How To Session: Cardio Obstetrics
This session provides a practical, case-based framework for managing heart failure and high-risk cardiovascular conditions during pregnancy and the postpartum period. As the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy continues to rise, heart failure clinicians increasingly encounter complex scenarios requiring rapid therapeutic adjustments, multidisciplinary coordination, and careful balancing of maternal and fetal risks.
The session will review strategies for modifying guideline-directed medical therapy during pregnancy, including selection of pregnancy-compatible alternatives, anticoagulation management, and approaches to stabilizing acute decompensation. Faculty will also address lesion-specific management of high-risk structural and obstructive conditions—such as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, severe valvular disease, and prosthetic valves—highlighting the impact of pregnancy-related hemodynamic changes and the importance of individualized care plans.
Finally, speakers will discuss the management of acute heart failure in pregnancy, including escalation strategies, use of inotropes and mechanical circulatory support, delivery planning, and criteria for referral to specialized cardio-obstetrics centers. The session will emphasize practical clinical decision-making and multidisciplinary coordination to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.
Agenda
Participants will rotate through the following 3 stations, each 20 minutes
- Station 1: How to Manage HF Medications in Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Station 2: How to Manage High-Risk Structural and Obstructive Lesions
- Station 3: How to Manage Acute Decompensation, Delivery Planning, and Referral
Learning Objectives
- Transition GDMT safely during pregnancy and lactation
- Manage acute HF decompensation in pregnancy
- Apply structured approaches to valvular, obstructive, and high-risk lesions
- Develop delivery plans and escalation pathways
- Determine when and how to refer to specialized cardio-ob centers