Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Jun 2019)

Outcomes of Pregnancy in Patients With Prior Right Ventricular Outflow Interventions

  • Alexander C. Egbe,
  • Majd El‐Harasis,
  • William R. Miranda,
  • Naser M. Ammash,
  • Carl H. Rose,
  • Ayotola Fatola,
  • Srikanth Kothapalli,
  • Mohamed Farouk Abdelsamid,
  • Heidi M. Connolly

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.118.011730
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 12

Abstract

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Background The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of pregnancy‐related adverse outcomes (PRAO) between patients with versus without hemodynamically significant right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT). Methods and Results This was a retrospective cohort study of all pregnant patients with isolated RVOT lesions undergoing evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, 1990 to 2017. Hemodynamic significance was defined as ≥moderate pulmonary/conduit stenosis (≥3 m/s) and/or ≥moderate regurgitation. Patients with concomitant significant left heart disease were excluded. PRAO was defined as cardiovascular, obstetric, and/or neonatal complications occurring during the pregnancy through 6 weeks postpartum. A total of 224 pregnancies in 114 patients with RVOT lesions were identified; 38 pregnancies occurred in 24 patients with hemodynamically significant RVOT. Forty‐eight (21%) pregnancies ended in spontaneous abortion. Of the 173 completed pregnancies, median gestational age at delivery was 38 (35–40) weeks and median birth weight 2965 (2065–4122) g. Seven pregnancies (4%) were complicated by cardiovascular events, 14 (8%) by obstetric complications, with adverse neonatal outcomes occurring in 38 (22%). There were no maternal deaths. The incidence of spontaneous abortion and PRAO were similar in both the RVOT and hemodynamically significant RVOT groups. As an isolated condition, Tetralogy of Fallot–pulmonary atresia was associated with spontaneous abortion and neonatal complications. Conclusions The risk of cardiovascular complications was low in patients with isolated RVOT lesions, and hemodynamically significant RVOT lesions were not associated with either cardiovascular complications or PRAO. Further studies are required to explore the factors responsible for PRAO in patients with Tetralogy of Fallot–pulmonary atresia.

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