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Improved Prenatal Detection of Congenital Heart Disease in an Integrated Health Care System

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Abstract

The reported prenatal detection rates (PDRs) for significant congenital heart disease (sCHD) have been suboptimal, even in the current era. Changes in prenatal ultrasound policy and training may lead to improved prenatal detection of sCHD. This study analyzed the results of a policy to assess fetal cardiac outflow tracts shown by screening prenatal ultrasound using the electronic medical record (EMR). During a 6-year period, fetuses and patients younger than 1 year with sCHD were identified. The EMR was used to gather detection and outcome data. As an internal control within the same health care system, the PDR of only the surgical cases was compared with that of a similar group in which documentation of the fetal cardiac outflow tracts was not standard policy. Among 25,666 births, sCHD was identified in 93 fetuses or patients, yielding an incidence of 3.6 per 1,000 births. The PDR was 74.1 %. Detection after birth but before discharge was 20.4 %, and detection after discharge was 5.4 %. A significant improvement in the PDR of sCHD was found when a concerted effort was made to obtain fetal cardiac outflow tract views during pregnancy screening (59.3 vs 28 %). Within an integrated health care system and with the use of an EMR, a PDR of 74 % can be obtained, and 94 % of sCHD can be detected before discharge. A concerted program that includes documentation of fetal cardiac outflow tracts in the pregnancy screening can result in improved PDR of sCHD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente, 4405 Vandever Avenue, San Diego, CA, 92120, USA

    Denis J. Levy

  2. Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Dolores H. Pretorius

  3. Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Abraham Rothman

  4. Department of Genetics, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA, USA

    Marcos Gonzales, Cherie Rao, Mark E. Nunes, Amy Thomas, Candace Nehlsen & Jessica Ehr

  5. Department of Radiology, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego, CA, USA

    Julian Bendelstein

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego, CA, USA

    Karen Mehalek

  7. Research and Evaluation Department, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Raoul J. Burchette

  8. Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Mark S. Sklansky

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  1. Denis J. Levy
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  2. Dolores H. Pretorius
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  3. Abraham Rothman
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  4. Marcos Gonzales
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  5. Cherie Rao
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  6. Mark E. Nunes
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  7. Julian Bendelstein
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  8. Karen Mehalek
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  9. Amy Thomas
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  10. Candace Nehlsen
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  11. Jessica Ehr
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  12. Raoul J. Burchette
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  13. Mark S. Sklansky
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Correspondence to Denis J. Levy.

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Levy, D.J., Pretorius, D.H., Rothman, A. et al. Improved Prenatal Detection of Congenital Heart Disease in an Integrated Health Care System. Pediatr Cardiol 34, 670–679 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-012-0526-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-012-0526-y

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