1. Au nom de Dieu le Tre`s Mise´ricordieux, Le Tout Mise´ricordieux
بنام خداوند بخشنده مهربان

3. Risk Evaluation and WHO Classification for Heart Disease in Pregnancy
Maryam Mehrpooya MD, Assistant professor of cardiology
Fellowship of Interventional Cardiology Tehran university of medical science Imam Khomeini Hospital

6. Cardiovascular disease has been estimated to be present in 1% to 4% of pregnancies.

7. The incidence of pregnancy in women with cardiovascular disease is rising, primarily due to the increased number of women with congenital heart disease reaching childbearing age and the changing demographics associated with advancing maternal age, increased incidence of risk factors, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and multifetal pregnancies.

8. Although most cardiac conditions are well tolerated during pregnancy and women can deliver safely with favorable outcomes, there are some cardiac conditions that have significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.

9. Assessment of pregnancy risk is an important aspect of the care of women with heart disease who are of childbearing age .
All women with cardiac disease can benefit from preconception counseling, which should include a detailed discussion of the risk of pregnancy.

12. Some women may require optimization of cardiac status prior to pregnancy.
For those women considering pregnancy, cardiac medications that are teratogenic, such as warfarin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, can be switched to safer medications when necessary.

13. Cardiologists with expertise in pregnancy and heart disease should perform preconception counseling and risk stratification.

14. Risk assessment should include:
A complete history and physical examination
12-lead ECG and a transthoracic echocardiogram.
In women who are pregnant, signs and symptoms of pregnancy can mimic heart disease, and should be interpreted accordingly.
Risk stratification may be further defined by incorporating other clinical and imaging information, including disease activity, cardiac computed tomography (CT), or cardiac magnetic resonance.

15. Cardiac magnetic resonance and CT findings should be reviewed and incorporated into risk assessment, especially in women with aortopathies and complex congenital lesions.

16. Exercise stress testing to measure functional capacity and BP response to exercise is useful for risk stratification in women with valve lesions, such as aortic stenosis (AS)

17. Cardiopulmonary testing, with measurements of oxygen saturation, functional capacity, peak VO2, and chronotropic index, provides helpful information in women with complex CHD

18. Baseline and serial serum B-type natriuretic peptide levels during pregnancy can be incorporated into pregnancy assessment in women with the potential to develop heart failure (HF) during pregnancy due to myocardial disease, valvular heart disease, and CHD.

20. In specific cases, women with arrhythmias may benefit from continuous ECG monitoring, exercise testing, or electrophysiology studies.

21. Women with inherited cardiac conditions who have an identified genetic mutation may wish to explore the option of pre-implantation genetic screening.
Assessment with maternal fetal medicine specialists (high-risk obstetricians) to discuss obstetric risk is an important part of preconception assessment.

22. To estimate pregnancy risk, it is important to consider general and lesion-specific risk predictors:
General risk predictors are relevant for all women with heart disease and include factors such as cardiac history, functional capacity, and ventricular function.
Lesion-specific risks are known for many, but not all, cardiac conditions.

23. For women with pre-existing heart disease, the most common cardiac complications during pregnancy are arrhythmias, HF, and thromboembolic events (TEs).
Early studies on pregnancy risk predictors identified functional class and cyanosis as important determinants of adverse outcomes during pregnancy

24. Large pregnancy cohorts were assembled, and pregnancy risk indexes were developed . The first prospective risk index was developed by the CARPREG (Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy) investigators. The CARPREG study examined outcomes in women with congenital and acquired heart disease and identified 4 predictors of adverse maternal events.

25. prior cardiac events
poor functional status [NYHA] functional class >II) or cyanosis
left heart obstruction
systemic (subaortic) ventricular systolic dysfunction

27. The BACH (Boston Adult Congenital Heart) group studied predictors of outcomes in women with congenital heart disease and, in addition to the CARPREG risk factors, identified: smoking history and reduced subpulmonary ventricular function and/or severe pulmonic regurgitation as important determinants of adverse outcomes during pregnancy

28. The ZAHARA (Zwangerschap bij vrouwen met een Aangeboren HARtAfwijking-II [translated as “Pregnancy in women with CHD II risk index”]) risk score was on the basis of pregnancy outcomes in women with CHD.
It is a weighted risk score that contains 8 risk predictors.

30. Predictors of maternal cardiovascular events identified in congential heart diseases in the ZAHARA and Khairy study
ZAHARA predictors
History of arrhythmia event.
Baseline NYHA functional class >II.
Left heart obstruction (aortic valve peak gradient >50 mm Hg).
Mechanical valve prosthesis.
Moderate/severe systemic atrioventricular valve regurgitation (possibly
related to ventricular dysfunction).
Moderate/severe sub-pulmonary atrioventricular valve regurgitation
(possibly related to ventricular dysfunction).
Use of cardiac medication pre-pregnancy.
Repaired or unrepaired cyanotic heart disease.
Predictors from Khairy
Smoking history.
Reduced subpulmonary ventricular function and/or severe pulmonary
regurgitation.

