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The venous system during pregnancy. Part 1: physiologic considerations
1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
An essential contributor to the hemodynamic responses observed during pregnancy, the venous system is affected by hormones, blood volume, flow rates, and an enlarging uterus. The venous system is a dynamic reservoir for blood volume, within which a virtual point of conversion between unstressed volume (Vu) and stressed volume (Vs) exists. The physiologic importance of the venous system during pregnancy is best understood when the basic concepts, functional characteristics, and alterations in pregnancy are reviewed.
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