Foetomaternal outcome of pregnancy with cardiac disease

To study the prevalence of cardiac disease in pregnancy and to assess the foetomaternal outcomes.

It was a 5 year descriptive study. All pregnant females with a known or newly diagnosed congenital or acquired cardiac lesion on echo cardiography were included in the study.

There were 17,056 births during the study period, of whom 160 were cardiac patients giving a prevalence of 1%. Out of these 36% patients were diagnosed to have cardiac disease during current pregnancy. Acquired valvular heart lesions were found in 132 (82%) patients with mitral stenosis being the commonest (55%), others were congenital. Of the group, 43% patients were in class III & IV according to NYHA. Majority delivered vaginally and only 29% had c/section, 9% had therapeutic termination of pregnancy and 45% babies were low birth weight. Ten babies expired. Maternal mortality was low (3.8%), while 55(35%) had obstetric complications. Poor functional class (III & IV) was the key determinant of adverse footomaternal outcome (p<0.0001).

The good results of this study can be attrihuted to the team efforts of between obstetricians, cardiologists and patients. Adverse foetomaternal outcome was related to poor functional class III and IV of NYHA.