In the western world, the risk of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy has grown due to the increasing age at the first pregnancy and the worldwide obesity epidemic leading to early diabetes and hypertension. As a result more women are requiring drug therapy during pregnancy and some data has shown an altered pharmacodynamic profile in pregnant women when compared to the non-pregnant population.

Cardiac Drugs in Pregnancy presents up-to-date research for the treatment of cardiovascular disease during pregnancy, and discusses the most important indications of drug usage in pregnancy and postpartum. The book aims to assess the potential risk of drugs and their possible benefit against each other, making it an essential read for a wide range of health professionals involved in cardiac drug therapy in pregnancy.

Professor Karen Sliwa-Hähnle, MD, PhD, FESC, FACC, DTM&H, is Director of the Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa (HICRA) and Professor at the Department of Medicine and Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Professor John Anthony, MB, ChB, FCOG, MPhil, is Head of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Zusammenfassung
The spectrum of cardiovascular disease affecting women in pregnancy and postpartum is changing and differs between countries. In the western world, the risk of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy has increased due to the increasing age at the first pregnancy and the worldwide obesity epidemic leading also to early diabetes and hypertension. In addition the treatment of congenital heart disease has improved leading to an increased number of women with residual heart disease reaching childbearing age. In the western world maternal heart disease is now the major cause of maternal death during pregnancy. In the developing world rheumatic heart disease and the cardiomyopathies dominate. Those women often need anticoagulation as they might have had a valve replacement or formed a thrombus in the left heart. Drugs during pregnancy and the breastfeeding period is a complex subject and there is a profound shortage of evidence based recommendations. As drug treatment in pregnancy concern the mother and the fetus optimum treatment of both must be targeted. This book aims at discussing the most important indications of drug usage in pregnancy and postpartum with the aim of weighing the potential risk of a drug and the possible benefit against each other.

Inhalt
Introduction.- General principles and guidelines.- Management of Hypertension.- Management of Heart Failure.- Management of coronary artery disease & Arrhythmia.- Anticoagulation in Pregnancy.- Obstetric drugs in management if Cardiovascular disease.- Pregnancy anaesthesia in patients with cardiovascular disease.