In plain words
A pulmonary embolism, or PE, happens when a clot, often one that formed in a leg vein, breaks loose and lodges in the arteries of the lungs. Blood cannot pass the blockage, so less oxygen reaches the blood. Pregnancy and the weeks after birth are a higher-risk time for clots, and PE is one of the leading causes of in high-income countries. Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply, a racing heart, coughing up blood, or are signs of a PE. If you have any of these, call 911 or go to an emergency room now. Swelling, warmth, or pain in one leg is a call to your provider today.
The deeper version
Pulmonary embolism is occlusion of pulmonary arterial branches, most often by thrombus embolized from the deep veins of the legs or pelvis. occurs in roughly 1 to 2 per 1,000 deliveries, and the postpartum weeks carry the highest risk; delivery, older age, obesity, , and reduced mobility add to it. Clinical probability scores adapted for pregnancy, testing (less specific in pregnancy and the puerperium), and CT pulmonary angiography or ventilation-perfusion scanning guide the workup, with imaging chosen to limit fetal exposure. Management follows ACOG Practice Bulletin 196 (2018) and RCOG Green-top Guideline 37a (2015). The open question is how long after birth higher-risk patients need protection, since the evidence on extended postpartum prophylaxis is mostly observational.
Where it comes up
- Blood clots: the signs to knowPostpartum: Your Body
- Postpartum anxietyPostpartum: Mind
- Travel during pregnancyPregnancy: Mind and Life
What mothers here say about pulmonary embolism
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Practice Bulletin No. 196: Thromboembolism in Pregnancy (2018)
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists — Green-top Guideline No. 37a: Reducing the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism during Pregnancy and the Puerperium (2015)