Frequency of Low Molecular Weight Heparin Indications among Sample of Pregnant Women in Salahadeen General Hospital, 2022

Abstract

Background: Risk stratification for pregnant women to prevent venous thromboembolic events is routine in many high-income settings. Most healthcare professionals use the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Greentop guidelines for antenatal and postnatal risk assessment. Based on the score, women at high risk will receive thromboprophylaxis for varying lengths of time.
Aim: The current study aimed to find out the indications of low molecular weight use in pregnancy and the most common predictors of its use. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Salahadeen General Hospital /Gynecology and Obstetrics
department during the period from the 1 st of January to the 30th of June 2022. A convenience sample of 80 pregnant women attended the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department and reported LMWH use during the current pregnancy. Pregnant women who were unsure about the dose or the cause of LMWH use in their current pregnancy were excluded from the study.
Results: Recurrent abortion was the commonest indication of low molecular weight heparin use in the pregnancy as 15 (18.8%) of the participants had a recurrent abortion, followed by COVID-19 infection 13.8), and deep vein thrombosis in the last pregnancy (13.8%). While the least common indications were intrauterine growth retardation and in vitro fertilisation. The mean gestation age differed according to the indication of LMWH use. It was 17.6 (10.2) weeks in recurrent abortion, and 12.0 in the case of in vitro fertilisation.
In conclusion, the recurrent abortion of unknown cause, followed by COVID-19 infection, deep vein thrombosis in the last pregnancy, and hypertension were the commonest cause of low molecular weight heparin use during pregnancy. Although the drug is both safe and efficacious, its use for some indications has no proven scientific evidence.