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Congenital heart disease in pregnancy in a low‐income country
Author(s) -
Arora Nalini,
Kausar Hena,
Jarayan,
Mandal Sarbeswar,
Mukherjee Dipankar,
Mukherjee Ranajit
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.07.033
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , heart disease , obstetrics , low income , cardiology , demographic economics , genetics , economics , biology
Objective To assess maternal and perinatal outcomes among pregnant women with congenital heart disease (CHD) in a low‐resource country. Methods A prospective, observational study was conducted at a teaching hospital in Kolkata, India, between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2010. All pregnant women with CHD were followed up from first prenatal visit to discharge. Both maternal and perinatal outcomes were analyzed. Results Of 174 pregnant women with heart disease, 27 (16%) had CHD. Mean age was 23.5 ± 3.6 years. Four (15%) patients were diagnosed with CHD during the index pregnancy. Nine (33%) women had undergone surgical correction before conception. Cesarean delivery was performed in 12 (44%) women. Fifteen (56%) neonates weighed less than 2500 g, and 4 (15%) were born preterm. Mean birth weight was slightly higher in women with corrected heart lesions than in those with uncorrected ones (2593 ± 480 g vs 2294 ± 620 g; P = 0.22). Three (11%) neonates died, but no stillbirths occurred. One (4%) woman died after delivery owing to atonic postpartum hemorrhage. Conclusion Delayed diagnosis, lack of treatment, and unplanned pregnancy are major challenges for women with CHD, which need to be addressed to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in low‐resource countries.