Cardiac Disease During Pregnancy Essay

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When a women is undergoing maternal changes during pregnancy the body makes drastic changes. Hormones are all over the place and organs are maturing in all new ways. For some women these changes can have a negative impact on the heart. The plasma volume during pregnancy increases about 40% causing the heart to work harder to pump the new amount of blood, and maintain blood pressure at an equilibrium. Women who suffer from cardiac disease during pregnancy are at higher risk for cardiac complications throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. It is important that any member of the multidisciplinary team to a women with a history of cardiac disease testing and take assessment measures very seriously. Any signs of possible irregularities …show more content…

It is important as a nurse to assess your patient frequently checking for any variances in previous medical data or trends. Knowing the signs of complications stated in this article can help with recognition of a problem early enough prevent further damage or more serious complications. Communicating with other members on the healthcare team and knowing which specialty should be contacted is very important in maximizing the quality of care a patient receives during her treatment. Nurse practitioners can be a very important part of the mothers care and often can serve as coordinators throughout the process optimizing the results of care. The information in this article can help in assisting the nurse with recognition of medication errors and contacting doctors on possible contraindications with prescribed medications, understanding proper diagnostic studies and the rationale behind each, and the proper monitoring that should be provided to a mother with cardiac disease throughout the labor and delivery process. Postpartum care varies when a mother is at risk for cardiac complications. It is important that a nurse recognize changes in vital signs and understand when to contact a physician for further assessment. This article points out possible changes that may warrant further evaluation from a

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