Prevention and treatment of arterial thrombosis in pregnancy.

In the last few years there has been a marked increase in the recognition of patients who are potentially at risk of arterial occlusive events during pregnancy. This includes patients with a previous history of arterial occlusion such as myocardial infarction and stroke, patients known to carry acquired or inherited thrombotic risk factors including sickle cell and myeloproliferative disorders, and patients with prosthetic heart valves. This review details the management options for prevention of arterial occlusions in these at-risk patients and outlines potential management strategies for arterial occlusions occurring during pregnancy.