In this episode, we review highlights of cardiovascular considerations in pregnancy. How does pregnancy affect blood volume, systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary vascular resistance, heart rate, and cardiac output? What routine physical exam findings in pregnancy that can mimic heart disease, and what physical exam findings are abnormal in pregnancy? How do LV mass, chamber size, and LV outflow tract velocity time integral (VTI) change in pregnancy? What is the effect of labor and delivery on cardiac output, blood volume, and venous return? What conditions comprise WHO risk class IV pregnancy patients? If a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy has recovery of LV ejection fraction to >=50%, which WHO pregnancy class does that place them in? Are aspirin, clopidogrel, and heparin safe in pregnancy? What is the difference between gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and eclampsia? What severe features comprise the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia with severe features? What is the target blood pressure in pregnancy? Tune in for answers to these questions.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

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