High levels of alcohol consumption in pregnant women from a touristic area of Southern Spain.

The prevalence of alcohol intake in women who become pregnant is similar to that found in the general population, especially in cases of unplanned pregnancies. Consequently, foetal exposure is high during the period of maximum vulnerability. The present study was carried out to determine the prenatal level of exposure to alcohol in Málaga, a Mediterranean region whose economy is based on the touristic sector (Costa del Sol). A cross-sectional, observational design was used to investigate the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, based on a self-reporting questionnaire. A total of 451 women in the first, second or third trimesters of pregnancy were recruited. Consumption prevalences in each trimester were 40.7%, 25.5% and 17.1%. A higher educational level was associated with greater exposure to alcohol (risk ratio, 1.87 [1.30-2.69]). These results should alert the providers of obstetric care in touristic areas to the need for the adoption of adequate preventive measures.

Use of a temporary inferior vena cava filter during pregnancy in patients with thromboembolic events.

There are circumstances in the management of thromboembolic events during pregnancy when anticoagulant therapy is either contraindicated or not advisable, such as when pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep venous thrombosis is diagnosed close to term, given the risk of bleeding during delivery. In these cases, the thromboembolic risk can be controlled using temporary inferior vena cava filters (T-IVCFs). We present the case of a pregnant woman with thrombophilia who remained at rest for eight weeks due to an amniotic prolapse and for whom the placement of a T-IVCF was decided at 32 weeks' gestation after anticoagulant therapy had failed. An emergency caesarean section was performed at 33 weeks' gestation due to placental abruption following the spontaneous onset of preterm labour. The risk of bleeding during delivery when high doses of heparin are used, and the risk of PE when the heparin dose is decreased, needs to be evaluated versus the risks related to T-IVCF placement procedure and, as such, a review of the published experience in this field is warranted. We have concluded that T-IVCFs can be a safe alternative treatment for pregnant women in whom anticoagulation therapy is either contraindicated or not advisable.