How to choose whether to keep or leave a fetus with congenital heart disease?

  Knowing that you are pregnant is undoubtedly a cause for celebration for both the mother-to-be and her entire family. The mother-to-be spends her days and nights in pregnancy, looking forward to a bright future and planning the future course of her baby’s life. When the family was on time for the maternity checkup and actively preparing for the mid-pregnancy screening, it was suddenly discovered that the baby had heart problems. What they have in front of them is how to choose the fate of the baby that has been carried to six or seven months, a rather painful experience.  These scenarios are becoming more and more common. With the continuous improvement of fetal ultrasound technology and prenatal diagnosis, more and more congenital cardiovascular anomalies are being detected earlier and in the face of these congenital heart disease fetuses, where should their fate go? This is not only a question for parents, but also a common question for our obstetricians, pediatricians and cardiologists.  How to solve it? The “one-stop treatment” model of prenatal diagnosis → postnatal diagnosis → postnatal pediatric cardiac surgery treatment has been internationally recognized as the best treatment model for congenital cardiovascular anomalies. We make rational and scientific consultation opinions based on the condition and treatment effect. The cardiologist informs the pregnant woman and her family in detail about her condition and prognosis; the prenatal diagnostic center doctor introduces the necessity, advantages and limitations of prenatal diagnosis (amniotic fluid and cord blood puncture); analyzes the results of genetic-related tests; the obstetrician advises on the mode, time and place of delivery according to the pregnant woman’s own and fetal factors. The three parties combine the family situation of the pregnant woman to give the most optimal plan, and the pregnant woman and her family make the final decision. For different congenital heart disease characteristics, surgical techniques, perioperative treatment and long-term prognosis, cardiologists will give the following four types of recommendations: I. Termination of pregnancy is strongly recommended: mainly for diseases for which no treatment is available or the treatment effect is very poor at this stage, and such pregnant women should terminate pregnancy sooner rather than later.  1. There are abnormalities in genetic-related tests and clearly untreatable lesions: chromosomal diseases, genetic mutations of clear significance, etc.; 2. Severe malformations in multiple organs at the same time; 3. Rapid growth and large amount of pericardial effusion in a short period of time with unclear boundaries, considering malignant cardiac tumors, or cardiac tumors with large areas of basal and myocardial tissues.  II. Recommended termination of pregnancy: mainly for diseases that have treatment methods at this stage, but need to undergo multiple surgeries, huge expenses and uncertain long-term prognosis.  Severe arrhythmias that affect the quality of long-term survival: congenital III° atrioventricular block; 2. Pre-existing cardiac diseases in which anatomical correction cannot be performed to restore biventricular circulation; 3. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome; 4. Severe valvular lesions; 5. Severe pulmonary vascular dysplasia; 6. Severe cardiac failure combined with fetal edema.  Third, the recommended reservation: mainly for the present stage has a definite treatment method, the long-term prognosis is better, but need to spend more disease.  1.Complete transposition of the great arteries; 2.Double outlet of the right ventricle; 3.Pulmonary atresia with good pulmonary vascular development; 4.Tetralogy of Fallot with poor pulmonary vascular development; 5.Complete ectopic drainage of pulmonary veins; 6.Aortic constriction; 7.Complete atrioventricular septal defect.  IV. Highly recommended for preservation: mainly for diseases with definite treatment, low cost and good long-term prognosis.  1.Precardiac diseases with low surgical risk and surgically curable: such as ventricular septal defect, large atrial septal defect, single atrium, well-developed pulmonary vascular tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary valve stenosis; 2.Non-malignant arrhythmias: such as frequent supraventricular premature beats; 3.Variant structures with normal function: such as permanent left superior vena cava, right-position aortic arch.  For families who choose to keep the fetus, it is important to follow up well. For fetuses with complicated precardiac disease, it is recommended that they be born in hospitals with experience in medical and surgical treatment of precardiac disease (such as Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center), or be referred to the above-mentioned hospitals quickly after birth, so that the fetuses can receive timely and necessary treatment after birth. For fetuses with simple precocious heart disease, a follow-up schedule and the timing of initial surgery will be given, and regular follow-ups will be made at our “Precocious Heart Disease Specialist Clinic”.