TITLE:
Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes of Pregnant Women with Heart Disease in Three Yaoundé Referral Hospitals
AUTHORS:
Jean Dupont Kemfang Ngowa, Calixte Galilée Fotsing Kengne, Christiane Nsahlai, Boombhi Jérôme, Felix Essiben, Wilfried Loic Tatsipie, Jovanny Tsuala Fouogue, Pascal Foumane
KEYWORDS:
Heart Disease, Pregnancy, Perinatal, Delivery, Cesarean Section
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.12 No.1,
January
27,
2022
ABSTRACT: Heart
disease in pregnancy is the cause of significant maternal and perinatal
morbidity. We wanted to evaluate the maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women with heart disease in Yaoundé,
Cameroon. This was a cross sectional study with retrospective data collection
of 45 pregnancies in 42 women with heart disease followed at three Yaoundé
referral hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon from January 1st 2015 to
December 31st 2020. We collected data on maternal obstetrical and
perinatal outcomes. The frequency of pregnancies with heart diseases was 0.1%.
The mean maternal age was 29.05 ± 6.5 years. At first antenatal visit, all
patients were in class I (84.4%) and II (15.6%) of the New-York Heart
Association (NYHA) functional class. Valvular heart disease (51.1%) was the
most common type followed by cardiomyopathy (37.7%). Over half of the
deliveries were vaginal (51.1%). A cesarean section was generally indicated for
the usual obstetrical reasons (54.5%) and for heart disease (31.8%).
Complications included 17 (37.7%) cases of heart failure, 6 (13.3%) cases of
pulmonary edema, 2 (04.4%) cases of pulmonary embolism,
3 (06.6%) maternal deaths and 3 (06.3%) perinatal deaths, 14 (29.7%) premature births and 3 cases of (6.3%) intrauterine growth retardation. The
maternal deaths were cases complicated by pulmonary edema and all had dilated cardiomyopathy. The maternal and perinatal
outcomes of pregnant women with heart disease are marked in our environment by increased morbidity and mortality.
Therefore, it is necessary to improve the prenatal, per partum and postpartum
management of this high-risk group.