Pregnancy and the univentricular heart: case report and literature review

Anesthetic management for cesarean section in parturient with an uncorrected single ventricle: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Patients with a single ventricle, who have not undergone surgery, reportedly have a lower survival rate. Furthermore, multiple pregnancies are rare among these females. We reported a case of anesthesia management of cesarean section in an uncorrected single-ventricular multi-pregnancy woman and review the anesthesia management of the published similar cases.

PATIENT CONCERNS

An uncorrected single ventricular pregnant woman with a cardiac function of New York Heart Association class II, who had experienced one spontaneous abortion and three vaginal deliveries, was scheduled for cesarean section at 37+6 weeks of gestation.

DIAGNOSES

: Echocardiography revealed a complex congenital heart disease in the mother: a single ventricle (the left ventricle is dominant), atrioventricular valve ectopic, double-inlet left ventricle, abnormal location of the great arteries, probably pulmonary stenosis, atrial septal defect, and left-to-right shunt. The fetus was in breech presentation with umbilical cord around the neck.

INTERVENTIONS

Cesarean section was successfully performed under the combined spinal epidural anesthesia with careful monitoring.

OUTCOMES

: Both mother and newborn recovered good and were discharged from the hospital 5 days after surgery without any adverse reactions.

LESSONS

Single ventricular pregnant woman with a cardiac function of New York Heart Association class I-II could tolerate pregnancy and delivery well. Both general and regional anesthesia are applicable to cesarean section in these patients. The principle of anesthesia management is to maintain the appropriate balance between systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance, as well as to maintain preload and cardiac output.

A case of successfully managed pregnancy in a patient with complex cyanotic congenital heart disease

Medical advances have increased survival of patients with congenital heart disease. However, cardiac disease in pregnancy carries significant maternal and fetal risks, posing enormous challenges to obstetricians. Cyanotic congenital heart disease is associated with maternal complications such as arrhythmias, thromboembolic events and death. Fetal complications include small for gestational age, miscarriage and prematurity. Cyanotic congenital heart disease patients who continue their pregnancies require holistic multidisciplinary team care with early and coordinated planning for delivery. Management of such patients include early counseling regarding pregnancy-associated risks, close monitoring of their cardiac function and regular scanning for fetal assessment. Choice of anesthesia for these patients requires meticulous planning to achieve a favorable balance between systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance, ensuring minimal change in right-to-left shunting. We report a case of a successfully managed pregnancy in a patient with complex congenital heart disease and a single ventricle of left ventricle morphology.

Successful pregnancy and delivery in patients with uncorrected single ventricle: Three new cases and literature review

Due to high risks of both maternal and fetal complications, pregnancy is not encouraged for women with uncorrected univentricular heart (UVH). Here, we report three cases of successful pregnancy and delivery in patients with uncorrected UVH. A literature review has been performed. It appears that maternal and neonatal risks are mainly associated with higher NYHA heart failure class, pulmonary hypertension, and history of congestive heart failure. In the absence of these risk factors, successful pregnancy still can be achieved with mild complications. Care by a multidisciplinary team during delivery is necessary to for a good prognosis.

Pregnancy and delivery in patient after Fontan's operation due to common ventricle of left ventricular morphology

Five pregnancies in a woman with functionally single ventricle of left ventricle morphology after Fontan's operation were described. Two pregnancies resulted in delivery of healthy, mature neonate. The patient's clinical status remained unchanged.

Anaesthesia in parturients with heart disease: a five year review in an Australian tertiary hospital

At the Royal Women's Hospital, Queensland, between 1993 and 1997 there were 56 vaginal and 22 caesarean deliveries involving 68 women with heart disease. Over half of those women required anaesthetic input, in particular, the women who had the most serious cardiac compromise. There were two maternal deaths, four unbooked and five booked admissions to intensive or coronary care unit.

[General anaesthesia for Caesarean section in a patient with pulmonary atresia and an intact intraventricular septum]

We report the case of a 22-year-old primigravida patient presenting pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum, a rare congenital heart disease. Caesarean delivery was performed at 32 weeks of gestation because of moderate maternal function deterioration and foetal growth restriction. General anaesthesia was used because of the presence of lumbar Harrington rods. The administration of etomidate, celocurine and a continuous perfusion of remifentanil right from induction ensured haemodynamic stability and a rapid emergence and recovery.