31. In 2006, a British working group created a lesion-specific risk classification using a modified World Health Organization (WHO) classification. This is now widely used.
The WHO classification categorizes cardiac lesions as low risk (WHO I), medium risk (WHO II), high risk (WHO III), and lesions in which pregnancies are contraindicated (WHO IV)

32. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on the management of cardiovascular diseases made minor modifications to the WHO classification.
The modified WHO risk classification appeared to be the most reliable system for risk prediction in several studies

33. Modified WHO classification of maternal cardiovascular risk: principles
Risk of pregnancy by medical condition
Risk class
No detectable increased risk of maternal mortality and no/mild increase in morbidity. I
Small increased risk of maternal mortality or moderate
increase in morbidity. II
Significantly increased risk of maternal mortality or severe morbidity. Expert counselling required.
If pregnancy is decided upon, intensive specialist cardiac and obstetric monitoring needed throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium.
III
Extremely high risk of maternal mortality or severe morbidity; pregnancy contraindicated. If pregnancy occurs termination should be discussed. If pregnancy continues, care as for class III. IV

34. Modified WHO classification of maternal cardiovascular risk: application
Conditions in which pregnancy risk is WHO I
Uncomplicated, small or mild
- pulmonary stenosis
- patent ductus arteriosus
- mitral valve prolapse
Successfully repaired simple lesions (atrial or ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, anomalous pulmonary venous drainage).
Atrial or ventricular ectopic beats, isolated

35. Conditions in which pregnancy risk is WHO II or III
WHO II (if otherwise well and uncomplicated)
Unoperated atrial or ventricular septal defect
Repaired tetralogy of Fallot
Most arrhythmias

36. WHO II–III (depending on individual)
Mild left ventricular impairment
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Native or tissue valvular heart disease not considered WHO I or IV
Marfan syndrome without aortic dilatation
Aorta <45 mm in aortic disease associated with bicuspid aortic valve
Repaired coarctation

37. WHO III Mechanical valve Systemic right ventricle Fontan circulation
Cyanotic heart disease (unrepaired)
Other complex congenital heart disease
Aortic dilatation 40–45 mm in Marfan syndrome
Aortic dilatation 45–50 mm in aortic disease associated with bicuspid aortic valve

38. Conditions in which pregnancy risk is WHO IV (pregnancy contraindicated)
Pulmonary arterial hypertension of any cause
Severe systemic ventricular dysfunction (LVEF <30%, NYHA III–IV)
Previous peripartum cardiomyopathy with any residual impairment of left ventricular function
Severe mitral stenosis, severe symptomatic aortic stenosis
Marfan syndrome with aorta dilated >45 mm
Aortic dilatation >50 mm in aortic disease associated with bicuspid aortic valve
Native severe coarctation

39. Obstetric and perinatal outcomes risks also need to be considered
Obstetric and perinatal outcomes risks also need to be considered. Women with heart disease are at risk for obstetric complications. In 1 study of women with CHD, adverse obstetric events (pre-term delivery, premature rupture of the membranes, postpartum hemorrhage) occurred in 32% of pregnancies

40. Miscarriages are common in women with cyanotic heart disease or Eisenmenger syndrome.
Live birth rates are low in women with cyanotic heart disease, occurring in only 43% of pregnancies overall and 12% of pregnancies in women with oxygen saturations ≤ 85% .

41. Women with coarctation of the aorta are at increased risk for hypertension, preeclampsia, and HF.
Bleeding at the time of delivery is more common in women with cyanotic heart disease and in women taking anticoagulants.

42. Fetal and neonatal deaths, premature births and associated complications (respiratory distress syndrome or intraventricular hemorrhage), and small-forgestational-age birth weight babies are more common in women with heart disease compared with “healthy” women

43. Risk factors for perinatal complications include: poor maternal functional class, left heart obstruction, maternal age <20 or >35 years, multiple gestations, smoking during pregnancy,and anticoagulant therapy.

44. Perinatal complications are further increased in women with concomitant obstetric risk factors, such:
history of premature delivery or rupture of membranes
incompetent cervix or
cesarean delivery,
intrauterine growth retardation,
antepartum bleeding >12 weeks gestation
febrile illness,
uterine/placental abnormalities during present pregnacy

52. Despite significant advances in our understanding of pregnancy risk with the development of risk indexes and a large number of studies on lesion-specific outcomes, clinical judgment remains a very important aspect of risk stratification.
There are variables with an effect on outcomes that are neither captured in current risk scores nor described in papers on lesion-specific outcomes.
Therefore, assessment by cardiologists and obstetricians with experience in pregnancy care is crucial.