Claire M. Lawley

Heart valve prostheses in pregnancy: outcomes for women and their infants.

Background As the prognosis of women with prosthetic heart valves improves, and increasing number are contemplating and undertaking pregnancy. Accurate knowledge of perinatal outcomes is essential, assisting counseling and guiding care. The aims of this study were to assess outcomes in a contemporary population of women with heart valve prostheses undertaking pregnancy and to compare outcomes for women with mechanical and bioprosthetic prostheses. Methods and Results Longitudinally linked population health data sets containing birth and hospital admissions data were obtained for all women giving birth in New South Wales, Australia, 2000–2011. This included information identifying presence of maternal prosthetic heart valve. Cardiovascular and birth outcomes were evaluated. Among 1 144 156 pregnancies, 136 involved women with a heart valve prosthesis (1 per 10 000). No maternal mortality was seen among these women, although the relative risk for an adverse event was higher than the general population, including severe maternal morbidity (139 versus 14 per 1000 births, rate ratio [RR]=9.96, 95% CI 6.32 to 15.7), major maternal cardiovascular event (44 versus 1 per 1000, RR 34.6, 95% CI 14.6 to 81.6), preterm birth (183 versus 66 per 1000, RR=2.77, 95% CI 1.88 to 4.07), and small‐for‐gestational‐age infants (193 versus 95 per 1000, RR=2.03, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.96). There was a trend toward increased maternal and perinatal morbidity in women with a mechanical valve compared with those with a bioprosthetic valve. Conclusions Pregnancies in women with a prosthetic heart valve demonstrate an increased risk of an adverse outcome, for both mothers and infants, compared with pregnancies in the absence of heart valve prostheses. In this contemporary population, the risk was lower than previously reported.

Prosthetic heart valves in pregnancy, outcomes for women and their babies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Historically, pregnancies among women with prosthetic heart valves have been associated with an increased incidence of adverse outcomes.

A student-led process to enhance the learning and teaching of teamwork skills in medicine

CONTEXT The development of teamwork skills is a critical aspect of modern medical education. This paper reports on a project that aimed to identify student perceptions of teamwork-focused learning activities and generate student recommendations for the development of effective educational strategies. METHODS The project utilized a unique method, which drew on the skills of student research assistants (RAs) to explore the views of their peers. Using structured interview guides, the RAs interviewed their colleagues to clarify their perceptions of the effectiveness of current methods of teamwork teaching and to explore ideas for more effective methods. The RAs shared their deidentified findings with each other, identified preliminary themes, and developed a number of recommendations which were finalized through consultation with faculty. RESULTS The key themes that emerged focused on the need to clarify the relevance of teamwork skills to clinical practice, reward individual contributions to group process, facilitate feedback and reflection on teamwork skills, and systematically utilize clinical experiences to support experiential learning of teamwork. Based on these findings, a number of recommendations for stage appropriate teamwork learning and assessment activities were developed. Key among these were recommendations to set up a peer-mentoring system for students, suggestions for more authentic teamwork assessment methods, and strategies to utilize the clinical learning environment in developing teamwork skills. DISCUSSION The student-led research process enabled identification of issues that may not have been otherwise revealed by students, facilitated a better understanding of teamwork teaching and developed ownership of the curriculum among students. The project enabled the development of recommendations for designing learning, teaching, and assessment methods that were likely to be more effective from a student perspective.

