Anaesthetic management of pregnant patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: case reports and review.

Heart disease is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Pregnant women with structural, conduction or degenerative cardiac disease who require rhythm control or who are at high risk of sudden cardiac death may carry a cardiac implantable electronic device or may occasionally require the insertion of one during their pregnancy. These women are now encountered more frequently in clinical practice, and it is essential that a multidisciplinary approach, beginning from the early antenatal phase, be adopted in their counselling and management. Contemporary cardiac rhythm control devices are a constantly evolving technology with increasingly sophisticated features; anaesthetists should therefore have an adequate understanding of the principles of their operation and the special considerations for their use, in order to enable their safe management in the peripartum period. Of particular importance is the potential adverse effect of electromagnetic interference, which may cause device malfunction or damage, and the precautions required to reduce this risk. The ultimate goal in the management of this patient subgroup is to minimise the disruption to cardiovascular physiology that may occur near the time of labour and delivery and to control the factors that impact on device integrity and function. We present the ante- and peripartum management of two pregnant women with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, followed by a review and update of the anaesthetic management of parturients with cardiac implantable electronic devices.

Anaesthetic management of parturients with univentricular congenital heart disease and the Fontan operation.

Women with a single ventricle circulation palliated with the Fontan operation require specialist multidisciplinary management. We report 14 such cases with successful pregnancies and detail the pathophysiology encountered. A combined obstetric and cardiac service between Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital provides care for women with heart disease, and maintains a prospective database of referred women. We searched this database for women with a known Fontan circulation and reviewed the case notes and electronic patient records between January 1994 and December 2015. Eight women palliated with the Fontan operation delivered 14 live babies over the study period, with detailed peripartum management available for 11. Low-dose combined spinal-epidural or epidural labour analgesia was the intended mode of analgesia or anaesthesia for all deliveries (depending on clinical scenario and clinician preference), and was performed in 79%. Seven cases (50%) had a caesarean delivery. A neuraxial catheter technique was preferred (86%), whether or not vaginal delivery was attempted first. There were no deliveries under general anaesthesia. Fifty percent of cases were complicated by postpartum haemorrhage. Other peripartum complications included arrhythmias (29%), chest pain (14%) and intrauterine growth restriction (57%). Women with a Fontan circulation are increasingly encountered in obstetric practice. A good understanding of the underlying anatomy and its impact on physiology, coupled with meticulous care are essential to allow safe delivery for mother and baby. Multidisciplinary input into peripartum care is required, with anticipation of increased risk of complications such as haemorrhage and arrhythmias.