[Characteristics of pregnancy and delivery in women with heart diseases].

The authors report 78 cases of pregnancy in women with heart disease during a 4 year period (1985-1988). Heart disease involved a rheumatic valve lesion in 90 per cent of cases. Heart disease was properly monitored in these patients (74.5 per cent) but the pregnancy in only 50 per cent of cases. These patients gave birth to 78 newborn infants. Labour was premature in 15.38 per cent of cases. Labour was of short duration: less than 6 hours (73 per cent of cases). There was only delivery by cesarean section. Bleeding at the time of delivery was common (12.4 per cent of cases). There were two maternal deaths during the post-partum period (2.56 per cent). Essential risks to the newborn included low birth weight (17.5 per cent) and prematurity (15.38 per cent). Neonatal mortality was 2.5 per cent.