Maternal Congenital Heart Disease in Pregnancy 1. What every clinician should know Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, affecting 8 out of 1,000 live births. Advances in surgical techniques and medical therapies have resulted in approximately 85% of children born with structural heart defects surviving to childbearing age. Today CHD comprises…
Fetal Tachycardia 1. What every clinician should know Clinical features and incidence Fetal tachycardia is defined as a heart rate greater than 160-180 beats per minute (bpm). This rapid rate may have a regular or irregular rhythm which may be intermittent or sustained. A sustained fetal tachyarrhythmia is uncommon, affecting fewer than 1% of all…
Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion (TRAP) Syndrome or Sequence 1. What every clinician should know Clinical features and incidence Twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence is a rare condition unique to identical twins. Overall, TRAP affects about 1% of all monozygotic twins with 75% occurring in monochorionic-diamniotic twins and the remaining 25% in monoamniotic twins. TRAP…
Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) 1. What every clinician should know Clinical features and incidence Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a condition that affects about 10% of monozygotic twins. Although the pathophysiology of TTTS is not completely understood, placental anastomoses that link the circulations of the twins are critical for its development. In affected pregnancies, blood…
