Leeds Combined Cardiac Antenatal Clinic

Mr. Gerald Mason, Consultant Obstetrician

Delivery Suite

Clarendon Wing

Leeds General Infirmary

Leeds

Dr. Kate English (Consultant in Adult Congenital Heart Disease)

Dr. J. Parsons (Consultant in Perinatal Cardiology)

Pregnant women with heart problems

Antenatal Care

Improved care of children with congenital heart disease over the last three decades has resulted in increasing numbers of women reaching child bearing age in good health, and just like other woman these women may wish to have children.  Pregnancy puts extra demands on a womans's heart and whilst most women with congential heart disease are able to cope with this specialist care or advice may be needed. 

As a general rule patients with heart disease resulting NYHA (New York Heart Association) Class 1 or 2 type function can cope with pregnancy well and expect a vaginal delivery.  Patients with Class 3 or 4 type function may have a more problematic course and usually require most specialised input.  Regardless of the NYHA classification we welcome enquiries from around the Yorkshire region and if necessary will arange to see patients in our combined cardiology clinic which is run jointly by obstetricians and cardiologists.

Delivery

Some women with heart problems in pregnancy will need specialist care during delivery whether this is occurs vaginally or through caesarean section.  As a result one of the purposes of a woman's visit to the Leeds combined cardiac antenatal clinic is to make a clear plan for how and where delivery should take place.  Often this is perfectly safe in a woman's local maternity unit, but sometimes, particularly when cardiac assessment suggests that an elective caesarean section is necessary this will need to take place in the Leeds General Infirmary (partly for our experience with anaesthesia in such cases and partly due the presence of the regional cardiac intensive care unit).  In such circumstances women are admitted to Ward 56 on the day before their planned surgery date (if patients live locally they may go home for the night after assessment).  The following day patients are transferred to the delivery suite theatre during the morning, a partner or friend may accompany them. Following the caesarean patients are kept temporarily on the delivery suite high dependcy unit before transfer back to Ward 56 with their baby.  Most patients who have an uncomplicated caesarean can expect to stay in hospital 2-3 days following surgery before being discharged home.

Babies with heart problems

Women with congenital heart problems are at increased risk of having babies with heart problems, and although the majority of fetal heart problems we see are not in conjunction with maternal heart problems it makes sense for our combined clinic to see all such patients together.  Finding out that their baby has a heart problem is always very distressing for a prospective parent and despite improvements in ultrasound technology it is often difficult to give a precise idea of how well the babies heart will function until it is born.

Below is a list of the common heart conditions that might be diagnosed antenatally, please click on the condition you are interested in for more information

• Atrial-sepatal defect (ASD)

• Atrio-ventricular septal defect (AVSD)

• Coarctation of the aorta

• Ebstein's anomaly

• Hypolplastic left heart

• Tetrallogy of Fallot

• Transposition of the great arteries

• Truncus Arteriosus

If a baby is found to have a congenital heart problem it may need to be delivered in Leeds for rapid assessment by the paediatric cardiology team, if this is the case we will plan this prior to your delivery date.  If a woman lives a great distance away from Leeds we will sometimes plan induction after 39 weeks of pregnancy to prevent rushed transfer in labour.