The incidence of deep vein thrombosis in women undergoing cesarean delivery

IntroductionVenous 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 MethodsThis 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 DVT was detected, participants were asked to return for a second ultrasound two weeks postpartum. Participants were also telephone-interviewed at three months for reported VTE.ResultsOf the 194 patients who consented to study participation, only one participant developed DVT after cesarean delivery, giving an overall incidence of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.1 to 2.8%). There were no DVT identified on the second ultrasound nor VTE reported 3 months postpartum.ConclusionsWe found the DVT rate after cesarean delivery to be 0.5%.