Low-molecular-weight heparins during pregnancy

QUESTION: A few years ago I suffered from pulmonary emboli. My physician recommended I use dalteparin during this pregnancy although, during my previous pregnancy, I had received subcutaneous heparin injections three times daily. Is dalteparin the same as heparin? ANSWER: : Based on the best available evidence from mostly small prospective case series, retrospective reports, and placental perfusion studies, low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs), such as dalteparin, are a safe and convenient alternative to heparin during pregnancy for both mothers and fetuses. QUESTION: J’ai subi, il y a quelques années, une embolie pulmonaire. Mon médecin m’a recommandé d’utiliser de la daltéparine durant ma présente grossesse alors qu’au cours de la précédente, on m’administrait des injections sous-cutanées d’héparine trois fois par jour. La daltéparine est-elle le même médicament que l’héparine? RÉPONSE: En se fondant sur les meilleures données scientifiques disponibles, tirées principalement d’études de séries de cas prospectives, de rapports rétrospectifs et d’études de la perfusion placentaire, les héparines à bas poids moléculaire (HBM) comme la daltéparine sont une alternative sûre et pratique à l’héparine pendant la grossesse, tant pour la mère que pour le fœtus.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Answering a pregnant patient's question about switching from heparin injections to dalteparin after a prior pulmonary embolism, this response concludes that limited case-series, retrospective, and placental-perfusion data support low-molecular-weight heparins as a safe, convenient alternative to heparin for both mother and fetus.

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