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10 - Thromboembolic disorders of pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2009

Alexander Heazell  and
John Clift
By
Mark Tindall
Alexander Heazell
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
John Clift
Affiliation:
City Hospital, Birmingham
Mark Tindall
Affiliation:
Consultant in Anaesthesia, Dudley Group of Hospitals, Dudley, West Midlands, UK
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Summary

Successive reports from the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) have highlighted failures in recognition of risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and provision of adequate prophylaxis. VTE is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in pregnancy. There are two different manifestations of VTE - deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). DVT organizes clots that occur in the venous system, usually in the large veins of the leg or pelvis. PE is a clot that causes occlusion of artery in the pulmonary circulation. The blockage of the artery can be caused by air, fat, amniotic fluid or blood clot. The accurate diagnosis of VTE requires both clinical assessment and objective testing. Spiral CT scan is used to identify PE. Both the prophylaxis and treatment of VTE can potentially have implications on the provision of regional anaesthesia or analgesia during labour and delivery.

Keywords

CEMACHdeep vein thrombosispelvis veinprophylaxisspiral CT scanthromboembolic disordervenous thromboembolismpulmonary embolism
Type
Chapter
Information
Obstetrics for Anaesthetists , pp. 120 - 129
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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References

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