Prosthetic heart valves in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BackgroundAdvances in surgical technique, prosthetic heart valve design, and anticoagulation have contributed to an overall improvement in morbidity and mortality in women with heart valve prostheses as well as increased feasibility of pregnancy. Previous work investigating the pregnancies of women with prosthetic valves has been directed largely toward understanding the influence of anticoagulation regimen. There has been little investigation on maternal and infant outcomes. The objective of this systematic review will be to assess the outcomes of pregnancy in women with heart valve prostheses in contemporary populations.Methods/DesignA systematic search of Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Library will be undertaken. Article titles and abstracts will be evaluated by two reviewers for potential relevance. Studies that include pregnancies occurring from 1995 onwards and where there are six or more pregnancies in women with heart valve prostheses included in the study population will be reviewed for potential inclusion. Primary outcomes of interest will be mortality (maternal and perinatal). Secondary outcomes will include other pregnancy outcomes. No language restrictions will be applied. Methodological quality and heterogeneity of studies will be assessed. Data extraction from identified articles will be undertaken by two independent reviewers using a uniform template. Meta-analyses will be performed to ascertain risk of adverse events and, where numbers are sufficient, by type of prosthesis and location as well as other subgroup analyses.DiscussionEstimates of the risk of adverse events in recent pregnancies of women with heart valve prosthesis will provide better information for counselling and decision making. Given the improvements in prognosis of heart valve prosthesis recipients and the paucity of definitive data regarding optimal pregnancy management for these women, review of this topic is pertinent.Review registrationThis protocol has been registered with the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) as number CRD42013006187, accessible online at http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42013006187#.Utk7qNJ9Lf8.

4D flow magnetic resonance imaging: role in pediatric congenital heart disease:

Imaging-based evaluation of cardiac structure and function remains paramount in the diagnosis and monitoring of congenital heart disease in childhood. Accurate measurements of intra- and extracardiac hemodynamics are required to inform decision making, allowing planned timing of interventions prior to deterioration of cardiac function. Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging is a nonionizing noninvasive technology that allows accurate and reproducible delineation of blood flow at any anatomical location within the imaging volume of interest, and also permits derivation of physiological parameters such as kinetic energy and wall shear stress. Four-dimensional flow is the focus of a great deal of attention in adult medicine, however, the translation of this imaging technique into the pediatric population has been limited to date. A more broad-scaled application of 4-dimensional flow in pediatric congenital heart disease stands to increase our fundamental understanding of the cause and significance of abnormal blood flow patterns, may improve risk stratification, and inform the design and use of surgical and percutaneous correction techniques. This paper seeks to outline the application of 4-dimensional flow in the assessment and management of the pediatric population affected by congenital heart disease.

Health outcomes of infants born to women with heart valve prostheses: complications of prematurity alone?

Abstract The health outcomes of children born to women with heart valve prostheses in New South Wales, Australia, 2000–2011, were examined in a record-linkage population-based study. Eighty-one women delivered 112 infants. One infant was stillborn, two died prior to discharge from hospital. Twenty seven (24.8%) were readmitted to hospital in their first year of life. The average number of readmissions up to age 6 years was 2.7 (95% CI 1.51–3.89) versus population rate of 2.04 (95% CI 2.03–2.05). The children demonstrated an increased risk of adverse event in the first year of life. Reassuringly however, and not previously reported, mortality and health outcomes in the first 6 years of life were not significantly different to the general population.

Mortality, rehospitalizations and costs in children undergoing a cardiac procedure in their first year of life in New South Wales, Australia

BACKGROUND Cardiac procedures are part of management for many children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Using population health data, this study explores health outcomes of children undergoing a cardiac procedure in the first year of life to better understand the impact of CHD on children, families and health services. METHODS AND RESULTS A population-based record-linkage cohort study was undertaken. Rate of cardiac procedures in the first year of life over the study period 2001-2012 in New South Wales, Australia, was steady at 2.5 children per 1000 live births, accounting for 2722 children. Excluding those with isolated closure of patent ductus arteriosus (n=416), 50% required readmission in the first year of life. Over 1/5th had an additional non-cardiac congenital anomaly. Average total cost per infant for initial procedure admission was

Visualizing pericardial inflammation as the cause of acute chest pain in a patient with a congenital pericardial cyst: the incremental diagnostic value of cardiac magnetic resonance.

67,054 AUD (

Visualizing pericardial inflammation in Dressler's syndrome with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

63,124-

Prosthetic Heart Valves in Pregnancy, Outcomes for Women and their Babies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

70,984) with a median length of stay (LOS) 13days (IQR 8-23). Average cost per readmission in the first year of life was