The incidence of deep vein thrombosis in women undergoing cesarean delivery

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United States. Cesarean delivery is a known risk factor. This study was to determine the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) post cesarean delivery. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study where two patients having undergone cesarean delivery each day were randomly selected. A lower extremity compression ultrasound was performed prior to hospital discharge. If no DVTwas detected, participants were asked to return for a second ultrasound two weeks postpartum. Participants were also telephone-interviewed at three months for reported VTE. Results: Of the 194 patients who consented to study participation, only one participant developed DVTafter cesarean delivery, giving an overall incidence of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.1 to 2.8%). There were no DVTidentified on the second ultrasound nor VTE reported 3 months postpartum. Conclusions: We found the DVT rate after cesarean delivery to be 0.5%. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.