Key result
Multidisciplinary care and preconception counseling mitigate high maternal and fetal risks after cardiac transplantation.
Why the study?
Pregnancy after cardiac transplantation involves significant maternal and fetal risks requiring specialized management strategies to improve outcomes.
Pregnancy after cardiac transplantation is high-risk, requiring preconception counseling, reliable contraception, and a multidisciplinary approach for successful outcomes.
Prioritizes multidisciplinary care for post-transplant pregnancies; leaves open need for prospective studies to refine protocols.
Pregnancy after cardiac transplantation poses immense challenges. Maternal risks include hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, rejection, and failure of the cardiac allograft that may lead to death. Fetal risks include potential teratogenic effects of immunosuppression and prematurity. Because of the high-risk nature of pregnancy in a heart transplant patient, management of reproductive health after cardiac transplantation should include preconception counseling to all women in the reproductive age group before and after cardiac transplantation. Reliable contraception is vital as nearly half of the pregnancies in this population are unintended. Despite the associated risks, successful pregnancies after cardiac transplantation have been reported. A multidisciplinary approach proposed in this review is essential for successful outcomes. A checklist for providers to guide management is provided.
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Rajapreyar et al. (2019) conducted a review in Pregnancy after cardiac transplantation. Multidisciplinary approach and preconception counseling was evaluated. A multidisciplinary approach and preconception counseling are essential for managing the high maternal and fetal risks of pregnancy after cardiac transplantation.
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