Acute Medicine | Cardiovascular | Cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy

Cardiovascular Adaptations to Pregnancy
Session Overview
Description
This session discusses why cardiovascular examination findings in pregnancy are different from those found in the non-pregnant state.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Explain the significance of different cardiovascular examination findings in pregnancy

The cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy are profound and begin to occur early in the first trimester.

The heart of a woman with cardiac disease may not be able to respond to the cardiovascular demands of pregnancy. During pregnancy, many women with heart disease may deteriorate. Similarly, pregnancy may precipitate symptoms for the first time in women with previously undiagnosed heart disease.

As a result, heart disease is the commonest cause of pregnancy-related death in the UK.