What to do if precocious heart disease is detected during fetal life

  Screening for fetal precocious heart disease is a major concern for many parents. Almost every week in our daily work, some pregnant women come to us to ask what they should do if they are screened for precocious heart disease.  Generally, the screening time is concentrated after 24 weeks, because it is difficult to see the development of the heart clearly by ultrasound when the fetus is small, and the structure of the heart will be seen more clearly around 24 weeks of pregnancy. However, the diagnostic accuracy of fetal precocious heart disease, especially complex precocious heart disease, is not very high, which has a very important relationship with the location of the fetus and the level of the ultrasonographer, so it is necessary to review regularly and discuss with a cardiac surgeon.  In recent years, some hospitals in China have started 3D ultrasound for prenatal screening and diagnosis of fetal precocious heart disease, which has to some extent reduced the birth of fetuses with serious precocious heart disease. However, there are also many “misdiagnosis” and even “wrongful death”, compared with developed countries, in the diagnosis of fetal precocious heart disease, whether in hardware and equipment, or the national level of technology compared with developed countries there is a large gap. Prenatal diagnosis of precocious heart disease can achieve three purposes: 1, for serious precocious heart disease in the principle of informed consent can choose to terminate the pregnancy; 2, for those who continue the pregnancy to choose the appropriate hospital delivery, timely perinatal treatment; 3, for some cardiac insufficiency or tachycardia can be implemented intrauterine treatment, intrauterine treatment in China is still in the animal experimental stage.  More studies have been done abroad on the significance and value of prenatal diagnosis of precordial disease, while there is a lack of relevant information in China. Due to the difference in national conditions and ideology, most domestic fetuses with severe heart disease choose to terminate the pregnancy and abandon the fetus, while foreign data show that 90% of complicated precardiac disease diagnosed at 22 weeks or more choose to continue the pregnancy. In this regard, domestic scholars agree that prenatal diagnosis of precocious heart disease must be given an opinion by a prenatal surgeon, and that termination of pregnancy should be carefully chosen according to the actual situation of the pregnant woman, otherwise it will leave regrets, because the proportion of infertile women of childbearing age is very high due to many factors such as environmental and dietary pollution; genetically modified foods; and social pressure in China.