title: Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease.
abstract: Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects. Major advances in open-heart surgery have led to rapidly evolving cohorts of adult survivors and the majority of affected women now survive to childbearing age. The risk of cardiovascular complications during pregnancy and peripartum depends on the type of the underlying defect, the extent and severity of residual haemodynamic lesions and comorbidities. Careful individualized, multi-disciplinary pre-pregnancy risk assessment and counselling, including assessment of risks in the offspring and estimation on long-term outcomes of the underlying heart defect, will enable informed decision making. Depending on the estimated risks, a careful follow-up plan during pregnancy as well as a detailed plan for delivery and postpartum care can reduce the risks and should be made by the multi-disciplinary team.
authors.affiliation: Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center, Raemistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland matthias.greutmann@usz.ch.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Greutmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Petronella G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Pieper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D057189:Checklist; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D003376:Counseling; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team; D016742:Preconception Care / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Congenital heart disease; Delivery; Labour; Pregnancy