Objective: We sought to determine if fetuses with prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease (CHD) were more likely to undergo cesarean delivery in the setting of a non-reassuring fetal heart rate tracing (NRFHT) and to determine if those fetuses were more likely to have a fetal acidosis.
Study design: A retrospective cohort study of neonates prenatally diagnosed with CHD from August 2010 to July 2016. The control group consisted of gestational age matched controls without CHD.
Results: Each group consisted of 143 patients. The most common reason for cesarean delivery was a NRFHT (control 31% vs CHD 35%, p = 0.67). Fetal acidosis was a rare outcome occurring in only five controls (3.5%) and 11 cases (7.7%) (p = 0.12).
Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that with multidisciplinary care coordination, fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD have similar cesarean rates, labor and delivery management, and delivery room compromise as healthy fetuses.