title: Guidance for the treatment and prevention of obstetric-associated venous thromboembolism.
abstract: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which may manifest as pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), is a serious and potentially fatal condition. Treatment and prevention of obstetric-related VTE is complicated by the need to consider fetal, as well as maternal, wellbeing when making management decisions. Although absolute VTE rates in this population are low, obstetric-associated VTE is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. This manuscript, initiated by the Anticoagulation Forum, provides practical clinical guidance on the prevention and treatment of obstetric-associated VTE based on existing guidelines and consensus expert opinion based on available literature where guidelines are lacking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, McMaster University and Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), 1280 Main Street West, HSC 3W11, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada. batesm@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Saskia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Middeldorp
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and Community Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodger
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Andra H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Greer
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Anticoagulants; Deep vein thrombosis; Obstetric; Pregnancy; Prophylaxis; Pulmonary embolism; Venous thromboembolism