Page 155 - Critical Maternity & Newborn Health Nursing

Unit 4

Nursing care for Cardiac Disease during Pregnancy

Incidence: 1% of pregnancies.

Causes :

1- Rheumatic heart (75%): mitral valve affection is the

commonest followed by aortic valve then both or others.

2- Congenital heart diseases (10%):

a. A cyanotic (left to right shunt): more common, includes septal

defects and patent ductus arteriosus.
b. Cyanotic (right to left shunt): e.g. fallot's tetralogy and

Eisenmenger's syndrome which is more dangerous carries a maternal
mortality rate exceeding 25%.

3- Others (5 %): e.g. ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias and
cardiomyopathy.

Educational Video about Cardiac Disease During Pregnancy:

https://youtu.be/BZBe0GvKujU?t=20

Diagnosis:

(A) History of:

- Rheumatic fever, -Heart lesion.

- Dyspnea. -Paroxysmal nocturnal

dyspnea,

- Orthopnea, -Hemoptysis,

- Prophylaxis with long-acting penicillin.

(B) Examination may reveal:

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