Current foetal cardiology practice in Italian centres: a survey among SICP members

Background: A significant number of hospitals within the Italian National Health System are involved in the field of foetal cardiology. To date, there has been no investigation into the activity of these centres. The foetal working group of the Italian Society of Paediatric Cardiology (SICP) prepared a survey to outline a current overview of the foetal cardiology activity in Italy. Methods: A 23-item web-based questionnaire, developed ad hoc, was administered to all members of the SICP by e-mail. The survey was conducted online from 1 March to July 31, 2024. Results: Forty-five specialists in paediatric cardiology out of 548 SICP members (8.2%) completed the survey: 18/45(40%) from Northern, 10/45(22.2%) from Central and 17/45(37.7%) from Southern Italy. The respondents' answers indicate that counselling is conducted in all cases by foetal cardiologists. There is a frequent availability of geneticists (37/43 - 86%), paediatric specialists (32/42 - 76.1%), psychologists (33/43 - 76.7%), less frequent (25/42- 60%) is the opportunity to involve the cardiac surgeon during counselling. Eight of 44(18.1%) participants reported that foetal intervention procedures are performed at their centre, and 8/42(19%) can propose foetal magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: Despite the low response rate, the survey highlights that activity in foetal cardiology is unevenly distributed across the country. The need for national shared guidelines on the conduct of the foetal cardiology session and guidance on the necessary training for operators has been identified. Furthermore, the establishment of a defined network between hub-and-spoke facilities and care services on a national scale is a priority.