A case of successfully managed pregnancy in a patient with complex cyanotic congenital heart disease

Abstract

Medical advances have increased survival of patients with congenital heart disease. However, cardiac disease in pregnancy carries significant maternal and fetal risks, posing enormous challenges to obstetricians. Cyanotic congenital heart disease is associated with maternal complications such as arrhythmias, thromboembolic events and death. Fetal complications include small for gestational age, miscarriage and prematurity. Cyanotic congenital heart disease patients who continue their pregnancies require holistic multidisciplinary team care with early and coordinated planning for delivery. Management of such patients include early counseling regarding pregnancy-associated risks, close monitoring of their cardiac function and regular scanning for fetal assessment. Choice of anesthesia for these patients requires meticulous planning to achieve a favorable balance between systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance, ensuring minimal change in right-to-left shunting. We report a case of a successfully managed pregnancy in a patient with complex congenital heart disease and a single ventricle of left ventricle morphology.