The parturient with cardiac disease

The presence of cardiac disease makes pregnancy more difficult and risky, and the anatomic and physiologic alterations of pregnancy tend to exacerbate many forms of heart disease. The management of these women in pregnancy and through delivery requires an interdisciplinary approach involving obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and cardiologists. This article reviews some of the forms of heart disease more commonly seen in women of childbearing years. Medical and anesthetic strategies are discussed that can increase the chance for a successful outcome for pregnancy even in women with significant cardiac pathology.