Other Resources

Please find below some useful resources to support the management of women of childbearing age with cardiovascular disease.

These guidelines provide information on contraception, management of women with known cardiac disease in pregnancy and recognising acute presentations of cardiac disease in pregnancy.

The Network are developing guidelines and pathways of care relevant to NHS Scotland and these will be available later in the year.

Preventing Maternal Mortality

Preventing maternal mortality: It’s ok to ask: This animation provides guidance to doctors in assessing unwell pregnant or post-partum women with the aim of reducing indirect maternal mortality rates. Produced by Dr Rebecca Northridge in collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Acute cardiovascular presentations in pregnancy

Cardiac disease accounts for a quarter of maternal deaths in the UK. 77% of the women who died did not know they had a cardiac condition. The following are guides to assist in recognising signs and symptoms that are not normal in pregnancy and investigating appropriately.

The Royal College of Physicians Acute care toolkit: Managing acute medical problems in pregnancy Toolkit including red flags when women present with chest pain, palpitation and breathlessness. They also include flowcharts for assessing and managing these presentations

Management of heart disease in pregnancy

European Society of Cardiology Guidelines on the management of cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy

Addressing the Heart of the Issue

Standards for healthcare professionals in Scotland in pre-pregnancy, antenatal and postnatal care of women with cardiac disease

High Risk Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy – Part I

High Risk Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy Part II

Published in 2016 ‘High Risk Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy’ reviews the available published reports and provide recommendations on the management of women with high-risk cardiovascular conditions during pregnancy.

NICE Intrapartum care for women with existing medical conditions or obstetric complications and their babies 2019

Contraceptive guidance for women with cardiovascular disease

Please click on the links below: Faculty for Sexual & Reproductive Health

UK Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (UKMEC)

Management of women taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet medications who request intrauterine contraception or subdermal implants

Contraception and cardiovascular disease

Contraceptive counselling should begin early in females with heart disease. This article discusses the various methods of contraception, their safety and efficacy relative to their cardiac condition.