title: Risk stratification and hierarchy of antenatal care.
abstract: Cardiac disease is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK. The triennial maternal mortality reports have repeatedly highlighted failure to recognise the level of risk as a major contributing factor to the deaths of these women. Once the level of risk has been recognised, services then need to be organised in a way that supports the needs of the highest risk women, but avoids unnecessary intervention for women at lower risk. Risk scoring systems and lesion-specific indicators may help predict maternal and neonatal outcomes. Care can then be planned accordingly, to optimise the outcome for the woman and her baby.
authors.affiliation: St Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9WL, UK and Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester. Electronic address: sarah.vause@cmft.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vause
authors.affiliation: Manchester Royal Infirmary, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester M13 9WL and Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000628:therapy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods
keywords: heart diseases; maternal mortality; pregnancy