Pulmonary hypertension in pregnancy

Abstract

Significant progress has been made in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension during pregnancy, leading to improved clinical outcomes and significant decreases in maternal mortality rates. Despite these changes, pregnancy and pulmonary hypertension remain an extremely dangerous combination and require a multidisciplinary management team. In this chapter, we discuss the normal physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy with special attention to the effects on cardiopulmonary function, the clinical and diagnostic evaluation of pulmonary hypertension during pregnancy, maternal outcomes, and current management considerations for these high-risk patients.