: what the latest real-world data say

Remková A

REMEDIKA s. r. o., Bratislava, Slovenská republika

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of maternal mortality. Diagnosis of VTE during pregnancy and post-partum period is challenging. Real-world data on clinical presentation and management of VTE in these women have been limited so far. A recent prospective analysis in a cohort of 596 pregnant and 523 post-partum women with objectively confirmed VTE represents the largest study to date in this population. Pregnant and post-partum women were enrolled from a prospective clinical RIETE registry of real-world patients with VTE. This investigation extended our knowledge by showing that pregnant and postpartum women with VTE had a low incidence of death, recurrent VTE, and major bleeding related to therapy. They had a higher prevalence of thrombophilia, but other known risk factors for VTE and other associated comorbid conditions were not more prevalent. Pregnant versus post-partum women with VTE were more commonly treated with low-molecular-weight heparin and more frequently received inferior vena cava filters. Our efforts should focus on consistent prevention and effective diagnosis of VTE in these patients.

Keywords: pregnancy; post-partum period; pulmonary embolism; low-molecular-weight heparin

Published: January 1, 2021  Show citation