Cardiac Disease During Pregnancy Essay

When a women is undergoing maternal changes during pregnancy the body makes drastic changes. Hormones are all over the place and organs are maturing in all new ways. For some women these changes can have a negative impact on the heart. The plasma volume during pregnancy increases about 40% causing the heart to work harder to pump the new amount of blood, and maintain blood pressure at an equilibrium. Women who suffer from cardiac disease during pregnancy are at higher risk for cardiac complications throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. It is important that any member of the multidisciplinary team to a women with a history of cardiac disease testing and take assessment measures very seriously. Any signs of possible irregularities

should be reported to a cardiologist immediately. Women with cardiac disease can deliver via spontaneous vaginal deliveries ending with very healthy babies and low complications if communication between all healthcare personnel and organization of care is well formed. A plan for delivery method should be formulated by the second trimester to reduce the risk of spontaneous complications during partum. It is important that expertise advice is received when it comes to medications given during the pregnancy and birthing procedure. After delivery there are drastic hemodynamic changes occurring that can cause complications in women with cardiac disease; therefore discharge should be withheld until at least 24-72 hours post-partum. There is an increased risk for cardiac arrest during labor for mothers with cardiac disease and a contributing factor to the death of many mothers was substandard care. This can include lack of communication between team members and inappropriate delegation of task to junior doctors and medical personnel.
The information in this article is very important for any nurse providing care to a patient on labor and delivery with a history of cardiac disease.

It is important as a nurse to assess your patient frequently checking for any variances in previous medical data or trends. Knowing the signs of complications stated in this article can help with recognition of a problem early enough prevent further damage or more serious complications. Communicating with other members on the healthcare team and knowing which specialty should be contacted is very important in maximizing the quality of care a patient receives during her treatment. Nurse practitioners can be a very important part of the mothers care and often can serve as coordinators throughout the process optimizing the results of care. The information in this article can help in assisting the nurse with recognition of medication errors and contacting doctors on possible contraindications with prescribed medications, understanding proper diagnostic studies and the rationale behind each, and the proper monitoring that should be provided to a mother with cardiac disease throughout the labor and delivery process. Postpartum care varies when a mother is at risk for cardiac complications. It is important that a nurse recognize changes in vital signs and understand when to contact a physician for further assessment. This article points out possible changes that may warrant further evaluation from a

provider.

The article makes very important points that I can agree with. The cardiovascular system is critical to good health and during times of intense physical activity, such as labor, any inadequacies can be exacerbated. I think it is very important for nurses to be aware of the norms and irregularities of signs and symptoms so that proper care can be provided. The sooner a well-planned intervention is implemented the more likely a mother is to recover or have a complication free pregnancy. A nurse is the patient advocate and oversees all aspects of patient care (Fundamentals of nursing Practice, Mosby). It is imperative she knows when and how communicate with other members of the healthcare team to provide the patient with the best possible outcome. A healthy mom aids in providing for a healthier baby, and the reduction in fatalities of mothers during partum from cardiac complications the better. Children need their mothers, and I agree that following the recommendations in this article will aid health promotion and risk prevention of maternal women throughout their pregnancy and even following through to their post-partum care.