Blood clots
A leading preventable cause of death after cesarean.
Cesarean delivery raises the risk of a clot in the leg or lung. A meta-analysis of 28 studies found roughly a fourfold higher risk than vaginal birth, with about 3 in 1,000 women developing a clot after a cesarean. Emergency cesareans carry more risk than planned ones.
Current guidance is that every woman having a cesarean should receive sequential compression devices on her legs, started before surgery and continued until she is walking normally. Women with a history of clots or an inherited clotting disorder should also receive blood thinning medication for six weeks after the operation.
Check for the sleevesIf you do not have compression devices on your legs before the operation begins, ask why not.
Where this comes from:
309. Blondon M, Casini A, Hoppe KK, Boehlen F, Righini M, Smith NL. Risks of venous thromboembolism after cesarean sections: a meta-analysis. Chest. 2016;150(3):572-596.
310. Pacheco LD, Saade G, Metz TD. Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Consult Series #51: thromboembolism prophylaxis for cesarean delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):B11-B17.
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