Pulmonary thromboembolism remains the most common direct cause of maternal death in the UK (see Why Mothers Die by J Drife; http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/fellows/CME/maternal/drife/drife_1.html). Pregnancy is associated with prothrombotic changes in the coagulation system, and therefore the risk of VTE disease is increased at any time during the pregnancy but is highest in the puerperium and greatest in women who have undergone caesarean section.
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