Acute superficial venous thrombophlebitis associated with pregnancy

Among 25,082 pregnant patients observed during a 14 year period (1951 through 1964), 381 had either superficial or deep venous thrombosis during or after pregnancy. Three hundred and thirty-four patients had superficial thrombophlebitis; 37 had the onset during pregnancy and 297 had it after termination of pregnancy. Although anticoagulant drugs were not employed for superficial thrombophlebitis during pregnancy, they were commonly administered for severe superficial thrombophlebitis during the postpartum period. Sixty per cent of the patients required additional hospitalization because of the superficial thrombophlebitis. The one patient who developed postpartum pulmonary embolism recovered uneventfully.