Pregnancy Outcome in Women with a History of Congenital Heart Disease: a Case Series Study

Objective: The number of women with congenital heart disease who reach the fertility age is increasing but still they may encounter more maternal and fetal complications than normal women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the result of pregnancy in several cases that referred to our clinic. Study design: 42 pregnant women with congenital heart disease (CHD) who referred to Rajaie Cardiovascular & Medical research Center from 2009 to 2012 were enrolled. Patients with valvular heart disease or prosthetic heart valves were excluded. The cases were followed for maternal and fetal outcome. All patients underwent fetal echocardiography between 18th and 20th weeks of gestation. Results: 42 patients with CHD including 11 patients with Tetralogy of Fallot, 6 patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (4 repaired), 7 cases with ventricular septal defect (VSD) (2 repaired), 8 patients with atrial septal defect, 1 case with pulmonary stenosis, 3 cases with coarctation of aorta, 2 cases with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 1 cases with bicuspid aortic valve and 1 cases with Eisenmenger's syndrome were followed. There was no maternal mortality. Six mothers experienced preeclampsia and 1 mother suffered from post partum hemorrhage. There was no report of heart failure but one sustained supraventricular arrhythmia. Overall, There were 5 abortions, 10 low birth weight infants, 7 premature infants, 37 live births, 3 infants (8.1%) with CHD including 1 with VSD, 1 with PDA and 1 with hypoplastic left ventricle. Conclusion: Based on the results, maternal and fetal complications are relatively significant in patients with CHD.