Maternal heart disease and pregnancy complications: a tertiary hospital experience from Turkiye

Year 2025, Volume: 11 Issue: 2, 151 - 160

Gülşan Karabay , Zeynep Şeyhanlı , Ahmet Arif Filiz , Hatice Ayhan , Selma İpek , Umut Karabay , Ali Çağlar

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1626635

Abstract

Objectives: Maternal heart disease is a leading cause of non-obstetric maternal mortality and morbidity, complicating the necessary physiological changes during pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by maternal heart disease.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted from November 2022 to November 2023 at a tertiary care hospital. Ninety-three pregnant women with maternal heart disease were included and categorized into congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other cardiac conditions. Data on demographics, obstetric complications, and perinatal outcomes were analyzed.

Results: Among the participants, 47.3% had rheumatic heart disease, 37.6% had other cardiac conditions, and 15.1% had congenital heart disease. Maternal outcomes included a 29% incidence of preterm delivery, and an 8.6% occurrence of fetal growth restriction, and 7.5% of mothers requiring postpartum intensive care. However, no maternal mortality was observed. Neonatal outcomes included a 30.3% admission rate to the neonatal intensive care unit and a 12.9% incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, with no recorded fetal mortality. Outcomes were consistent across the three cardiac disease groups, demonstrating the effectiveness of multidisciplinary care approaches.

Conclusions: Early diagnosis, individualized care, and multidisciplinary management are essential for improving outcomes in pregnancies with maternal heart disease. Despite no observed maternal or fetal mortality, high rates of preterm births and neonatal complications emphasize the need for targeted interventions. Addressing modifiable risk factors like hypertension and obesity is critical. Multicenter studies with larger cohorts are recommended to enhance management strategies.

Keywords

Maternal heart disease, pregnancy outcomes, rheumatic heart disease, neonatal complications, high-risk pregnancies

Ethical Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the principles specified in the Declaration of Helsinki. The Ankara Etlik City Hospital’s Ethics Committee gave its permission to the study protocol (approval number: 2023-474 and date: 16.08.2023).

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