CARDIAC DISEASE DURING PREGNANCY - A FREE STATE PERSPECTIVE ON MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY

Aim. Description of maternal outcome of pregnancies complicated by car diac disease. Setting. Pelonomi Hospital, Bloemfontein. Population. Bl ack African women of low socio-economic background who presented with cardiac disease during pregnancy. Sample. All patients who delivered f rom 1 January 1990 to 1 January 1995. Design. Descriptive retrospectiv e study. Results. Cardiac disease complicated 0.6% of pregnancies, Rhe umatic valvular disease dominated in this population, The maternal mor tality rate was 9.5% while the maternal morbidity rate ranged from 50% to 100% for the various lesions.Conclusions. Cardiac disease in pregn ancy has high maternal mortality and morbidity rates, Hypertension, an ticoagulation therapy, late referrals and inadequate counselling were important contributing factors. A high priority should be given to met iculous contraceptive counselling in patients with cardiac disease. Co llaboration between obstetricians, physicians and cardiothoracic surge ons is imperative.