[The course of pregnancy in patients with cardiac disease]

The outcome of 240 pregnancies in 202 patients with cardiac disease, who delivered between Jan. 1982 and Dec. 1987 at the National Cardiovascular Center was analyzed. Ninety-six patients had congenital heart disease. Forty-two had acquired valvular heart disease, 83 had cardiac arrhythmia, 7 had aortitis syndrome, 7 had cardiomyopathy and 2 had secondary angina pectoris. There was one case of each of the following cardiac diseases: Primary pulmonary hypertension, Marfan's syndrome and pericarditis. Nineteen of the above lapsed into congestive heart failure and there were two cases of maternal death. One was a case of primary pulmonary hypertension and the other had had an aortic valve replaced with a Bjork-Shiley prosthesis because of rheumatic valve disease. Another 16 mothers had artificial preterm delivery at a gestational age of 30 weeks to 36 weeks to reduce the risk of congestive heart failure. There were 5 cases of IUFD, three of which were attributed to maternal cardiac disease and another to fetal failure. Neonatal congenital heart disease was found in 8 cases. The percentage of IUGR, excepting twin pregnancies, was 14.8%.