ABSTRACT
There have been substantial improvements in the care of women with cardiac conditions in pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period. Preconception care, frequent maternal and fetal assessment, monitoring of cardiac function and multidisciplinary specialist care is advocated to optimise the health of mother and baby. However, cardiac disorders are associated with maternal death, and midwives will need to be vigilant in their assessment of women with known cardiac conditions and ensure prompt referral of women with deteriorating health. Of equal concern is the need for midwives to identify features that may indicate undiagnosed cardiac conditions, and this can be challenging given that some of the features of cardiac disease such as fatigue and breathlessness can be considered normal in pregnancy.
