Obstetric venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: What obstetricians should know about anesthesia guidelines

In 2018 two documents were released from major anesthesia societies, the American Society for Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) and the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP), to aid anesthesiologists in decision making regarding neuraxial procedures for obstetric patients receiving anticoagulation. For obstetrical providers seeking to provide appropriate inpatient thromboprophylaxis while also maximizing access to neuraxial anesthesia, awareness of these recommendations may be critically important. In comparison to anesthesiologists in other medical and surgical scenarios, obstetric anesthesiologists are more likely to be called upon to administer anesthesia urgently or emergently. Approximately one-third of women in the United States deliver by cesarean, and while many of these procedures will be scheduled, many others will be performed for an urgent indication where timing of delivery cannot be anticipated precisely. The purpose of this review is to summarize key clinical obstetric anesthesia management points related to anticoagulation for the obstetrician so that both VTE prophylaxis and access to neuraxial anesthesia can be optimized.