Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. For clinicians caring for women of reproductive age, it is important to become familiar with the physiologic changes during pregnancy and how they can potentially worsen certain cardiac conditions. In many cases, providers are not aware of a patient’s condition, or incorrectly assume there are no residual deficits. For those that do not care for pregnant women, having a working knowledge of this topic is necessary to optimize pregnancy outcomes, as there are opportunities for assessment and management prior to conception. This discussion will focus on the physiologic changes during pregnancy and the potential impact on those with cardiac disease, and highlight important points with respect to specific cardiac lesions as it pertains to management prior to and during pregnancy.
Learning Objectives:
Objective 1: List the physiologic changes during pregnancy that may have an impact on the care of the pregnant patient with cardiac disease;
Objective 2: Demonstrate a basic understanding of the most serious cardiac lesions during pregnancy;
Objective 3: Recognize the contribution of maternal cardiac disease to overall maternal mortality in the United States.
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