[Significance of bicycle ergometry for the determination of the clinical severity of heart disease in pregnancy].

The staging of pregnant women with heart disease into four groups according to the recommendations of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) cannot express exactly the danger of sudden cardiac deterioration threatening these patients during gestation.--This classification is a subjective one, depending on the complaints of the patients only.--About 100 women with different heart diseases have been tested by ergometric bicycle work during pregnancy. The results have been used for classification according to the NYHA scheme.--The functional endurance capacity tested by bicycle work is a rather objective method. It allows to differentiate between stage II and III (NYHA) exactly. This decision has to be made often in the treatment of pregnant women with heart failure, but it remains uncertain, if only complaints and clinical state can be made use of.