ABSTRACT
The cardio-obstetric team comprises a multidisciplinary team of the patient, physicians, nurses, and administration that includes the following team members at the minimum: maternal-fetal medicine (MFM), cardiology, anesthesia, neonatology, labor and delivery, and critical care staff. To create a cardio-obstetric team, an institution needs administrative and academic support from both departments, i.e., obstetrics and gynecology and cardiology. In addition to the outpatient setting described, an inpatient team is essential for management of the pregnant cardiac patient. An emphasis on patient education and why screening for cardiovascular disease should be universal for all pregnant and postpartum patients is beneficial. Patient education should include a review of the normal physiological changes and symptoms that occur in pregnancy, including its impact on the heart. High-risk cardiac patients contemplating pregnancy or who are currently pregnant should have expedited, streamlined evaluation by cardiology and MFM specialists.
