Mechanical Aortic Valve Thrombus in Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Cardiac disease is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in developed countries. The presence of a mechanical valve is a predictor of cardiac complications in obstetric patients, likely due to the challenges associated with pregnancy hypercoagulability and the imperative of meticulous management of anticoagulation throughout pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum and to prevent the devastating event of a mechanical valve thrombosis. We report on the management of a pregnant woman with a mechanical aortic valve found to have a thrombus at 37 weeks gestation. It was decided to perform cesarean delivery to allow for a reoperative mechanical aortic valve replacement 24 hours thereafter.