ABSTRACT
Cardiac surgery carried out on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in a pregnant woman is associated with poor neonatal outcomes although maternal outcomes are similar to cardiac surgery in non‑pregnant women. Most adverse maternal and fetal outcomes from cardiac surgery during pregnancy are attributed to effects of CPB. The CPB is associated with utero‑placental hypoperfusion due to a number of factors, which may translate into low fetal cardiac output, hypoxia and even death. Better maternal and fetal outcomes may be achieved by early pre‑operative optimization of maternal cardiovascular status, use of perioperative fetal monitoring, optimization of CPB, delivery of a viable fetus before the operation and scheduling cardiac surgery on an elective basis during the second trimester.