RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Anticoagulants and pregnancy: When are they safe?
JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
JO Cleve Clin J Med
FD Cleveland Clinic
SP 113
OP 127
DO 10.3949/ccjm.75a.072272
VO 76
IS 2
A1 Paul S. Gibson
A1 Raymond Powrie
YR 2009
UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/76/2/113.abstract
AB Prescribing anticoagulants to pregnant women can be difficult and stressful. Fortunately, low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) and unfractionated heparin are quite safe and efficacious when properly selected, dosed, and monitored. Maternal and fetal concerns must be considered at all times, with a careful assessment of the risks and benefits of anticoagulant therapy in each patient. Further research should help to clarify who should receive thromboprophylaxis, how to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with various thrombophilias, and how best to treat pregnant women who have a prosthetic heart valve.