Endocarditis during pregnancy.
The incidence of infective endocarditis during pregnancy has been reported to be 0.006%. The maternal mortality rate can reach 33%, with most deaths related to heart failure or an embolic event. The rate of fetal mortality can reach 29%. Heart diseases are the most important nonobstetric causes of maternal death during pregnancy, accounting for 10% of maternal deaths. As many as 3% of women have a form of cardiac disease diagnosed during or in the period preceding pregnancy, with 70 to 80% of the cardiac conditions having congenital causes.
Montoya
Maria E
ME
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0570, USA. mariae_m@yahoo.com
Karnath
Bernard M
BM
Ahmad
Masood
M
D000328:Adult; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000382:microbiology; D005334:Fever / Q000382:microbiology; D006337:Heart Murmurs / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis*