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Diagnosis and treatment of foetal heart failure: foetal echocardiography and foetal hydrops*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2015

James C. Huhta
James C. Huhta*
Affiliation:
Perinatal Cardiology, All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America Fetal Cardiology, Mednax Inc., Sunrise, Florida, United States of America University of Florida, Gainsville, Florida, United States of America
*
Correspondence to: J. Huhta, MD, 601 5th St. South #711, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States of America. Tel: +727 368 6432; Fax: +727 821 2461; E-mail: aa4md@aol.com
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Abstract

Foetal echocardiography has progressed to be able to diagnose many forms of CHD and to assess the prognosis of cardiac lesions based on their anatomy and presentation in utero. This article outlines a straightforward method for the rapid evaluation of foetus that may have congestive heart failure with or without hydrops and for the differentiation of the pre-hydropic state from normal. The presence of signs of foetal heart failure, such as cardiomegaly or valvular regurgitation, gives clues to the aetiology of hydrops. The assessment of the prognosis of hydrops foetalis can be difficult but can be aided by the use of the cardiovascular profile score. Once identified, the neurohumoral effects of foetal heart failure can be ameliorated using transplacental digoxin if the hydrops has not progressed.

Keywords

Foetalcongestive heart failureCHDhydrops foetalisDoppler echocardiography
Type
Original Articles
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 25 , Supplement S2: Special Supplement of Cardiology in the Young: Proceedings of the 2015 International Paediatric Heart Failure Summit of Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute , August 2015 , pp. 100 - 106
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2015 

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Footnotes

*

Presented at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Heart Institute, International Pediatric Heart Failure Summit, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United States of America, 4–5 February, 2015.

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