Creating a Cardio-Obstetrics Elective as a Fellow in Training

Cardiovascular disease in pregnant women is a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. Cardio-obstetrics experts focus on the intersection of pregnancy and cardiac disease, but structured educational opportunities and training pathways are lacking.

Working with the cardiovascular disease program leadership at a quaternary care center in New York City, we created a 2-week elective spanning multiple specialties to bolster cardio-obstetrics education. These included congenital cardiology, postpartum hypertension, maternal-fetal medicine, as well as the labor and delivery floors with the obstetrics and anesthesia teams.

Key lessons learned included the importance of communication and flexibility among the multidisciplinary groups. Building relationships across specialties and sharing expertise was an important outcome.

Structured training and education in cardio-obstetrics is lacking, although there is certainly a need. Cardiovascular fellows in training should feel empowered to create tailored educational experiences at their respective institutions to address this gap.