Pregnancy after open-heart surgery

ABSTRACT

Thirty-eight pregnancies in 27 patients who had previous open heart surgery resulted in 32 healthy babies, 4 spontaneous abortions and 2 elective abortions. Seven forceps deliveries and 5 Caesarean sections were performed. Detailed information was available for 22 infants all of whom were healthy and were born at term without evidence of haemorrhagic or teratogenic complications (no anticoagulant therapy was used in the mothers). The gratifying outcome of the majority of these pregnancies suggests that a more liberal policy in allowing pregnancy in patients who have had successful open heart surgery shoud be pursued (AU)