Cardiac disease and pregnancy

Cardiac disease in pregnancy is an important cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in the UK. An understanding of the physiological cardiovascular changes in pregnancy and their impact on pre-existing cardiac disease is important. The increased incidence of congenital heart disease reflects advances in corrective and palliative surgery for severe defects. Rheumatic heart disease may present for the first time in pregnancy. Appropriate referral and multidisciplinary planning is very important in women with known cardiac disease. It is also important to be vigilant and monitor women for the development of new-onset cardiac disease in pregnancy or the puerperium.