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Review
. 2018 Sep;39(3):525-537.
doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2018.04.007.

Pregnancy and Pulmonary Embolism

Christopher Deeb Dado  1 , Andrew Tobias Levinson  2 , Ghada Bourjeily  3
Affiliations
Review

Pregnancy and Pulmonary Embolism

Christopher Deeb Dado et al. Clin Chest Med. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), referring to both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a leading cause of death in the developed world during pregnancy. This increased risk is attributed to the Virchow triad, inherited thrombophilias, along with other standard risk factors, and continues for up to 6 to 12 weeks postpartum. During the peripartum period, women should be risk stratified and preventive measures should be initiated based on their risk. Diagnostic tests and treatment strategies commonly used in VTE differ in pregnancy. An understanding of these differences is imperative to diagnose with confidence and to treat appropriately.

Keywords: Heparin; Multidetector CT; Pregnancy; Pulmonary embolism; Venous thromboembolism; Ventilation perfusion scan.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Diagnostic approach to suspected PE in pregnancy. MDCT, multidetector computed tomography.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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