Breathlessness in pregnancy: asthma, infection and VTE

Dr Marie Fisk, a respiratory and acute medicine consultant, uses three cases (suspected PE in hyperemesis, acute asthma, and community-acquired pneumonia) to review the assessment and management of breathlessness in pregnancy. She covers the limited role of D-dimer and clinical scores, imaging choices and radiation exposure, treatment-dose LMWH, asthma control and biologics, the updated NICE pneumonia guidance, and maternal vaccination. The talk is set against the recent maternal mortality reports, stressing clinical judgement, active listening, repeat attendance as a red flag, and communication between teams.