Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Cardiac Diseases Presenting to Shariati Hospital Cardiovascular Department from 21st March 2017 to 20th March 2018

Cardiac diseases are considered as major cause of maternal mortality during pregnancy and account for about 10% of all maternal mortalities. Cardiac diseases cause complications for both mother and fetus. In this study, we evaluated the effects of cardiac diseases on pregnancy and vice versa. Three groups of complications were examined: complication of maternal heart (serious and life-threatening or not
life-threatening), complications during laber and complications of infant/fetus.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study on pregnant women with heart diseases. Maternal age at pregnancy, type of heart disease, maternal paraclinical information, pregnancy termination, maternal adverse outcomes, infants’ first- and fifth-minute apgar score, and neonatal outcomes and abortions were recorded. After collecting these data, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS20 software.

Mothers with tetralogy of fallot (P=0.000), coronary artery disease (P=0.045), aortic coarctation (P=0.000), and eclampsia or pre-eclampsia (P=0.000) experienced a significantly worse condition. However, infants of mothers with chronic hypertension needed NICU significantly less as compared with those with other heart diseases (P<0.001). Maternal death was not reported in our study, and there was a significant deterioration in mothers with valvular diseases (P=0.005) and coronary artery disease (P=0.022). The need for admission to the ICU was significantly lower in mothers with chronic hypertension as compared to those with other illnesses (P=<0.001).

In our study, mothers with cardiovascular diseases, tetralogy of fallot, coronary artery disease, history of pre-eclampsia, history of aortic coarctation, valvular diseases, and dilated cardiomyopathy had more complications in neonates. Among the valvular diseases, mitral valve disease was also associated with a worse condition in neonates.