title: Pregnancy and valvular heart disease.
abstract: Heart disease can affect anyone at any time, and pregnant women are not exceptions. Some type of cardiac pathologic disease can be seen in 1% to 2% of all pregnant women. Because of the high fetal mortality rate and the high relative rate of maternal mortality in surgery, medical management is the first line of treatment. Nevertheless, when medical treatment fails, cardiac surgery may be necessary. Here we present such a case of cardiac valvular disease complicated by pregnancy. Current decision-making, treatment, and trends are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Carlyle Fraser Heart Center, Crawford Long Hospital of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Delarosa1@aol.com
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DeLaRosa
authors.forename: Erez
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sharoni
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Guyton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000379:methods; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery*; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000601:surgery*; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000601:surgery; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000601:surgery