During delivery, Black women with a diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) are more likely to experience adverse obstetric and cardiovascular (CV) events compared with their White and Hispanic counterparts. These findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology 71st Annual Scientific Session & Expo, from April 2nd through 4th, in Washington, DC.
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Recognizing the complexity of care needed among pregnant women with CHD, investigators sought to examine adverse delivery events, including hypertension during pregnancy, preeclampsia, and preterm delivery, with race serving as the primary independent variable. The Rao-Scott chi-square test was used to evaluate between-race differences.
The National Inpatient Sample database was utilized to identify hospitalizations for delivery among women aged 18 years or older between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2018. During the study period, an estimated 58.1 million women were hospitalized for delivery, of whom 45,250 had concurrent CHD diagnoses. Among these hospitalizations, 66% of the patients were White, 16% were Hispanic, and 11% were Black.
Results of the study revealed that the rate of obstetric complications was significantly higher among Black women compared with White and Hispanic women (44%, 33%, and 37%, respectively; P <.001), which was attributable mainly to hypertension during pregnancy, preeclampsia, and preterm delivery.
Additionally, fetal events were statistically significantly highest among Black patients compared with White and Hispanic patients (36%, 28%, and 30%, respectively;
P <.001). These fetal event were mostly driven by growth restriction and malformation.
The occurrence of CV events, particularly heart failure, was also significantly highest among Black women compared with White and Hispanic women (4%, 2%, and 2%, respectively; P <.001).
This study found that Black women with CHD are more likely to experience adverse CV outcomes during pregnancy compared with White and Hispanic women. “There is a need for further exploration of the racial disparities in outcomes among women with CHD to identify potential causes and devise strategies to mitigate these disparities,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: None of the study authors has declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies.
Reference
Petersen J. Racial disparities in outcomes of delivery and cardiac complications among pregnant women with congenital heart disease. Presented at: American College of Cardiology 71st Annual Scientific Session & Expo; April 2-4, 2022; Washington, DC.
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